The story of Un fiore per la vita: social farming and solidarity

My name is Pasquale Gaudino and I am a member of the Un fiore per la vita (“A Flower for Life”) Social Cooperative. We deal with the labour inclusion of disadvantaged people and social agriculture for solidarity, justice and ethical values that unleash the beauty of hospitality. 

Together with the Intesa Sanpaolo Charity Fund, we have created La Fattoria della Salute (“The Health Farm”), which aims to respond to the needs of families in an attempt to alleviate the sense of emptiness and loneliness that both youths and adults with autism and mental disabilities often experience. Through social farming, we develop a sense of belonging by identifying, integrating and developing skills. An example that has also been adopted in other Italian companies, thus becoming a model of social inclusion. In the first months of the health emergency, during the lockdown, we opened our doors to young people with these illnesses, to allow them to regain contact with nature and deal with the difficulties arising from forced and prolonged lockdowns at home. 

Thanks to the Intesa Sanpaolo Charity Fund, we have created social vegetable gardens around the agricultural laboratory, which are entrusted in the care of families and older people who are able to stimulate meaningful community relationships through experience and tenderness. The Fattoria della Salute thus becomes a place where, beyond every fence or barrier, the elderly, families, and people with disabilities live together, building sincere and rewarding human relationships day after day through meaningful work and contact with nature.