Social Farming (SF) in Italy: an opportunity for local development

1. Social Farming (SF) in Italy:
an opportunity for local
development
Roberto Finuola
Economic Development Ministry
Evaluation Unit (Uval), Italy
roberto.finuola@tesoro.it

2. What is Social Farming (SF ) ?
A wide constellation of dif-
ferent practices with two
common elements:
1. to be practised in a farm;
2. to be directed to less em-
powered people (mentally &
physically disabled, drug
addicts, children, the elderly,
prisoners, youngsters, burnt
out.... people).

3. Social farming Areas
Therapy - Work Education
Rehabilitation inclusion Recreation
• Therapeutic activity • Work placement and
• Assisted therapies with training • Inclusion in schools
animals (e.g., pet • Inclusion in the job market • Activities for students
therapy) horticultural of physically and mentally with learning difficulties
therapies... for people disabed people who parti- or social adaptation
with physical disabilities cipate in the agricultural problems.
or psychiatric problems. cycles depending on their
• Rehabilitation, abilities. • Learning activities
housing, social • (Educational farms)
• Prisons hands-on learning for
integration.
• Work and training in new students about rural
• Not self-sufficient job skills. livelihoods and
elderly, drug/alcohol
addicts, victims of • Lands confiscated from agricultural cycles.
trauma (children, abused organized crime entities • Cultural activities
people…), former (Italy)
prisoners, people • Renewed appreciation
• young people in social co- of traditional rural
recovering from illness operatives. values and customs
• …….

4. European nets on SF
voluntary based activity
around Social Farming
http://sofar.unipi.it
research net focused on
3 fields: efficiency,
economics , Green Care
policies
project aimed at sup-
porting EU policies

5. SF in EU: a diverse history
GERMANY FRANCE IRELAND
long history (since 1800) Long history (“open gardens”); 70’ Camphill, religious
70’ s sheltered workshops; 90’s networks (“Les“Jardins de communities
Camphill communities… Cocagne”,“Reseau de 90’ first soc. farms
Cocagne…”)
SLOVENIA
Social-health INSTITUTIONAL
institutions
90’ first soc. farms APPROACH
NETHERLANDS BELGIUM PRIVATE
70’s Anthroposophist & religious 1800: Community of
communities; Geel
90’s private care farms
APPROACH
90’ private “care farms”
ITALY
Closing down of mental MIXED
hospitals in the 70’s;
start of social co- APPROACH
operatives; 2000: RD
opened to SF

6. SF in EU: a diverse orientation
Social & Public projects
(employment) Rural develop.
health care policies
Italy, Compensations to
Associations Farmers (B)
France Charity (I, Fr)
Social Co-ops Support to new
type B (I) SF initiatives (I)
Public
payments
Germany, Public
structures
Ireland, (Gr,SL, Irl) Farms (I, Fr)
Slovenia Belgium Social Co-ops
type A/B (I)
Netherlands Farms (NL)
Food markets
Public funds
(ethical; direct
(Health/care,
selling)
educ. sector)
Health Agriculture
Source: Sofar Project - 2008
In many countries SF < 1% of
total farms but operating in
remote rural areas

7. Social Farming Governance in Italy
Consumers
Public Institutions Private actors
AGRICULTURE
State
Social Farms
Regions
Private farms; SF as diver-
sification (multifunctionality)
Beneficiaries
mentally/psychiatrically
disabled Social Coop. B
Agriculture as an
Municipalities physically disabled
children,youngsters,
occupational therapy;
agriculture as a job
Provinces Local the elderly,
drug-alcohol addicted Social Coop. A
Health Units prisoners & former pr.
………….
Agricultural processes as
a tool for care (“green”
therapies)
VOLUNTARY & SERVICES ASS.
Users

8. Rural Development Policy 2007-2013
SF is a“key action” of Axis
III in National Strategy Plan A) Improving the quality of life
2007-2013 referring to: in rural areas:
“A trend worth promoting and sustaining
is that of companies (agricultural and
service-providing) that operate in the field
of the so-called social agriculture (using
farms for meeting social needs such as
the rehabilitation and re-integration of
disadvantaged people, educational acti-
vities for schools, etc.)”.
B) To diversify the rural
economy :
The initiatives of social agriculture are
among the key actions for the creation of
new occupational or income-generating
opportunities in rural areas.

9. SF in Regional Rural Development
Programmes (RDPs) 2007-2013
Meas. 311 – Diversification
All of the regions foresee
social agriculture actions
Meas. 321 – Services for the
rural populations
All of the regions – except for a
few exceptions - foresee social
Social Farming is agriculture actions
supported by RDPs

10. SF in Regional & Cohesion Policies
In the National Strategic Fra-
mework 2007-2013 2 prio-
rities interesting SF: Pr. 4: social inclusion and
services for the quality of
life and the attractiveness
of the territory
actions for disabled/disadvantaged
people
improving the quality and ac-
cessibility in rural areas of social
protection services
Pr. 8: competivity and at-
tractiveness of cities and
urban systems
Reinforcement of functional rela-
tionships between urban systems
and rural systems

11. SF in Regional Operational Programmes
ESF
Axis: Social Inclusion
(integration into the job market
of disadvantaged persons …)
Axis: Adaptability (training
for new activities …) ERDF (Southern Italy)
Improving essential services for
the rural area population (social-
health, services for children…)
Adaptability and employability
priority (new profiles of entrepre-
neurship, social responsibility…)
ERDF (Northern Italy)
Focus on productivity
Some actions in priorities in
favour of entrepreneurship

12. The role of SF in connecting policies: some experiences
“Distretto rurale di econo-
"Valdera Health mia solidale” (Solidary Econo-
Society” new my Rural District). Integrated
organization to inte- approach of local social-health
grate health policy institutions, farmers, co-ope-
within a participa- ratives…….. Activities: working
tive territorial ap- inclusion, housing autonomy for
proach.
disabled people, ethical trade
mark for local products (wine)…..
“La Buona
Terra” (the
good land). Wor-
king inclusion of
drug/alcohol
addicts in
Co.ops & private
farms
“Rete Nazionale Fatto-
“Libera Terra” (Free Land) net
rie sociali” (Social Farms “TITRA - INEA” (Institutional of co-operatives cultivating lands
national network) Table for Therapeutic Rehabilita- confiscated to organized crime
ting activities in Agriculture).
Aim: to promote experimental
projects to validate AAT.

13. depopulation
decreasing of young people
Concentration of elderly people
pressure on publich health care
organized crime
An Integrated Policy

14. Is SF able to give answers to these issues?
depopulation & undermi- SF could create new and
ning provision of key diffused services in farms
public services everywhere in rural areas
decreasing number of young SF is an opportunity for young
people (public lands given to young
people in rural areas people co-operatives?)
SF allows to create, possibly at
Concentration of elderly people puts lower costs, structures in farms
to give daily assistance to
pressure on publich health care elderly people and also to host
them permanently
organized crime confiscated lands offer new opportuni-
impacts policy ties to young people and develop the
effectiveness awareness of “legality” in difficult areas
an integrated policy “Integration” is a key word in SF,
should foster social including agriculture, health, social,
local development, employment and
cohesion
education…

15. Future developments in supporting SF
• In Italy: Regional Policy and Rural Development Policy
are working in this direction with the support of the
Evaluation Unit and the The National Rural Network
• In Europe: nets of SF are also working to improve
knowledge about the phenomena and the impact of
policies
• What is happening in other OECD countries?
• Can we foresee to deep Social Farming
analysis at OECD level?

16. Thank you for your attention.
roberto.finuola@tesoro.it