Social farming: a high-return investment for society. Application of the social return on investment (SROI) method

Authors

  • Antoni F. Tulla Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  • Ana Vera Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  • Carles Guirado Fundació Espigoladors, el Prat de Llobregat
  • Natàlia Valldeperas rofessional autònoma, Efímers, 22@Barcelona

Keywords:

social farming, Catalonia, social exclusion, stakeholders, SROI, Third Sector, added value.

Abstract

Social Farming (SF), promoted by public or private institutions, aims to facilitate the access to the labour market of groups at risk of social exclusion (RSE) through agrarian activity, the transformation of farm products, or contact with nature. The Social Return on Investment (SROI) method allows accounting of the return to society based on the overall set of contributions of the stakeholders, who must be identified. On the average, for the nine of the ten cases studied here, there is a social, economic and environmental return of approximately €3 on each euro invested. It is necessary to measure and attribute a value to all the results, incorporating social, environmental and economic costs and benefits, and quantifying the change generated by an organization’s activity. There are concepts that can be quantified directly while others need to use a “financial proxy” as an indicator of reference values. The SROI method includes objective and subjective elements that are based on a protocol established by the Guide to Social Return on Investment of the UK’s Office of the Third Sector.

Keywords: social farming, Catalonia, social exclusion, stakeholders, SROI, Third Sector, added value.

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Issue

No. 45: desembre 2018

Section

Articles

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