A Nursery for Social Farmers.
A solution by Azienda Agricola Penazzi Francesco submitted to Social Farming in the Appennines
Nursery for Social Farmers project (SFN) aims to promote employment and social inclusion in rural communities, offering internship opportunities to vulnerable targets such as migrants and asylum seekers who are displaced in this areas. A 'learning by doing' approach will offer beneficiaries innovative and sustainable agricultural knowledge, necessary for developing new small local farms.
One Page Summary
The Bologna Apennines, like many other Italian and European rural districts, has been facing an increasing depopulation problem for over 60 years. Farmers are becoming older and the agricultural sector lacks perspectives and energies. New lifeblood could come from migrants and asylum-seekers who are displaced in these mountain areas: strategies are needed to integrate them in small, rural communities.
Nursery for Social Farmers project (SFN) focus on this target, and it is aimed to promote autonomy and integration in rural communities, starting from internships opportunities on-farm. A ‘learning by doing’ approach will provide beneficiaries with innovative and sustainable farming knowledge.
The beneficiaries will practice in a protected context: the proponent farm, Azienda Agricola ‘Francesco Penazzi’, is part of a group of nine organic farms in Rocca Corneta characterised by a strong social commitment. First existing farms triggered the creation of this Community over 30 years ago, welcoming and training new small enterprises in this territory. In last years this Community has grown in number, and has been increasing its productivity and market share.
Beneficiaries will get in touch with a small-scale business model that is sustainable and replicable in the Apennines context. Unlike “usual” internships for job-placement as employees, this proposal intends to involve actively the beneficiaries in building their personal autonomy, by taking responsibility.
At the end of the training period, thanks to the collaboration of local partners and stakeholders, the interns may become farmers themselves, starting small businesses on this territory or contributing to revitalisation of existing farms that need a generational turnover.
The solution is based on an incubation mechanisms tested for over 30 years by the Rocca Corneta Farmers Community. Beneficiaries will have tools, networks and productive chain necessary for developing new, small local farms.
Generated resources will be able to regenerate additional new resources, becoming promoter themselves of the Social Farm model.
