Socially-integrative Agriculture creates Social Production

Socially sustainable criteria for a future-compliant and environment-friendly agriculture

Socially-integrative agriculture forms a module led by Bio Research Austria of the EU-subsidized cross-border project of "SoPro HU-AT – socially produced for the environment". This term shall especially serve in order to describe more closely and to increase the value of the precious work of social enterprises, which are active in the fields of horticulture and conservation of the countryside.

Within the framework of the international expert meeting of the Danube countries on April 17, 2013 in Tulln, the idea of socially-integrative agriculture was presented for the first time. In an exchange of information with experts from science and practice, the international dimension, range, criteria and training requirements were discussed.

Brian Oldreive from Simbabwe reported about trainings with a promising future for environment-friendly and know-how intense agricultural techniques in Africa, Brian Simpson (GB) reported about successful initiatives at schools in Great Britain, where gardens are designed and implemented at schools, in which the school boys and girls do all the work with their hands. Nicole Prop from the Vienna Chamber of Agriculture explained the efforts for connecting agriculture and social institutions in various forms within the framework of the international Green Care project.

Finally, a possible limitation and criteria for socially-integrative agriculture were discussed with the scientists and practitioners present.

The documentation of this meeting is available for download under www.unserboden.at.