Social Farming and social protection in developing countries in the perspective of sustainable rural development in Agriculture in an urbanizing society: reconnecting agriculture and food chains to societal needs. Proceedings of the conference (Rome, 14-17 september 2015)

global trends contributeto the creation of social and economic deprivation and the impoverishment of local communities. These expose territories and local inhabitants to the risk of abandonment and economicexploitations. Worldwide inequality also seems to be on the rise, especially in rural communities. In this framework, despite the availability of economic resources,the risk of marginalization for the less empowered in rural areas in developing countries has been increasing, owing to the unequal distribution of resources, the lack of services and public expenditure. Therefore, there seems to be a need to redesign concepts and criteria for sustainable development by addressing in parallel the economic goals and the social dimension of sustainability. In the debate on rural sustainable development, the provision of innovative and effective social services should be considered to support social inclusion, promote equality and tackle poverty. This paper presents the concept of Social Farming (SF) as a possible approach and practical way to foster sustainable development in lowincome developing countries (LIDC). The paper also explores the relationship between SF and social protection (SP) in rural areas and suggests a methodological implication for designing pathways of positive change in local communities.