Abstract
Although social farming (SF) has been a successful endeavor in Catalonia over the last 30 years, it has not been visible for part of society, which is largely unaware of its existence. Nevertheless, this study has demonstrated after studying five cases that the social return on investment (SROI) has been significant in rural areas. In this study, five in-depth interviews were carried out, and a general questionnaire was sent to 161 SF projects in Catalonia with a view to analyzing the participation of stakeholders and the returns they have achieved. The SROI method and the benefits to different stakeholders are concisely described. Our main foci are people at risk of social exclusion, their families, and the project promoters, but we also believe it is essential to analyze the administration of projects and the settings in which they take place. It is calculated that there is a social, economic, and environmental return on investment in terms of the benefits to the territory’s sustainable local development at an approximate proportion of three euros for every euro invested. Without a doubt, SF can help to support proximity agriculture, thus favoring its development and viability.
Highlights
The aim of our research is to demonstrate that social farming (SF) is an activity that has managed to contribute a social, economic and environmental return to society that is greater than the investment made in carrying out the activity [1]
There are five basic elements that should be kept in mind: (1) groups at risk of social exclusion (RSE), who are the main beneficiaries of the projects; (2) the institutional promotors or staff of the projects; (3) the technical team carrying out the project; (4) the agricultural activity, which is an aim of the project; and (5) the therapy and healthcare offered to people at RSE [4]
Application of the social return on investment (SROI) method has been extended to many fields which have in common the social nature of the activities, even in entities that are apparently as far removed from SF or social health as sports teams [53]
Summary
The aim of our research is to demonstrate that social farming (SF) is an activity that has managed to contribute a social, economic and environmental return to society that is greater than the investment made in carrying out the activity [1]. SF entities located in rural areas help to achieve sustainable development, including the maintenance and improvement of personal and social services [5]. This rural activity favors progress in proximity agriculture and food sovereignty [6,7] because SF helps the use of local land and resources for production and looks for customers in the same region [8]. There are other similar concepts like Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA), which promote a direct connections between the producers of food and those who consume it [9] or Vía Campesina which advocates for family farms based on sustainable agriculture under local community control with access to local markets and the right to food sovereignty [10]
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