The societal impacts of the SOCIAL4FOOD project

Abstract

The paper describes the social impact of the SOCIAL4FOOD project mainly related to the re-connection of people with nature and the fostering of social aggregation after the pandemic events. The project involved the community of the rural village of Arsoli located in Rome’s metropolitan area and known for the cultivation of a typical high-quality bean, named “fagiolina arsolana”. The social impact achieved by the project helped to address important societal challenges, including the support for sustainable agriculture and social well-being. To do so, the project followed a hybrid participatory approach based on learning-by-doing and design thinking. The implemented methodology contributed to re-purposing an abandoned green space through the co-design of a social farm for maintaining and recovering the sustainable practices of the "fagiolina arsolana” production and, simultaneously, stimulating the sense of community and belonging.