One Page Summary

The challenge we are facing is related to the revitalization of the Apennines area through the model of social farming and involving disadvantaged people.
On the first hand, we work with person with mental disability and migrants. We do therapy, but our goal is not therapy. We try to create an sustainable social farm from the economic point of view. We think that Apennines Area, and in particular the area of Valsamoggia, could be the place for new sustainable Social Farm.
On the second hand, we think that the revitalization of the Apennines need an economic model of urban and peri-urban farming businesses and the development of added value activities. We need a collective organization of farmers to access larger markets and share costs. Several forms of collective organization are possible for urban and peri-urban farmers: collective outlets, farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture networks, cooperatives (for the shared use of farming equipment or other). Our idea is that this economic model could be a web distribution platform.
Piazza Martino (PM) is a small organic farm in Valsamoggia with 2 acres of horticulture. In practical terms, we want to try to realize a project in which ten disadvantaged people, that are just involving in PM, could build their Social Farm.