Social Farming (SF) in Italy: an opportunity for local development
-
Upload
elisamendelsohn -
Category
Design
-
view
1.058 -
download
2
description
Transcript of Social Farming (SF) in Italy: an opportunity for local development
Social Farming (SF) in Italy: an opportunity for local
development
Roberto FinuolaEconomic Development Ministry
Evaluation Unit (Uval), Italy
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).
Social farming Areas
Work inclusion
EducationRecreation
• Therapeutic activity• Assisted therapies with
animals (e.g., pettherapy) horticulturaltherapies... for people with physical disabilitiesor psychiatric problems.
• Rehabilitation, housing, social integration.
• Not self-sufficientelderly, drug/alcoholaddicts, victims oftrauma (children, abusedpeople…), formerprisoners, people recovering from illness
• …….
• Work placement and training
• Inclusion in the job market of physically and mentally disabed people who parti-cipate in the agricultural cycles depending on their abilities.
• Prisons
• Work and training in newjob skills.
• Lands confiscated from organized crime entities (Italy)
• young people in social co-operatives.
• Inclusion in schools• Activities for students
with learning difficultiesor social adaptationproblems.
• Learning activities• (Educational farms)
hands-on learning forstudents about rurallivelihoods andagricultural cycles.
• Cultural activities• Renewed appreciation
of traditional ruralvalues and customs
Therapy -Rehabilitation
European nets on SF
voluntary based activity
around Social Farming
research net focused on
3 fields: efficiency,
economics , Green Care
policies
http://sofar.unipi.it
project aimed at sup-
porting EU policies
SF in EU: a diverse history
ITALYClosing down of mental
hospitals in the 70’s; start of social co-
operatives; 2000: RD opened to SF
GERMANYlong history (since 1800)
70’ s sheltered workshops; Camphill communities…
IRELAND70’ Camphill, religious
communities
90’ first soc. farms
NETHERLANDS70’s Anthroposophist & religious
communities;
90’ private “care farms”
BELGIUM1800: Community of
Geel90’s private care farms
SLOVENIASocial-healthinstitutions
90’ first soc. farms
FRANCELong history (“open gardens”);90’s networks (“Les“Jardins de
Cocagne”,“Reseau de
Cocagne…”)
INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH
PRIVATE APPROACH
MIXED APPROACH
SF in EU: a diverse orientation
In many countries SF < 1% of
total farms but operating in
remote rural areas
Source: Sofar Project - 2008
AgricultureHealth
Italy,
France
Germany,
Ireland,
Slovenia
Netherlands
Belgium
Social &
health careRural develop.
policies
Public
payments
Public projects
(employment)
Food markets
(ethical; direct
selling)
Public
structures
(Gr,SL, Irl)
Social Co-ops
type A/B (I)
Farms (NL)
Associations
(I, Fr)
Social Co-ops
type B (I)
Public funds
(Health/care,
educ. sector)
Compensations to
Farmers (B)
Support to new
SF initiatives (I)
Farms (I, Fr)
Charity
Social Farming Governance in Italy
AGRICULTURE
Social Coop. AAgricultural processes as
a tool for care (“green”
therapies)
Social Coop. BAgriculture as an
occupational therapy;
agriculture as a job
Beneficiariesmentally/psychiatrically disabledphysically disabledchildren,youngsters,the elderly,drug-alcohol addictedprisoners & former pr.
………….
State
Regions
MunicipalitiesProvinces Local Health Units
VOLUNTARY & SERVICES ASS.
Private actorsPublic InstitutionsConsumers
Users
Social FarmsPrivate farms; SF as diver-
sification (multifunctionality)
Rural Development Policy 2007-2013SF is a“key action” of AxisIII in National Strategy Plan2007-2013 referring to:
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.
A) Improving the quality of lifein 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.)”.
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
agriculture actionsSocial Farming is
supported by RDPs
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 oflife and the attractivenessof the territory
actions for disabled/disadvantagedpeople
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
SF in Regional Operational Programmes
ESFAxis: Social Inclusion(integration into the job marketof disadvantaged persons …)
Axis: Adaptability (training
for new activities …) ERDF (Southern Italy)
Improving essential services forthe rural area population (social-health, services for children…)
Adaptability and employabilitypriority (new profiles of entrepre-neurship, social responsibility…)
ERDF (Northern Italy)
Focus on productivity
Some actions in priorities infavour of entrepreneurship
The role of SF in connecting policies: some experiences
“Distretto rurale di econo-
mia solidale” (Solidary Econo-
my Rural District). Integrated
approach of local social-health
institutions, farmers, co-ope-
ratives…….. Activities: working
inclusion, housing autonomy for
disabled people, ethical trade
mark for local products (wine)…..
“Rete Nazionale Fatto-
rie sociali” (Social Farms
national network)
“Libera Terra” (Free Land) net
of co-operatives cultivating lands
confiscated to organized crime
"Valdera Health
Society” new
organization to inte-grate health policywithin a participa-tive territorial ap-proach.
“La Buona
Terra” (the
good land). Wor-
king inclusion of
drug/alcohol
addicts in
Co.ops & private
farms
“TITRA - INEA” (Institutional
Table for Therapeutic Rehabilita-ting activities in Agriculture). Aim: to promote experimental projects to validate AAT.
Concentration of elderly people
pressure on publich health care
organized crime
An Integrated Policy
decreasing of young people
depopulation
Is SF able to give answers to these issues?
SF could create new anddiffused services in farms
everywhere in rural areas
depopulation & undermi-ning provision of key
public services
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
confiscated lands offer new opportuni-ties to young people and develop the
awareness of “legality” in difficult areas
an integrated policy
should foster social
cohesion
“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.