There’s a way to observe nature and animals up close, thus better learning to respect them: visiting an educational farm . Suffice it to say that approximately 3 in 10 children have never seen animals like sheep, roosters, or lambs in person, except on television. Therefore, a visit to one of Italy’s educational farms is an excellent educational opportunity to teach firsthand the value of nature and respect for animals. It also offers a pleasant opportunity for recreation and fun with friends in a welcoming and stimulating natural environment.
Educational farms offer many options, including workshops , guided tours , and educational programs designed for school groups or families, with the assistance of specialized staff who can transform the farm into a sort of open-air classroom where learning new things is truly more exciting and rewarding.
What is an educational farm?
An educational farm is an agritourism business or agricultural enterprise that offers educational activities primarily for children and young people. Educational activities complement the normal and customary activities of these businesses, and when meetings with young people are held, they are conducted with the assistance of qualified and specialized personnel.
The goal of these farms is to spread awareness of all the activities that take place on a farm or agritourism business, so that children can experience nature, animals, and all the values associated with them, such as respect for the environment and nature, firsthand.
According to Legislative Decree 228 of 18/05/2001 “Orientation and modernization of the agricultural sector”, educational and recreational activities aimed at contributing to the dissemination of knowledge of the territory represent one of the many multifunctional activities specific to the agricultural entrepreneur.
The city farm
City farm literally means ” urban farm ,” a place generally managed by associations, organizations, or municipalities where educational activities are also held to promote awareness of nature and animals as well as the entire agricultural and rural world. While educational farms are agricultural or agritourism businesses located outside of urban areas, city farms are located within cities or in their immediate vicinity .
The goals these two types of companies share are the dissemination of knowledge about nature and animals and the promotion of ethical and moral aspects such as respect for the environment and nature as well as, of course, all production cycles and eco-friendly methodologies.
Specifically, city farms aim to help children and young people discover the connection between the urban and rural worlds , using agricultural activities even in urban contexts to improve the quality of the landscape and environment. Educational workshops can address a variety of topics , including nutrition education, environmental education, awareness raising for waste sorting, and composting and recycling techniques.
Citizens and volunteers can also participate in the management of city farms and the costs are mostly covered by the sponsoring bodies as well as by private sponsors or banking foundations and associations.
City farms are widespread in the French Riviera, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Norway, and Denmark, so much so that at the European level they have been grouped together in the so-called European Federation of City Farms . In Italy, however, city farms consist of only a few facilities, including Limone nel Verde in Livorno, Bosco Grande in the province of Pavia, and Cascina Falchera, managed directly by the Municipality of Turin.
Educational farms in Italy
How many educational farms are there in Italy? The first network of educational farms dates back to 1997 in the Forlì-Cesena area, thanks to the “Network of Romagna Educational Farms” project. In 1998, the Emilia-Romagna region promoted another project called “Open Farms and Educational Farms,” which now includes 330 farms.
According to one of the latest censuses, conducted by Alimos in 2010, there are 1,936 educational farms in Italy, mostly concentrated in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Puglia. However, the sector is constantly developing, so the numbers are constantly growing , and in other Italian regions, farms and agritourism businesses are increasingly taking action and raising awareness about becoming educational farms.
Services and activities
The children and young people hosted in the educational farm are directly involved in many types of activities such as:
- create a typical product;
- picking fruit and vegetables;
- observe the farm animals up close;
- discover some artisan trades;
- participate in guided tours;
- take part in workshops.
Obtaining the qualification of educational farm
To become an educational farm, agricultural business, or agritourism business, you must obtain a special qualification issued by the regional or provincial government . To obtain this special qualification, you must contact the relevant Region or Province for all the specific information.
The process may vary from region to region, generally it is necessary to possess certain requirements indicated in the so-called ” Quality Charter “.
An educational farm must therefore:
- adopt environmentally friendly production systems, such as those typical of integrated or organic agriculture
- Provide a reception area for children where they can carry out various educational activities even in bad weather, and a fenced and safe space to allow children to play and have lunch breaks in complete safety.
- comply with all hygiene and safety regulations
- take out liability insurance
- have a register of the various classes of visiting children.
It is also necessary that:
- the farmers of the farm have participated in specific training courses
- the operators prepare informative and educational material suitable for the children and young people who are welcomed on the farm
- the number of children or young people hosted is appropriate to the available space and the size of the farm for obvious reasons of safety and ease of management of the various activities
Evaluation of the territorial context
Before deciding whether to open an educational farm, it’s a good idea to thoroughly analyze and evaluate the local context in which it would be located. Not all educational farms achieve the desired success .
For a business project to transform into a valid and structured educational and training proposal, it is necessary to know how to manage all the various phases of the project : in fact, it is not enough to obtain certification attesting to possession of all the requirements of the Quality Charter; it is also important to promote one’s initiatives through various channels among schools, families, institutions and organizations, as well as planning a program of various educational activities : workshops, entertainment, demonstrations, day trips, and the possibility of extended stays.
Therefore, a company should be located in a non-isolated area that is easily accessible to school groups and families with children.
Type of investment
Educational farms can be defined as a sort of sustainable business . It is based on three main aspects:
- teaching
- tourism
- fun
Farms generally incur higher costs than agritourism businesses, as farms typically do not include hospitality spaces and facilities. Agritourism businesses , on the other hand, already have hospitality facilities and adequate indoor and outdoor spaces for various types of activities.
However, even though the investment may be challenging for small farms at the beginning, it can provide a new source of income that can supplement the company’s turnover even during periods of the year when agricultural work is less profitable.
Regulations and bureaucracy
To start a professional educational farm business, the entrepreneur must fulfill certain legislative and bureaucratic obligations, including:
- registration of the farm in the regional list of educational farms;
- acquiring the qualification of educational farm by presenting all the requirements requested by the region where the farm is located;
- submission of the declaration of commencement of business to the competent Municipality;
- submission of documentation declaring that there is an operator with regular qualifications as an ” educational farm operator” on the farm.
Since procedures and requirements may vary from region to region, it is essential to contact the respective regions or provinces of jurisdiction to obtain the relevant information.
Integrating the income of agricultural and agritourism businesses
Opening an educational farm means supplementing a farm’s income. In France , where educational farms are widespread, some farms can accommodate up to 6,000 people annually , which translates into a significant increase in revenue.
Those who participate in the farm’s educational activities typically pay an entrance fee , while school groups often pay a flat rate. In addition to the participation fee, guests sometimes choose to extend their stay at the farm or purchase farm products such as oil, jams, honey, cheeses, fruit, or vegetables.
