Social Farming: A Systematic Literature Review of the Definition and Context

The definition and understanding of the social farming (social agriculture) concept varies from country to country, depending on the specific conditions for its development. The contribution provides a systematic literature review of its definition and context. Scientific publications (134), which deal with the topic of social agriculture in different contexts within different geographical areas, and with different intensity over time, have been analysed. Special attention was paid to case studies. Most of the case studies dealt with Italy, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom and Norway. More than a third of the outputs address the issue of health effects of social farming. Social benefits are the second most frequent topic. Moreover, educational, environmental and economic effects of social agriculture are discussed in the analysed publications with a similar intensity. Green care (social agriculture) farms are significant players in rural development, and work and social inclusion, and can instantly and innovatively react to the local needs.