Project description
Social innovation for a better life on the farm
Globalisation has been increasing the economic, environmental and social pressures on the agricultural sector, making farmers' lives tougher. It has been shown that the farming community is not immune to mental health struggles or feelings of isolation. While the economic and environmental implications have been studied extensively, researchers are now turning their attention to the social implications affecting those who are active in the farming industry. The EU-funded FARMWELL project will make social innovation research and practices more accessible to both individual farmers and farming families, with the aim of boosting their wellbeing.
Objective
The main objective of FARMWELL is to ensure that individual farmers and farming families benefit fully from social innovation research and practices, which in turn will result in strengthening farmers’ wellbeing and linkages between the farming sector and the wider society. In an increasingly globalised and modernised world, the agricultural sector is facing a series of economic, environmental and social pressures and challenges. The characteristics of globalisation include the worldwide spread of new technologies, particularly in communications, but also in production systems (e.g. precision farming) and in the functioning of entire food chains. While economic and environmental implications of a globalising and modernising agriculture have been discussed more widely, there is also increasing attention, and consequently an increasing body of research and policy interventions on the social implications. Pressures and related social consequences - such as mental health issues, isolation, weakening family ties - are present at all levels from the individual farmers, through farming families to farming communities. An alarming sign of the serious social issues is the increasing suicide rate of farmers. The social challenges that farmers, farming families and communities have been facing call for new and innovative solutions. Social innovations have been identified as possible ways to address challenges. In the context of agriculture and farming, social innovation is mostly associated with improving agricultural practices to improve the wellbeing of the wider society (e.g. through food safety or environmentally friendly food production). Social innovation is rarely offered as a solution to improve the social wellbeing of farmers and farming families. The main novelty of FARMWELL is that it aims to identify and make more accessible those social innovation practices that can help improving the social wellbeing of farmers and farming families.
Fields of science
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic healthepidemiologyepidemics prevention
- social sciencessociologysocial issues
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesfood technologyfood safety
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
- social sciencessociologyglobalization
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme
- H2020-EU.3.2.1.1. - Increasing production efficiency and coping with climate change, while ensuring sustainability and resilience
- H2020-EU.3.2.1.3. - Empowerment of rural areas, support to policies and rural innovation
- H2020-EU.3.2.2.3. - A sustainable and competitive agri-food industry
- H2020-EU.3.2.4.1. - Fostering the bio-economy for bio-based industries
- H2020-EU.3.2.1.4. - Sustainable forestry
- H2020-EU.3.2.1.2. - Providing ecosystems services and public goods
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
2083 Solymar
Hungary