• TO VII - Ecosystems and Biodiversity – Educational Farms – Project Coordinator: L. D'Agostino - fattoriedidattiche@arpa.sicilia.it

ARPA Sicilia, which also includes the In.F.E.A. Regional Laboratory, has started the joint process called “EducationalFarms: towards the creation of a Regional Network”within the Regional Programme of Environmental Education.

The project intends to:

• increasethe vitality of the In.F.E.A. System in order to strengthen the network of people responsible for the territorial nodes.

• Stimulate the motivational level of the representatives of the In.F.E.A. regional Network through the participation in work training and joint planning experiences directed to the organization of concrete initiatives of environmental education.

• Stimulatethe active participation in these processes by the various interest bearers in the area.

• Developprocedures and network models that can be transferred to other territorial and disciplinary contexts.

What are Educational Farms?

They are farms and/or zootechnical enterprises which, along with the traditional productive activities, offer services to the community from a multifunctional perspective, by promoting the discovery and knowledge of the rural environment, the origin of foods and the processing techniques of local products with respect for the environment and the territory.

In other words, in order to become educational, a farm must continue to carry out its normal activities (ploughing, fertilizing, sowing, irrigating, harvesting, etc., along with milking, cheese-making, etc.) and try to pleasantly convey the concepts related to a given action by extending beyond the subject under discussion and without neglecting neither the playing needs of the youngest and the necessity of experience of the elders, nor the necessary security precautions which guarantee their safety.

The Educational Farms initiative has great social and cultural significance, since it aims at:

• promotingthe relationship between cities and countryside;

• encouraging people to restore the cultural and environmental value of their territory;

• promotingthe importance and social role of agriculture;

• persuading people to respect the environment and the rhythms of nature;

• encouraging responsible consumption;

• fosteringthe diversification of agricultural incomes.