Beyond social agriculture: rehabilitation and sustainable practices in penitentiary contexts

Social Agriculture (SA) represents a co-production model using agricultural resources to provide innovative personal services and enhance the quality of life for individuals facing difficulties. SA involves revising agricultural missions, visions, and business practices to include vulnerable populations and foster community development. This research explores the opportunities offered by SA, focusing on its potential for individual and community growth. Methodologically, it includes a literature review on SA, asses- sments of relevant policies, and case studies from metropolitan area of Catania. Especially, one case study involves urban gardens as tools for social integration of inmates. Interviews with project promoters provided insights into the operational aspects and impacts of these initiatives. The expected results include identifying new functions of urban agriculture (sociability, active citizenship, therapy) refers to new target populations, mechanisms for creating collective urban space meaning, and the role of public policies in reducing socio-economic marginalization and improving social services.