Social Farming, One Welfare and Animal Assisted Interventions: new organizational models focused on economic, social and environmental sustainability for Social Farms that provide Animal Assisted Interventions in Italy

By Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) we mean the positive interaction between domestic animals and humans aimed at improving the well-being of people. In Italy, they are regulated by the 60 CSR/2015 Agreement between the Government, the Regions and the Autonomous Provinces. Social Farming (SF) refers to all the activities that use farming resources to create services for the community. It is regulated in Italy by Law 141/2015. Both are integrated into the Green Care framework which offers new opportunities and potential to rural and urban areas providing new solutions to meet the community’s needs not only in food production but also in innovative services for people. In Italy, Animal Assisted Interventions and Social Farming fields are tied legally because in 2018 the Ministry of Agriculture with D.M. 12550/2018 decreed that interactions with animals as Animal Assisted Interventions are also considered Social Farming activities. In this context, farms providing AAI and SF have an integration perspective with the traditional healthcare and social services that are experiencing a decline in resources and could take advantage of these new approaches. Such innovative solutions based on a community care vision are grounded on the sustainable multifunctionality of farms but many challenges need to be faced. Therefore, specific guidelines and organizational models are needed for these providers according to economic, social and environmental points of view. In this PhD thesis (which is based on the project created by the Department of Veterinary Science of the University of Pisa in partnership with the National Reference Centre for Animal Assisted Interventions of Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie), the objective is to thoroughly explore the fields of AAI and SF in a defined study area (Veneto Region). Moreover, taking inspiration from literature and laws collected and the in-person abroad experience in Austria, the project aims to understand new paths of development of these sectors in Italy. The ways of improvement here investigated have as a guideline the concepts of One Welfare and Civic Economy to obtain a theory of development that respects people, animals and the environment involved and at the same time valorising the resources of the farms and territories involved. Throughout the PhD, the main methodology used was Grounded Theory with some features of Action Research and the tools employed were various (interviews, Focus Groups, questionnaires and a Scenario Workshop). At the end of the project, a great engagement of all the stakeholders of AAI and SF was obtained and a shared action plan for the development of the sectors was elaborated achieving the objectives and creating a new network in the study area, with the potential of being replicated to enrich the research in the Green Care field.