Social Farming and inclusion in EU ESI Funds programming

Abstract

EU Europe 2020 Strategy identifies fighting against poverty and marginalization as a key objective, with an attention to active inclusion in society and in the labor market of the most vulnerable groups. The paper aims at outlining the evolutionary framework of EU policies in the field of social inclusion and at analyzing the novelties introduced by the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds 2014-20. A specific focus is dedicated to social agriculture (SF) interventions, which generate social inclusion and innovation with benefits in rural and peri-urban areas and in society as a whole. It is still too early to assess the impact of RDP-funded interventions, as the investments are still ongoing. The analysis of the SF resources highlights a wide range of policy and programming choices.