La inserció social i l’empoderament a través de l’agricultura social. El cas de Catalunya

Abstract

There is social segregation of many people because they are different or do not have a place in the economic activity of a territory. In this sense, we want to present social farming as an activity that uses agricultural and natural resources to insert people at risk of social exclusion into society. It is an activity that has been carried out in Europe for many years and that has currently been rewarded with institutional recognition, both for its therapeutic functions and for its job placement. A summary of the theoretical and conceptual framework developed in the academic field basing upon the various experiences is presented. In Catalonia, several projects have been developed since the 1970s that have shown their economic, social and environmental viability. The methodology used here is based on a bibliographic review and a quantitative follow-up of the characteristics of the registered cases, in order to delve into the in-depth interviews that, among other objectives, seek to verify the social return of the investments made. The entities studied are mostly in the peri-urban area of Barcelona, but also belong in rural areas where they have collaborated in sustainable local development. As part of the Third Sector, they strengthen their operation by promoting distribution cooperatives and social dissemination networks. Ten entities have been selected from the 161 registered ones to analyse the most characteristic elements that make them up and, at the same time, to evaluate their viability through the method of the social return on investment. The results obtained show that there is a diversity of projects according to the type of person at risk, the place where they are located and their promoter. Among the 10 cases studied in total, the return is between 2 and 3 euros for every euro invested.