The Return on Investment in Social Farming: A Strategy for Sustainable Rural Development in Rural Catalonia

Antoni F. Tulla, Ana Vera, Carles Guirado and Natàlia Valldeperas
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Antoni F. Tulla: Department of Geography, Carrer de la Fortuna s/n, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
Ana Vera: Department of Geography, Carrer de la Fortuna s/n, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
Carles Guirado: Department of Geography, Carrer de la Fortuna s/n, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
Natàlia Valldeperas: Department of Geography, Carrer de la Fortuna s/n, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-28

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.

Keywords: social farming; rural development; groups at risk of social exclusion; multifunctionality in agriculture; social return on investment; SROI (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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