scholarly journals Social Farming: Heterogeneity in Social and Agricultural Relationships

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 4824
Author(s):  
Angela Genova ◽  
Martina Maccaroni ◽  
Elena Viganò

Social farming (SF) has emerged as a social innovation practice shaping heterogeneous approaches and results. This study discusses the complexity of SF policy and practices, and it is led by the main hypothesis that the relationship between agricultural and social dimensions might be very heterogeneous, not only in different national contexts but also within the same national and local level. SF policy and practices are investigated testing the hypothesis of three main different modalities of interaction according to how the social and the agricultural perspectives interact. In the first, social target is not involved in the production system of the farm and the farm is the context where actions and measures of a social nature take place. In the second type of interaction, the farm employs the beneficiaries in some of its production activities collaborating with the social services. The third is where the farm organizes its activities to actively employ targeted people to enhance their social inclusion and integration in the community. Italian SF policy and practices are analyzed as case study, through the lens of sociological critical discourse analysis regarding the regional regulatory documents, and interviews for local case studies. The results of the study show that SF policy and practices might be very heterogeneous also within the same national and local level, outlining different hybridization of social and agriculture actions that can be properly analyzed through the three SF model proposal. This study contributes to the broader debate on the various dimensions of sustainability, suggesting the need for further research on the efficiency of SF as local development model sustainable in economic, social and environmental terms.

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Ewert ◽  
Adalbert Evers

This article discusses localised forms of social innovation in social services in relation to social policy and welfare issues. It draws upon research findings from the EU project ‘Welfare Innovations at the local Level in favour of Cohesion’ (WILCO), which takes in social innovations in twenty European cities. First, we argue why there is currently a significant gap between the debate on social innovation and the debate on social welfare reforms. Second, we present attempts that have been made to identify and interpret recurring approaches and instruments in the social innovations studied in relation to various dimensions of the debate on social welfare and services, such as the search for new ways of addressing users and citizens; the emphasis on new risks and related approaches to the issues of rights and responsibilities; and finally the concern with issues of governance. We argue that the features of the local innovations we identified may be significant for welfare systems at large, going beyond the introduction of special new items in special fields. However, the degree to which this will come about in reality will depend on building more bridges of shared understanding between concerns with social innovation on the one hand and welfare reforms on the other hand.


2021 ◽  
Vol 564 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Zdzisława Janowska

The aim of this study is to emphasize the importance of the social economy sector for local development. The social economy sector is bringing together various entities and is activating socially and professionally marginalized and excluded groups. Its proper functioning is an example of social inclusion, which is the slogan of the Europe 2020 Strategy. The guarantee of success is the local government applying a strategy for active social policy. The government should be the initiator and ally of changes aimed at strengthening social inclusion at the local level. Therefore, it should create favorable conditions for the emergence and functioning of social economy entities. It can act as their founder, but also as the ordering party of services (socially responsible procurement). In this way, the government becomes an advocate of the interests of socially excluded groups. Finally, it can be the initiator of establishing cooperation with business. Unfortunately, the research conducted in Poland on this issue, as well as my own experience managing a social cooperative, highlight serious discrepancies between the ideal state and reality. The spending of European funds for many years for the purpose of social inclusion are disproportionate to the achieved results. This study will present the barriers which inhibit the development of the social economy at the local level as well as at the national level and will indicate ways to overcome them.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-84
Author(s):  
Zdenka Šándorová

Abstract The theme of the paper is very topical in global and European context. It brings theoretical information on the concept of asocial model of early care in the Czech Republic and practical case studies and final reports related to the early care provision which demonstrate tangible activities within the system of the complex support and assistance to children with disability and their families. The author applies the theoretical-practical approach as she is of the opinion that „the practice without theory is as a blind person on the road and the theory without practice is as a cart without an axle”. The aim of the paper is to extend theoretical information on the topic in the Czech Republic by individual examples of final reports related to the provision of social prevention of the early care in the Czech Republic. The overall aim of the paper is to justify topicality and eligibility of early care in its broad reference framework, including its practical impact. The theoretical basis of the paper is elaborated with respect to the analysis and comparison of Czech and foreign literature, legislation, methodology document and other relevant written resources. The practical level is elaborated with respect to 3 cases and final reports of the provider of an early care of the social prevention. The early care in the Czech Republic represents a professional, modern and recognized system in European and global comparison and is legally anchored in the Act 108/2006 Coll. on social services. It aims on the minimization of child´s disability impact upon child´s development, especially the social inclusion of a child and a family and their capability to cope with limitating disability in natural environ, i.e. by the preservation of standard way of life. It represents a multi-dimensional model, overcoming limitation of sectoral division of the early care and facilitating complex assistance from a series of subject fields at the same time. Services for families with an endangered child in early age are the background for social, educational and pedagogical inclusion of a child and the re-socialisation and re-inclusion of a family. Early care is considered preventive, from the point of the prevention of the second disability (i.e. is effective), in the prevention of institutionalized and asylum care (i.e. is economical), in the prevention of segregation (i.e. is ethical).


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Azeez. E.P

Social Capital is the most crucial asset which significantly influence the efficacy and resilience of any community. Social capital is a dependent variable that depends upon the competence and coherence of the individuals in the community and mode of social relationships, trust and networks they maintain. It is one of the most sustainable social resources that originate from human relations and results on the mutual support of people. Utilization of Social capital has a wide applicability in the process of social inclusion, especially in dealing with the vulnerable and disadvantaged sections in the community itself. Voluntary organizations are very keen to utilize the social capital for community/social services and community development in a sustainable manner. Community based de-institutionalized Palliative Care is one of the foremost among such organizations that made social capital in a strategic way for social inclusion and community well being. This paper analyses the extent to which different elements of social capital helps in initiating the sustainable community based palliative care movement by assessing the unique intervention strategies carried out by the palliative care. This paper explores conceptual questions of how social capital and voluntary community based services are correlated. A case study method was adopted for the study in which ten palliative care units were analyzed. The results show that a number of social capital elements are playing a vital role in the sustainability of community palliative care movement in Kerala.


Author(s):  
Giménez‐Bertomeu ◽  
Domenech‐López ◽  
Mateo‐Pérez ◽  
de‐Alfonseti‐Hartmann

This study examines the social exclusion characteristics of a sample of users of primary care social services in two local entities in Spain. The objective of this study was to identify the intensity and scope of social exclusion in an exploratory way and to look at the typology of existing exclusionary situations to inform policy making and professional practice. Data from 1009 users were collected by primary care social services professionals, completing the Social Exclusion Scale of the University of Alicante (SES-UA). The dimensions with the greatest levels of social exclusion in the study population were those related to work/employment, income and education and training. The dimensions with an intermediate level of exclusion were those related to housing and social isolation. Social acceptance, family and social conflict and health were the dimensions with the lowest levels of exclusion. The analysis also showed the existence of five significantly different groups, that showed five different life trajectories along the continuum between social exclusion and social inclusion. The results show the importance and utility of developing professional and policy intervention protocols based on research evidence, with the objective of improving the quality of life of the users.


Author(s):  
Leonidas Papakonstantinidis

The purpose of this paper is to prove that the rationalization of the “Integrated Endogenous Local Development” should be proved to be a valuable policy mean, under the proposed methodological procedure of Sensitizing Local People, through the “animation procedure”, toward developing their own skills, capacities and therefore their place, that are asked by the local SMEs Sensitization may be proved to be the fundamental methodological tool, for building the social capital at local level, by making valuable local people’s “intrinsic inclinations”-a “term” which is stronger than “capacities”- under a new value system, and human communication. ”Sensitization” - as the upper limit of the sensitization procedure- is been approached, step by step, especially: Establishing the “bottom-up approach” in planning the development procedure at local level, Establishing the “animation procedure” among local people, Analysing local people “intrinsic inclinations” in context with a “system value”, Creating a “team psychology” among local people, Encouraging local people in finding and adopting the local “Flag Theme”. The proposed procedure may be useful, especially in small, less developed and isolated rural areas. A case-study “Women Cooperative, Gargaliani, South-West Peloponnesos”, is referred as a typical case of the development procedure, based on local people (women) animation in Greece.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 666-670
Author(s):  
Andrea Racz

Civil organisations services and care operating in the social field are an important part of the social network since they contribute to the social inclusion and increasing life quality of excluded social groups. In the study we deal with how much the innovativeness (on program and specialization level) and system approach are emphasised in the approaches of civil organisations that operate in the field of social and child protection. Firstly, we briefly overview the main characteristics of civil organisations that operate in social field. Then we examine those tenders of civil organisations operating on social and child protection field which tendered between 2008 and 2009 in a concrete Hungarian tender system, in the so-called Norwegian Civil Fund (NCF)


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Suzanne Érica Nóbrega Correia ◽  
Verônica Macário de Oliveira ◽  
Carla Regina Pasa Goméz

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar as iniciativas de inovação social desenvolvidas pelo Programa de Articulação de Tecnologias Apropriadas às Comunidades (PATAC), a partir do modelo proposto por Lévesque (2002). Nesse sentido, foram observados os três níveis de análise apresentados no modelo: atores, organizacional e institucional. Realizou-se um estudo de caso descritivo e exploratório, a partir da realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas junto a gestores e técnicos do programa supracitado. Na análise dos atores, percebe-se envolvimento da comunidade pela valorização da cultura e da capacidade de aprendizado. No nível organizacional, observou-se que, nos projetos geridos, tem um caráter compartilhado, na busca do fortalecimento sociopolítico. Os resultados demonstram que, no nível institucional, o processo de inovação social tem como função coordenar os diferentes setores da sociedade, para manter redes de relacionamentos e cooperação para funcionamento dos projetos e programas sociais envolvidos. Assim, os níveis de análise da inovação social não devem ser entendidos apenas como mecanismo isolado de satisfação das necessidades sociais, mas também como um mecanismo de transformação social que busca mudanças na configuração da sociedade como meio de promover a sustentabilidade e a qualidade de vida.Palavras-chave: Inovação social. Níveis de análise da inovação social. Desenvolvimento local.ABSTRACTThis paper aims to analyze the social innovation initiatives developed by the Appropriate Technology Joint Program for Communities (PATAC) from the model proposed by Lévesque (2002). In this sense, the three levels of analysis presented in the model were observed: actors, organizational and institutional. We conducted a study of descriptive and exploratory case from conducting semi-structured interviews with managers and technicians of the aforementioned program. In the analysis of the actors, the community’s involvement is appreciated by the valorization of the culture and the learning capacity. At the organizational level, it was observed that in managed projects, it has a shared character, in the search for socio-political strengthening. The results demonstrate that at the institutional level the social innovation process has the function of coordinating the different sectors of society to maintain networks of relationships and cooperation for the operation of the social projects and programs involved. Thus, analysis of levels of social innovation should not be understood only as a single mechanism of satisfaction of social needs, but also as a social transformation engine that seeks changes in society setting as a means of promoting sustainability and quality of life.Keywords: Social innovation. Analysis of levels of social innovation. Local development.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
João Paulo Cândia Veiga ◽  
Fausto Makishi ◽  
Murilo Alves Zacareli ◽  
Thiago Augusto Hiromitsu Terada

This article is aimed at summarizing the results of the fieldwork research conducted by a group of researchers from the University of São Paulo within local communities in the municipalities of Salvaterra, Bragança and Breves, which are located in the state of Pará in the Northern part of Brazil. The object of analysis is the production chain of oleaginous seeds obtained through the extraction activity that are used as inputs in the processing food and cosmetics industries.This article seeks to answer the following questions: what role do non-state actors play in sustainable development and biodiversity regulation at the local level?Which are the social and environmental impacts? In order to answer it, this research focuses on the impact of the extractive activity on income generation, local development and local environmental externalities caused by market incentives. The main hypothesis is that it is possible to go beyond the trade-off between welfare gains and the preservation of the environment, and thus contribute to the rational use of Common-Pool Resources (CPRs).The motivation of this article is intimately related to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 and the sustainable use of biodiversity. It is argued that the whole process is subjected to a multilevel context in which actors and arenas interact with each other through ‘authoritative mechanisms’. Both quantitative and qualitative data have been collected through surveys conducted among local families.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-277
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Madej

AbstractThe paper refers to the social innovation of participatory budgeting which has become a very popular tool for stimulating citizen participation at the local level in Poland. It focuses on the major cities, defined as capitals of the voivodeships or regions. Based on the data concerning 2018 participatory budgeting editions in the eighteen cities, it describes the funding, organisation of the process, forms of voting and voter participation as well as the nature of projects selected and implemented. According to the amended Act on the Local Self-Government, organisation of participatory budgeting will only be obligatory for Polish cities from 2019. Despite that fact, it has already become quite popular and broadly applied in local communities. However, citizens’ participation and involvement in the process seems quite low, suggesting a need for experience sharing and improvement of the initiative. Also, project selection reflects the influence of various social groups within urban communities, rather than assisting groups which are at risk of marginalisation.


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