Social farming and social innovation in the perspective of new rural policies

Social farming is an emerging practice at EU level and worldwide. It might be considered as the result of a process of social innovation, able to mobilize actors and resources for the provision of innovative services, but also to organize a diverse relationship among enterprises with public and third sectors. In Italy the concept is based on a deep subsidiarity communitarian model based on coproduction and civic economy. Here the transition process implies a long process of knowledge brokerage that might be sup-ported with innovative policy tools offered by the 2014/20 RDP. The paper analyses the process of Social Innovation in Social Farming in Tuscany in relation with the first application of the new rural policies. it offers new insights about the links among innovative process and the use of supportive tools.