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

Roberto Finuola
Economic Development Ministry Evaluation Unit (Uval), Italy
roberto.finuola@tesoro.it

What is Social Farming (SF ) ?

A wide constellation of different practices with two common elements: 1. to be practised in a farm; 2. to be directed to less empowered people (mentally & physically disabled, drug addicts, children, the elderly, prisoners, youngsters, burnt out.... people).

Social farming Areas

Therapy Rehabilitation Work inclusion
Work placement and training
Inclusion in the job market of physically and mentally disabed people who participate in the agricultural cycles depending on their abilities.

Education Recreation

Therapeutic activity
Assisted therapies with animals (e.g., pet therapy) horticultural therapies... for people with physical disabilities or psychiatric problems.

Inclusion in schools
Activities for students with learning difficulties or social adaptation problems.

Rehabilitation, housing, social integration.

Not self-sufficient elderly, drug/alcohol addicts, victims of trauma (children, abused people), former prisoners, people recovering from illness .

Learning activities
(Educational farms) hands-on learning for students about rural livelihoods and agricultural cycles.

Prisons
Work and training in new job skills.

Lands confiscated from organized crime entities

(Italy) young people in social cooperatives.

Cultural activities
Renewed appreciation of traditional rural values and customs

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 porting EU policies

sup-

SF in EU: a diverse history

GERMANY
long history (since 1800) 70 s sheltered workshops; Camphill communities

FRANCE
Long history (open gardens); 90s networks (LesJardins de Cocagne,Reseau de Cocagne)

IRELAND
70 Camphill, religious communities 90 first soc. farms

SLOVENIA
Social-health institutions 90 first soc. farms

INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH

NETHERLANDS
70s Anthroposophist & religious communities; 90 private care farms

BELGIUM
1800: Community of Geel 90s private care farms

PRIVATE APPROACH

ITALY
Closing down of mental hospitals in the 70s; start of social cooperatives; 2000: RD opened to SF

MIXED APPROACH

SF in EU: a diverse orientation

Social & health care
Italy, France
Public projects (employment)

Rural develop. policies

Charity

Associations (I, Fr) Social Co-ops type B (I)

Compensations to Farmers (B) Support to new SF initiatives (I)

Public payments

Germany, Ireland, Slovenia Netherlands

Public structures (Gr,SL, Irl)

Farms (I, Fr)

Belgium

Social Co-ops type A/B (I) Farms (NL) Food markets (ethical; direct selling)

Health

Agriculture
Source: Sofar Project - 2008

Public funds (Health/care, educ. sector)

In many countries SF < 1% of total farms but operating in remote rural areas

Social Farming Governance in Italy

Public Institutions
Consumers

Private actors

AGRICULTURE
State
Social Farms

Regions Municipalities Provinces Local Health Units

mentally/psychiatrically disabled physically disabled children,youngsters, the elderly, drug-alcohol addicted prisoners & former pr. .

Beneficiaries

Private farms; SF as diversification (multifunctionality) Agriculture as an occupational therapy; agriculture as a job

Social Coop. B Social Coop. A

Agricultural processes as a tool for care (green therapies)

VOLUNTARY & SERVICES ASS.

Users

Rural Development Policy 2007-2013

SF is akey action of Axis III in National Strategy Plan 2007-2013 referring to:

A) Improving the quality of life 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 activities for schools, etc.).

B) To diversify economy :

the

rural

The initiatives of social agriculture are among the key actions for the creation of new occupational or income-generating opportunities in rural areas.

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

Social Farming is supported by RDPs

All of the regions except for a few exceptions - foresee social agriculture actions

SF in Regional & Cohesion Policies

In the National Strategic Framework 2007-2013 2 priorities 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 accessibility in rural areas of social protection services

Pr. 8: competivity and attractiveness of cities and urban systems

Reinforcement of functional relationships between urban systems and rural systems

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 (socialhealth, services for children)

Adaptability and employability priority (new profiles of entrepre-

ERDF (Northern Italy)

Focus on productivity Some actions in priorities in favour of entrepreneurship

neurship, social responsibility)

The role of SF in connecting policies: some experiences

"Valdera Society Health Distretto rurale di economia solidale (Solidary Economy Rural District). Integrated approach of local social-health institutions, farmers, co-operatives.. Activities: working inclusion, housing autonomy for disabled people, ethical trade mark for local products (wine)..

new organization to integrate health policy within a participative territorial approach.

La Buona Terra (the

good land). Working inclusion of drug/alcohol addicts in Co.ops & private farms

Rete Nazionale Fattorie sociali (Social Farms

national network)

TITRA - INEA (Institutional

Table for Therapeutic Rehabilitating activities in Agriculture). Aim: to promote experimental projects to validate AAT.

Libera Terra (Free Land) net

of co-operatives cultivating lands confiscated to organized crime

depopulation decreasing of young people Concentration of elderly people pressure on publich health care organized crime

An Integrated Policy

Is SF able to give answers to these issues?

depopulation & undermining provision of key public services SF could create new and diffused services in farms everywhere in rural areas SF is an opportunity for young people (public lands given to young
people co-operatives?)

decreasing number of young people in rural areas

Concentration of elderly people puts pressure on publich health care

SF allows to create, possibly at lower costs, structures in farms to give daily assistance to elderly people and also to host them permanently

organized crime impacts policy effectiveness an integrated policy should foster social cohesion

confiscated lands offer new opportunities to young people and develop the awareness of legality in difficult areas Integration is a key word in SF, including agriculture, health, social, local development, employment and education

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?

Thank you for your attention.

roberto.finuola@tesoro.it