Women and diversification of rural economy. The Italian experience Veronica Navarra Delegated President of ONILFA
Women and Rural Development in Europe • Recently, European policy makers have expressed an increased interest in issues related to women’s contribution in agriculture. • Rural women play a crucial role in agriculture since they are able to satisfy the need for agricultural multi-functionality that is being promoted by EU rural development policies and programmes. • The choice of quality or food safety-oriented productions, family labour and the capacity of reconciling work and family responsibilities are indeed a clear example of multi-functionality.
• Rural population ageing is another crucial issue to take into account. Therefore, a basic priority is to encourage young women to contribute to the agricultural sector. • In this regard, government institutions should introduce effective measures to support and develop female entrepreneurship by encouraging women to undertake rural entrepreneurial activities and find effective tools to improve farm efficiency. • Rural development entails the expansion into new sectors, the development of alternative activities in order to create new job opportunities particularly for young women who otherwise can decide to migrate.
WOMEN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ITALY • In Italy, to support and incourage female entrepreneurship, the National Observatory for Female Enterprise and Labour in Agriculture (ONILFA) was set up by the Ministry of agricultural food and forestry policies on October 13th 1997. • The Observatory is chaired by the Minister or by a delegated President.
• The Observatory is composed of representatives from: the Ministry of agriculture food and forestry policies; the Ministry of labour and social policies; the Ministry of economic development; the Ministry of economy and finance; the Department of equal opportunities; the Professional agricultural organisations (CIA, Coldiretti, Confagricoltura and Copagri); Regions and Autonomous Provinces; INEA; ISTAT.
• In order to promote synergies in female employment in agriculture, the Observatory cooperates with public and private Institutions of the agricultural and rural development sector. • The Observatory’s main aim is to improve its knowledge of female enterprise and labour both in agriculture and in the rural sector and to suggest proposals and solutions.
The Observatory aims at: • Analysing the legislation regarding female employment and equal opportunities; • Analysing the interventions implemented by the European Union and by central and regional Governments aimed at promoting initiatives in female enterprise;
• Creating links with the research sector and research information in agricultural sector; • Promoting pilot projects aimed at improving female enterprise in the rural sector; • Facilitating the participation of rural female entrepreneurs in national and international exhibitions.
The Observatory’s main activities are: • Organizing conferences and workshops about themes related to women status in rural areas, in order to share know how and best practices; • Gathering information about the role of women’s work in the development of rural areas, so as to supply useful guidelines to public administrations for future planning and specific interventions in rural development;
• • Publication of information (brochures, documents, papers) on themes the Observatory deals with. www.onilfa.gov.it
• Every year the Observatory organizes the Italian celebration of the World Rural Women’s Day as a way of emphasizing women’s vital contribution to food security and safety and to the development of rural areas that goes largely unnoticed. Within such event ONILFA has been organizing since 2001 another event called “De@Terra” Award with the aim of giving a recognition to some women entrepreneurs for their contribution to the development of Italian agriculture and as a way to encourage female entrepreneurship in the rural sector.
Diversification and multi-functionality in women-run farms. • The majority of women-run farms are effective, innovative and dynamic, but the real characteristic featuring them is their orientation towards diversification and multi-functionality . • Diversification refers to the use of the land to produce goods and services not directly related with the primary sector, such as tourist, recreational, educational and therapeutic activities.
• A second type of adjustment that farms are undergoing refers to the activation of functions different from the productive one, such as ecological, social (cultural diversity and heritage conservation, positive contributions to the viability of rural areas) and economic (spill over effects of agriculture on other economic activities, for example on tourism) functions.
• The concept of multi-functionality relies on the recognition that agriculture, in addition to producing food and fibers, also produces a wide range of non- market goods and services, shapes the environment, affects social and cultural systems and contributes to economic growth. • The conservation of environmental, cultural and social values traditionally produced by the agricultural sector is increasingly demanded by urban dwellers.
Some forms of diversification away from agriculture in Italy include: on-farm processing; agro-tourism (In Italy the Professional Register for Agro-tourism contains the guidelines a farm must meet in order to obtain the authorization from the Regional authorities); didactic and social farms; agricultural nurseries; direct marketing of farm products (both on and off-farm, for example in farmer’s market or in a shop located outside the farm).
Didactic Farms • Didactic farms are intended to educate future consumers on food and environment through the valorisation of the agricultural resources. • They receive food and environmental education, being made acquainted with the local produce, the relation between food and environment, food and health, as well as with environmental sustainability.
Pedagogic approach Through the pedagogic approach young students are given the opportunity to: • Learn through practical activities, teamwork, and direct field experiences (seeding, harvesting, produce processing, etc..) • Enter into contact with the animal and vegetal life, learning to respect them; • Be responsible for their own health and environment, and valorize daily work; • Be acquainted with agriculture and its activities and relevant aspects, such as cultivation and breeding systems, nature’s cycles, organoleptic features of food, energy production, sustainable development, and the importance of food safety.
Main objectives • Improve the relation between urban and rural areas; • Stimulate students’ interest in discovering the environment and the agricultural activity; • Further the recovery of the environmental and cultural value of one’s own territory; • Emphasise and acknowledge the social role and the importance of agriculture; • Sensitize people towards environmental respect; • Make people acquainted with the origin of food products; • Educate future consumers by making them aware of the existing relations between productive systems, food consumption and environmental protection; and • Explain food processing.
Oasi agrituristica di Baugiano • Some of the activities carried out in this farm: – didactic activities for schoolchildren; – specific games for children related to the rural tradition; – didactic and thematic dinners for children, courses for the recognition of plants and herbs; – cooking classes; – guided paths through the naturalistic Oasis of Montalbano aimed to discover its historical and touristic aspects. In the Oasis of Baugiano you can also find an archaeological area where children can visit a farm dating back to the Neolithic period.
Agriturismo di Baugiano
Agricultural Nurseries • Among the positive experiences to point out in the Italian rural areas there are also the agri-nurseries. • One of the most interesting examples in this sector is the "Fattoria Casa Mia" located near Verona (Veneto). • Fattoria Casa Mia is a didactic farm, founded in 2007, but it is also an agricultural nursery.
Fattoria Casa Mia • It can host, in its agricultural nursery, up to 18 children (from 9 months to three years old) mostly from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 o’clock p. m. ; • Parents can choose whether to use the service for the whole week or just for a few days. • In order to provide high quality service, it has been necessary to make some structural changes in the Farm respecting the standards provided by Regional Law: • The garden has been fenced; • Large spaces for welcoming children and their activities; • Dining room game room • A small didactic garden suitable for children have been created.
Fattoria Casa Mia All the children’s activities are pre-planned and agreed upon between farmers and two specialized educators, in order to guarantee children a complete training either from the agricultural and environmental point of view or from the psycho-pedagogical one. The female owner of this farm is one of the winners of the De@Terra Award promoted by the ONILFA.
Fattoria Casa Mia
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