Extending the concept of social farming: Rural development and the fight against organized crime in disadvantaged areas of southern Italy

Abstract

The potential of social farming has always been studied from a perspective in which the combination of agricultural production with the provision of welfare services was the predominant feature. Nonetheless, social farming is a tool that can perform other different functions. The article describes the role that social farming plays within a wider strategy for local development in the rural areas of southern Italy strongly affected by the presence of organized crime and consequent widespread underdevelopment. The survey was carried out through semi-structured interviews with the presidents and executives of a sample of twenty social cooperatives and social enterprises, which are involved in farming activities with the aim of promoting local development and the regeneration of the territory. The research findings highlight how social farming can play an important role in deprived rural areas not only by creating income and jobs, but also by counteracting the cultures of illegality that hinder development. This is particularly the case when companies are driven by ideal, values and technical entrepreneurial skills, are embedded in non-local networks and redistribute part of the value produced to the local community.