Sociotechnical barriers to the development of social farming

Against a backdrop of economic, ecological, and social crises, the role of agriculture has diversified, taking on a multifunctional character. In addition to its primary function of food production, agriculture now plays a significant role in the social domain, offering services to disadvantaged individuals at risk of marginalization. Despite the numerous benefits that social farming (SF) offers to society, it faces several challenges related to the complex interactions among all stakeholders involved in its development. The theoretical foundation for explaining this phenomenon, provided by the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), positions SF as a radical social innovation aimed at generating personal services through an innovative paradigm, diverging from current practices. The categories of actors involved in this process align with those typically considered by the Quadruple Helix model, which are expected to exchange resources, competencies, and experiences, thereby fostering the development of innovation and the pursuit of a well-integrated interplay. According to the literature, several barriers may obstruct the development of this innovation. The objective of our paper is to identify the barriers hindering effective collaboration and cooperation among the stakeholders involved. The expected impact of the paper is to raise awareness among stakeholders, empowering them to develop strategies to overcome these barriers. In order to achieve this objective, a methodology has been developed to account for the complex interaction within the multi-actor interplay, and to identify the barriers that emerged during the case study analysis. The adopted methodological approach is participatory, based on observing and critically analyzing multi-actor dialogues within focus groups designed using the “Living Lab” model. The main findings of this study shed light on the barriers that emerged from the participatory experience, providing factual evidence to guide possible interventions aimed at fostering the innovation process. We conducted field research in the province of Foggia (Southern Italy), involving farmers, social enterprises, health-welfare-social institutions, consultants, families of disadvantaged individuals, and representatives of the creative industry. The most significant barriers identified include a lack of knowledge about SF and the benefits of related activities, insufficient long-term economic support, and challenges in recruiting specialized personnel for therapeutic roles on social farms. Additionally, we found limited collaboration among public institutions, low stakeholder awareness regarding the importance of their roles, and the absence of a protected space conducive to nurturing the innovation niche. Finally, interactions among participants raised awareness of the outcomes of SF and their advantages over alternative practices, enhancing the dignity of farms engaged in this multifunctional activity.