Social Farming in

Tuscany:
why are we here?
Roberto D’Alonzo
ARSIA- Tuscany Region

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 What ARSIA is
• A regional Agency to:

– Support change in agriculture and

rural areas
– Promote vocational training
– Organise technical supports
– Facilitate connections among
research and on farm activities

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 Rural development in Tuscany:
the value of the difference
The main drivers
•Multifunctional agriculture
•Tourism:farm and historical
sites
•Typical products
•Short circuits and local
markets
•Wine and wine routes
•Local culture
•biodiversity

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 Rural areas are attractive

”because food, culture, landscape

and.. last but not least …..people and
their lifestyle”

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 Services and rural development
• Services for local inhabitants in
rural areas as a key point
• Social farming can provide
services in rural areas
• Social farming can create new
bridges among urban and rural
areas
• Social farming is a part of
multifunctional agriculture that
can be developed

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 ARSIA and Social Farming: a pathway
of change in multifunctional agriculture (1)
• 2002/03: exploring the subject
and understanding social faming
at regional level

– Surveying on social farming: a first

attempt to know existing social farming at
ground level:
• About 64 projects all over in Tuscany
• About 1200 people included in the last 10
years
– To organise regional stakeholders: a
regional committee with farmer
associations on social farming

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 ARSIA and Social Farming: a pathway
of change in multifunctional agriculture (2)
• 2003/05: networking and
educating:

– meeting among existing

individual projects
– Seminars organised in existing
social farms to share knowledge
– Vocational training connecting
old practices and newcomers
(from agriculture and from the
services;

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 ARSIA and Social Farming: a pathway
of change in multifunctional agriculture (3)
• 2005/07: reinforcing the topic:

– Promoting social farming at institutional level: to

involve regional Departments to debate about the topic in
order to prepare the new Rural Development Plan (2007/13)
•Regional seminars and congresses on
Social Farming (Montespertoli)
•Writing rules for the new RDP (at
regional level with the involvement of
project holders)
•Participating to the SoFar project at
EU level
–Increasing knowledge and
supporting new practices (about 100
nowadays)
Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009
 ARSIA and Social Farming: a pathway
of change in multifunctional agriculture (4)
• 2008/09: Reinforcing and
expanding the subject

– The world of prisons:

• regional agreements for social
farming in the prisons
• vocational training in agriculture
– Supporting local initiatives:
SdS Valdera, Responsible Amiata
– CoP Farming for health 2009
– The Italian CoP on social
farming

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 Social Farming in Tuscany:
the evolution
• Tradition of social farming in the family farms
• Starting point: 70’
•newcomers and communities in rural Tuscany (connecting social
involvement in economic production)
•Left and catholic groups
•The new law for psychiatric treatments (L.180)
•The existing structures in the prisons (Gorgona)
• A first evolution: 90’
•The third sector: Social cooperatives and agriculture (creating work
opportunities for less empowered people)
•New projects on the prisons (Gorgona, Sollicciano)
• New projects: in the 2000:
•voluntary associations meet the abandoned land
•new projects in agriculture
•New activities from the social services
Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009
Social Farming in Tuscany: today
• About 100 projects:

• Agricultural cooperatives (the evolution of the

communities)
• Social Cooperatives type A: providing social services
using agriculture as a tool (public services are paying);
• Social Cooperatives type B: promoting inclusion in
agriculture (supporte by policies for social affairs)
• The voluntary activities: small projects around the
cities in abandoned lands (charity)
• Individual farms: (local agreements with public
structure voluntary based) (reputation and new markets
in the short circuits)
• Public Structures: (Prisons)
• New organised project: Connection among farms,
farms and cooperatives, local services and institutions
(Orti ETICI, SdS Valdera, Responsible Amiata)

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

 Political tools for Social Farming in
Tuscany:
• From Rural Development Plan:
• Support for investments at farm level
• Support for innovation in social services in rural areas
involving also agriculture
• LAG and LEADER initiatives

• From Social policies:

• Work inclusion: tutorial activities, vocational training,
to promote work inclusion at farm level,
• Educational activities (child and schools)

• From the minister of Justice

• Social farms in the prisons
• Vocational Training, facilities for work inclusion
Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009
 Social Farming in Tuscany
The field visits
• Forteto: the history of social farming in Tuscany
• Pungiglione: the third sector in social farming
• Valdera: new initiatives and local networking in
social farming
• Gorgona: the world of prisons

Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009

Thanks to be in Pisa and have
a fruitful meeting
CoP Pisa 25/27 maggio 2009
Terra Futura Firenze 29 maggio 2009

Roberto D’Alonzo
ARSIA
www.arsia.toscana.it
Community of Practices Farming for Health Pisa 25/27 May 2009