Social Farming: Dealing with Communities Rebuilding Local Economy

RURAL FUTURES: DREAMS, DILEMMAS, DANGERS Compilation © 2008 University of Plymouth, UK Social Farming: Dealing with Communities Rebuilding Local Economy Francesco Di Iacovo Abstract Social farming is a traditional as well as an innovative activity for... More

RURAL FUTURES: DREAMS, DILEMMAS, DANGERS Compilation © 2008 University of Plymouth, UK Social Farming: Dealing with Communities Rebuilding Local Economy Francesco Di Iacovo Abstract Social farming is a traditional as well as an innovative activity for farmers. It regards the use of resources from agriculture for rehabilitation and social inclusion. The term SF has recently entered the scene of rural development in EU, embracing a wide constellation of different practices that are emerging in the territories; experiences that, in many cases, were born as bottom-up actions and have “grown in the shade” for long time. SF activities regard a large number of target groups, both in urban and rural areas (youngsters, elders, disabled people, migrant, prisoners, added people). SF is also connected to a large number of issues related to rural development like the organisation of local services, the evolution of farmers attitudes in the relationships with local communities and their reputati Less