Problems and purpose

"Social agriculture includes a plurality of experiences that cannot be traced back to a unitary model, in terms of the type of organization, activity carried out, recipients, sources of financing, but united by the characteristic of integrating social and health activities into agricultural activity, education, training and work placement, recreation, aimed in particular at disadvantaged groups of the population or at risk of marginalization.

The PuLSA idea stems from the observation of the extraordinary lack of information about the potential impact on the territory of development policies and above all of the opportunities deriving from Social Agriculture practices. This is strategic knowledge of growing importance also in the qualification of the increasingly widespread experiments of inclusion and participation of citizens in planning the future of their communities of reference.

PuLSA is an open space where anyone interested in doing Social Agriculture can become part of it with a view to inclusion and openness as fundamental aspects of a work model that is enriched with the diversity of those who are part of it "(Link 1 ).

The PULSA project aims at the development of Social Agriculture in Puglia through the participatory construction of permanent laboratories throughout the Puglia Region. The project idea stems from the lack of operational references for the design and facilitation of the diversified relationships that characterize Social Agriculture, from the plurality of experiences that cannot be traced back to a unitary model and from the widespread lack of information on the opportunities deriving from Agriculture practices. Social. In response to these needs, PULSA proposes to:

• create connections between the various players in the area;
• facilitate the emergence of planning;
• bring out good practices and consolidated experiences that can be replicated in other contexts;
• co-designing concrete tools for social farming;
• to support, support and promote the work of the Regional Observatory of Social Agriculture. [1]

To achieve the listed objectives, the following workshops / territorial laboratories and 1 final workshop were planned:

• 23/01/2020 BARI - Puglia Region, via Gentile - 5th floor room
• 06/02/2020 LECCE - CE.FAS, Via Arciprete Paladini, 57, Carmiano
• 13/02/2020 FOGGIA - University of Foggia
• 02/27/2020 BRINDISI - Palazzo Guerrieri, Via Congregation
• 05/03/2020 TARANTO - ASL
• 03/26/2020 BAT - ASL
• 02/04/2019 BARI - Puglia Region, via Gentile - 5th floor room

History and background context

In the process site there are no organized descriptions of the context, but only scattered documents relating to the object, in the section “Phase 3 - Participation. Documents and materials collected during the meetings ”, therefore out of context. It is in fact general documentation on the subject:

• the Charter of principles of Social Agriculture (an excerpt of which is reported);
• the National Guidelines of Social Agriculture (AS),
• the national law, n. 141 of 18 August 2015, "Provisions on social agriculture",
• Regional law n.9 of March 27, 2018, "Provisions on social agriculture",
• "background-color: transparent;"> The Regional Regulation n. 20 of 1 October 2019, implementing law no. 9 above,
• The registration forms for the National Social Agriculture Forum and the Apulian Forum,
• the poster of the meetings on the regional territory of the PULSA process.

"The modern phenomenon of Social Agriculture (AS) is a possible tool for responding to the growing needs of the population both in terms of sustainable agricultural production from a social, economic and environmental point of view, and in terms of the offer of social and health services and socio-working. Unlike past experiences made in favor of people in difficulty, it represents a model of territorial development - participatory and relational - which reorients local realities in the logic of service to the reference communities. In this sense, it is not only the result of the sum of productive activities and social activities, but something completely new and more complex. It is, in fact, a social innovation, but also an economic and environmental innovation, capable of generating other innovations in the territorial contexts. Over the years, the realities operating in this sector have progressively increased awareness of the important role that these experiences have in local contexts and of the need to increase and consolidate the interactions between the various subjects of Social Agriculture (AS), through the exchange of practices and sharing of a set of common principles and horizons. The Charter of Principles of the SA represents a synthesis of the reflection that has matured in this area in recent years. In a context of very marked economic crisis that in some ways has become a structural crisis, Social Agriculture (AS) should not be seen only as a response to a contingent situation. The AS, in fact, embodies a generative and in some ways paradigmatic approach, which through the production of food and the practice of a welfare of contiguity returns regenerated communities. The AS applies a model of family and peasant agriculture committed to the production of food for its territory, experimenting, in fact, food sovereignty. Social Agriculture aims to re-unify needs, identities, protections and requests for freedom for all citizens, regardless of their abilities. In this we find the value of work not only as a source of individual income, but also as a founding element of a fairer, more cohesive and sustainable inclusive society. In Italy, the SA includes the set of practices carried out by agricultural companies, social cooperatives and other organizations of the Third Sector, in cooperation with the social and health services and the competent public bodies of the territory, which combine the use of agricultural resources and the multifunctional production process with the performance of social activities aimed at generating inclusive benefits, favoring therapeutic, rehabilitative and care pathways, supporting the social and work integration of disadvantaged population groups and at risk of marginalization, promoting social cohesion , substantially and continuously. The Forum enhances and promotes the many and different experiences of AS. In these experiences, the enhancement of local identities, of new cultures and the participation of young people and women engaged in the implementation of highly innovative interventions as regards the production of goods, the provision of services, the creation of spaces for comparison with consumers stands out. and the creation of alternative forms of market (short chain, GAS, etc.), to affirm a new model of agriculture ”.

The principles of social agriculture are:

• environmental sustainability: the AS tends primarily and progressively to a production with the Organic method, or eco-sustainable productions or agro-ecological systems, obviously without GMOs. It also focuses on energy efficiency and self-sufficiency and sustainable waste management;
• multifunctionality and diversification: more activities, in more sectors and places of reference / socialization for rural communities;
• participatory welfare: informal networks that enhance public intervention towards the most vulnerable in a community context;
• promotion of health and well-being: healthy nutrition and work in contact with nature, in safety;
• nt; "> recognition and protection of common goods: not only physical but also knowledge and traditions; it also supports access to land, counteracting the abandonment and settlement of young people;
• production of relational goods:
• legality and management of assets confiscated from mafias; [...] ". [2]

Social Agriculture has also been recognized at national and regional legislative level, in order to identify the minimum requirements that agricultural businesses must have to declare the performance of social activities of various types, in order to be able to have formal, insurance recognition and legal and activate the formalities to obtain contributions for the various services (socio-working, social-health integration, community services, etc.) that they intend to carry out.

As far as public participation is concerned, the Puglia Region has approved the law that promotes and supports the practice. Wanted by Michele Emiliano (PD), in the program of his candidacy in 2015 in the regional elections, a program built in a participatory manner, was approved on 13/7/2017 as regional law n. 28. The Puglia participates portal, initially also referred to as the House of Participation, is precisely a product of the law, which in addition to a financial contribution of 20,000 euros maximum, puts at the service of regional processes, above all, local ones or those requested by actors social as in this case.

Organization, support and financing

Puglia Region - Participation Office coordinates all the processes and activities to promote regional participation. Prepares the call for local authorities and manages applications from local authorities. A maximum of 20,000 euros is paid to each project. However, the applicant must contribute 20% of co-financing to cover the total estimated costs. The requested / disbursed regional contribution is not reported and therefore not even the overall cost of the process.

Regional Observatory on Social Agriculture is a concertation body established with the regional law 9/2018 but not yet active from what has been possible to detect. According to the art. 9 c.2 is made up of:

• 4 representatives of the Region, one of whom is responsible for agriculture, one for social services, one for health services and one for work and professional training;
• a representative of the penitentiary system;
• a representative of the municipalities, designated by the regional ANCI;
• 3 representatives of the most representative agricultural professional organizations at regional level, designated by the organizations themselves;
• a representative of Puglia for the national network of social farms;
• a representative of Puglia for the National Forum of Social Agriculture;
• a representative of the social promotion associations registered in the appropriate register, identified by the Regional Forum of the Third Sector;
• two representatives of the social cooperation organizations, designated by the most representative regional associations of representation, assistance and protection of the cooperative movement.

It should be the owner / beneficiary of the process. There are no reports either in the communications produced by the trial or on the Region's website at the moment (ril. 24/8/20).

Puglia Regional Social Agriculture Forum. It was established on 26/1/2016 in Mola di Bari on the initiative of the National Forum. The Forum does not currently have its own web pages or on the National Forum website. In the contacts available on the trial pages, the name of the spokesperson Fabrizio Guglielmi with e-mail address and telephone number is present. He is the promoter and operational partner of the process. Another reference is defined as “PULSA project secretariat: Paola Maciariello” probably belonging to the same organization.

Conetica, Andrea Gelao is an Apulian freelance facilitator. He oversaw the management of the groups in the participation phase of the path. It is not given how the assignment or the remuneration was activated.

, 60); "> They are partners:

• Puglia Region - Department of Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Development
• Puglia Region - Department of health promotion, social well-being and sport for all - Section for active social inclusion and innovation of social networks
• ASL Barletta, Andria, Trani
• University of Bari “Aldo Moro” - Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences
• Regional Strategic Agency for Health and Social (ARESS) Puglia
• Italian Association of Organic Agriculture (AIAB) Puglia
• Confcooperative Puglia
• Apulia Third Sector Forum
• Great Salento Educational Farms Association
• ASSOGAL and the LAGs Valle D'Itria, Terra dei Messapi, Meridaunia, Ponte Lama
• Gruppo Territorial Initiative Banca Etica shareholders

Recruitment and selection of participants

31/10/19 Phase 1 - Programming. An information seminar was held in Latiano (Brindisi) but it is not indicated who conducted it and who was present.

10/11 to 30/11/19 Phase 2 - Research. It is declared: "Planning of the stages of co-planning (territorial workshops) and mapping of the realities that deal with social agriculture" without however providing any feedback to this activity.

9/1/20 the social channel on FB is activated with a logo dedicated to the process.

16/1/20 Bari, Presidency of the Puglia Region, Sala di Jeso, Press conference to present the process (11 - 13). 48 participants (declared as counted) and 25 actors involved, including, in addition to the promoters already mentioned among the organizational partners: Movimento per la Decrescita Felice, Orto Urbano Terlizzi, APS Piantiamola, Mediterranean Astronomical Institute, Agricultural Institute, Casa Ain Karem, Coop . Soc. Tracceverdi, Criminal Institute for minors of Bari, Confcooperative Puglia, Masseria Storica Pilapalucci. Two 16-minute shots taken with a mobile phone are available on FB, however of poor quality. Two speakers are present at the main table (one is Angelo Santoro of the Forum and member of a social agricultural cooperative), a standing moderator (Andrea Gelao), a consultant from the participation office (Micaela Deriu) sitting in a side niche. The room has a frontal layout but a discussion has started with the seated present who do not seem to exceed 6 people at all. A tele-journalistic service by the local channel Canale 7 also follows.

23/1/20 Phase 3 - Participation. Territorial meetings begin. 6 have been scheduled, on the following dates and locations (with start time at 14:00 and no end time):

1 - 23/01/2020 Bari - Puglia Region, via Gentile - 5th floor room

2 - 06/02/2020 Lecce - CE.FAS, Via Arciprete Paladini, 57, Carmiano

3 - 13/02/2020 Foggia - University of Foggia

4 - 27/02/2020 Brindisi - Palazzo Guerrieri, Via Congregation

5 - 05/03/2020 Taranto - ASL viale Virgilio 31

6 - 26/03/2020 BAT * - ASL

7 - 02/04/2019 Bari - Puglia Region, via Gentile - 5th floor room

1 - The poster of the first meeting is available and has been announced by the FB channel, followed at the moment by 1394 “people” (ril. 24/8/20). No.No report is found. From the photos published on FB and on the site appear about 15 participants, the moderator Gelao, a representative of the Forum.

2 - The second meeting was announced via FB and with a poster. There is no report available. From the photos published on FB there are about 20 people present, in addition to the conductors. The presence of a privileged witness was added, who presented his experience: Salvatore Stingo - President of Agriculture of Capodarco Cooperativa Sociale (Grottaferrata).

3 - The third meeting has always been preceded by the notice on FB. There are 10 people present, including the conductor Gelao and the 2 promoters. He was a guest as a privileged witness: Simmaco Perillo - NCO, New Organized Cooperation (Aversa).

4 - At the fourth meeting, the photos on FB show about 10 people including the 2 promoters and the conductor. Present as a privileged witness: Tommaso Simionato - Veneto Social Agriculture Forum.

The last 2 meetings were postponed due to Covid 19 confinement.

On 30/4 a Zoom party was organized but neither promoters nor the facilitator seem present. The videoconference lasting 1 hour and 53 minutes is recorded but no summary report is given.

On the social channel, no updates are given on the resumption of meetings or on the conclusions of the path, but some news on Covid and social agriculture.

Methods and tools used

Focus group . They are very common ways to bring together a group of people and start a discussion with them around a desired theme, thanks to the conduct of a moderator who is called to stimulate the discussion and verify that everyone can express their opinion. Through this methodology it is possible to collect different opinions, stimulate a comparison between different positions and explore different points of view or reach an agreement. To facilitate the discussion, you can resort to the use of post-its, maps and sheets, which allow those who are not comfortable speaking in public to express their opinions and those who have difficulty summarizing to reflect on which is the fundamental concept they want to express. Generally the focus groups host 12-14 participants. In this case it is deduced that the discussions were conducted with a similar method but no clarifications are given.

What happened: process, interaction and participation

Up to phase 3 of participation, the material was collected and a training seminar organized in Latiano (Brindisi) to share the objectives and organize the material and the path.

In phase 3, questions rather than solutions emerged.

In the first meeting, called the press conference, the discussion has already begun with some participants.

As a summary of the meeting, the following is reported on the web page of the process: “We discussed the national and regional regulations regarding social agriculture, the story of the NCO experience with its“ Pacco alla camorra ”. We have reasoned about what is currently good on the social agriculture front and about the difficulties and problems to be faced. We concentrated on the problems, identifying the priority ones, those that the participants considered to be the most relevant. On these, groups of comparison were formed, which proposed to give answers in terms of ideas and proposals to improve social agriculture in Puglia.

We focused on two main themes: the first is that of "connections", understood as the need on the part of all those who want to approach social agriculture, to have references, which facilitate the path of relationships with other subjects public and private. The hypothesis and therefore the proposal is that of constituting an interdisciplinary group that has the function of support and connection, of connection, in fact. Group that also has a representation both on the purely institutional front ional, with a sort of transversal office on several departments dedicated to social agriculture and both on the territorial front with a kind of information desk. Another proposal that emerged was that of drafting the "White Book of Social Agriculture", in order to respond to a series of information needs on the subject; the second theme on which we worked was that of the “value of interventions in social agriculture and its recognition”. Value understood in its broadest sense, ranging from the price recognized to the products, passing through the work of all the people and professionals involved in the process, up to the great issue of social impact. The decisive element that has been identified as the first step to take is to increase and spread awareness of the value of activities in social agriculture, through an information and training action, which acts as a megaphone to reach individuals and communities. Many possible synergies and connections between the results of the two working groups and in line with the aims of PULSA, all this will become part of a collective work heritage to be designed, prototyped and tested, so that it can flow into the Strategic Plan of Social Agriculture in Puglia ”(Link 1 - Presentation of the PULSA project, 16/1/20).

On the pages of Puglia participates, for the second meeting, in Bari on 23/1, a 'copy-paste' report of the previous one is available . For the other 3 meetings, nothing was reported.

On the FB pages, for the third match in Lecce there is no report, not even minimal. For the fourth meeting in Foggia it is written that “ The question of the day was: How do we imagine social agriculture in Puglia in 2030? The answers could be endless but in the photos you will discover the answers of the friends who attended the PULSA meeting in Foggia today! Until next time! " (see pictures). In the fifth meeting in Brindisi it is written “The participants in our workshop on social agriculture in Puglia, even today, did not spare us moments of pleasant sharing, growth, enrichment and new ideas to build together the social agriculture of 2030. As always we are tired but happy ". The meeting ended with refreshments served by an agricultural social cooperative.

At each meeting the documentary “Madre nostra” by Lorenzo Scaraggi should have been shown.

Influence, results and effects

The conclusion of the project was to take place on 1/8/20, but it does not seem closed, it was interrupted by Covid but to date (release 24/8/20) no updates have yet been given on how it will continue. The last post on the FB wall is from 23/7. On the Puglia participates pages, canceled appointments are not simply given and no other type of notice is given.

Analysis and lessons learned

Transparency is totally inadequate, it is not even available to the project submitted for funding Region. The reports are completely absent or incomplete, an exact number of those present is not reported, and in the first meeting there does not seem to be consistency between the declared number and the appearances in the photos. The sharing of the path, from what can be deduced from the number and importance of the partners involved - in the course of the work the Order of Agronomists was also added - there was but then, in the participatory practice, the presences did not they seem to restore the right representation of the adherents and even less of the reality of regional social agriculture. The so-called marginal and weak individuals who should be the protagonists of social agriculture do not seem involved , at least not explicitly, but appear in the photos only when they serve the buffet in the Brindisi meeting. The communicationarent; "> is disorganized, imprecise and sometimes embarrassing (see the 'copy-paste' on the official pages of Puglia participates, the location 'BAT' and the posts on FB on" fatigue "and" happiness "and refreshments).

See also

References

[1] PULSA, Press conference of 16/1/20, https://partecipazione.regione.puglia.it/uploads/decidim/attachment/file/234/Locandine-Pulsa-Conference_Stampapdf.pdf (ril. 24/8 / 20).

[2] National Social Agriculture Forum, Charter of principles of Social Agriculture, Grottaferrata, doc. undated, https://partecipazione.regione.puglia.it/uploads/decidim/attachment/file/236/CARTA_DEI_PRINCIPI_FNAS2016.pdf (ril. 24/8/20).

External links

1. Puglia Region, Puglia participates. PULSA, permanent laboratory for Social Agriculture in Puglia, https://partecipazione.regione.puglia.it/processes/pulsalabagricolturasociale , (rill. 24/8/20).

Note

* It is not specified what is meant by "BAT", so it is written on the website of Puglia participates. This appointment does not appear on the FB page.