W&E – Istituto di Ricerche sulla Popolazione e le Politiche Sociali

Social farming between new and old social work practices, theoretical perspectives, and policy innovations

Monia Torre — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:28:28 +0000

Welfare e Ergonomia Issue 1/2025
edited by Angela Genova and Tiziana Tarsia

“Social farming between new and old social work practices, theoretical perspectives, and policy innovations,” edited by Angela Genova and Tiziana Tarsia, provides an opportunity to reflect on social farming practices 10 years after its legal recognition and regulatory codification in Italy through Law 141 of 2015, “Provisions regarding social farming.”

The contributions in Issue 1/2025 of Welfare e Ergonomia offer useful perspectives for examining the roles and functions of social farming in Italy, highlighting the tensions between different models and the need to create synergies for local development. They emphasize the importance of evaluating activities and recognizing them as therapeutic-rehabilitative tools. Finally, they highlight the regenerative value of social farming for communities and its contribution to improving living conditions within territories.

How to cite

Angela Genova and Tiziana Tarsia (Eds.), Social farming between new and old social work practices, theoretical perspectives, and policy innovations, Welfare e Ergonomia, 2025, 1, ISSN 2421-3691, ISSNe 2531-9817, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3280/WE2025-001009

LONG ABSTRACT

The Profile of Agricultural Holdings Providing Social Farming Services in Italy, R. Gismondi, S. Senni
Mental well-being in the agricultural sector and rural areas: the possible role of social agriculture, P. Borsotto, F. Giarè, F. Basset
Social Agriculture and Social Work: An Analysis of the Relationship between Past and Present, C. Mozzone
Eco-social work in action: the contribution of social farming for sustainable development, M. C. Pedroni, L. Pavani, R. Bavastro
Multifunctionality as territorial construction: tensions and contradictions between the institutionalization and the practice of Social Farming in South Tyrol, F. Viganò, F. Uleri, A. Piccoli, S. Elsen
Rural Tourism and Social Farming: An Exploration of Possible Synergies, M. Busacca, O. Tzatzadaki
SOIA, an innovative instrument to evaluate social and work-related inclusion in social farming, N. Francia, M. Borgi, A. Venerosi Pesciolini, F. Chiarotti, F. Cirulli
Evaluative research paths in social farming: socio-occupational inclusion in the field of autism, C. Moretti, G. De Angelis, V. Artoni, P. Riolo, D. Gambelli, M. C. Battistelli, E. Latini, E. Bianchini
Between mirror games and ladybugs in progress: Viticulture as a care practice at the intersection of mental health, territory and community, E. Rossero, A. Barbieri
Active Aging and Social Farming Practices: Animal-Assisted Interventions for Elderly People in Assisted Living Facilities, F. Di Iacovo, R. Moruzzo, L. Catena, G. Granai
Community-based territorial regeneration and social agriculture: the experiences of social gardens, S. Polidori, A. Cornice, A. Innamorati
Rural gardens as experiences of widespread social farming: the case of Polesine, L. de Angeli, S. Montibeller, G. Osti, M. Zamperetti
Cultivating Rights. Farmers in Burkina Faso, Italy and Senegal, M. Morello

OPEN SECTION
The Impact of Theatre in Prison on the Professionalization of Inmates: The European Project “All Hands on Stage”, G. Alonzo, O. Ponte di Pino
The Reorganization of Workspaces in Italian SMEs after the COVID-19 Pandemic: Emerging Trends and Employee Preferences, M. Pezzolo

Call for Papers – Welfare and Digital: Opportunities, Challenges, and Innovations – WeE 1/2026

Monia Torre — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 13:27:22 +0000

The call for papers “Welfare and Digital: Opportunities, Challenges, and Innovations“, edited by Giuseppe Luca De Luca Picione, Gabriella Punziano, and Domenico Trezza, is now open.

Selected contributions will be published in issue no. 1/2026 of the Welfare e Ergonomia journal, published by FrancoAngeli and recognized as Class A by Anvur.

The digital revolution is radically transforming welfare, redesigning tools, processes, and governance models. Digital platforms, social media, artificial intelligence, and big data are opening new possibilities for access, participation, and innovation, but they also pose crucial challenges in terms of transparency, privacy, and equity. This call aims to stimulate theoretical and empirical contributions, as well as case studies, that address these themes from interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives.

Deadlines

Abstract (max 3,000 characters, including spaces): submission by September 25, 2025 to the address: welfarergonomia.rel@irpps.cnr.it.
In case of acceptance, the full article (maximum 25,000 characters including spaces) must be submitted by January 20, 2026.

Topics of Interest

Proposed topics include:

Impacts of digitalization on social and socio-health policies
Digital data governance in welfare services
The role of social media in the transformation of welfare
Digital exclusion and new inequalities
Technologies and participatory co-design
Socio-technical and ethical risks in the use of digital data
Digital data quality and future scenarios.

Investing in the social reintegration of incarcerated individuals

Monia Torre — Mon, 05 May 2025 11:47:03 +0000

Welfare & Ergonomics Issue 2/2024
edited by Alberto Pesce and Veronica Valenti

Issue 2/2024 of the journal Welfare and Ergonomics stems from the desire to examine the total institution par excellence, still active and deeply significant today: the prison. A place symbolically and physically removed from urban space, which continues to represent a challenge for our model of democratic coexistence and welfare.

Starting from a sociological and legal approach, the volume aims to reflect on the condition of individuals deprived of their liberty and on the very meaning of punishment, beginning with a fundamental question: how can welfare contribute to building concrete paths for social reintegration, while respecting human dignity and constitutional principles?

The contributions featured in the journal, edited by Alberto Pesce and Veronica Valenti, address several crucial issues: prison overcrowding, the system’s difficulties in ensuring care, training, emotional relationships, and work for incarcerated persons, as well as the specific condition of women and transgender individuals in prison, who are often doubly marginalized. Space is also dedicated to the contribution of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and restorative justice as alternative tools and visions for reforming criminal enforcement.

This issue develops from a critical perspective, strongly inspired by thinkers such as Goffman, Foucault, and Camus, and is oriented towards deconstructing stereotypes and security-focused policies that risk reinforcing exclusion and recidivism. Social and professional reintegration is not only a rehabilitative goal but an essential condition for a more just and secure society.

The journal therefore also questions the model of community we intend to build: a community that recognizes solidarity and shared responsibility as its foundation, where truly “no one is saved alone.”

How to cite

Alberto Pesce and Veronica Valenti (eds.), 2024. “WELFARE AND ERGONOMICS” 2/2024, pp. 27-42, DOI: 10.3280/WE2024-002003. DOI: 10.3280/WE2024-002002.

LONG ABSTRACT

E. Sonnino – Inside a “ghost” women’s section
L. F. P. Cancio, F. Farruggia – Beyond Binary: The Challenges Faced by Transgender Individuals in Italian Correctional Facilities, Present Realities, and Future Prospects
G. Franzoso – Restorative justice programmes in prison: what real rehabilitative and transformative potential?
M. Tosi, C. A. Romano – Promote restorative culture and peer support in the prison context: the RI.PA.RA.RE. project in the Cremona Prison
C. Capannelli, C. Scivoletto – Community Work and University. A Best Practice.
A. Procaccini – House arrest between welfare needs and instances of control: a case study in Campania
P. De Rosa, N. Ferrigni, M. Spalletta – “The Young Beyond”. The social reintegration of young prisoners, between representation and reality.
D. Ronco, V. Verdolini – The Struggle to find one’s place. A research/study on prisoner reentry process in Italy
S. Santini – The application of ICT and AI in the penitentiary system: risks and opportunities
L. Muglia, A. M. Di Leverano – Social reintegration of incarcerated persons: neuroscience, epigenetics and welfare
A. Genova – Social farming in prison: institutions as morphogenetic agents of reconstructive society
A. Paparusso, A. Sanguinetti, M. Vitiello – Individual take-up and occupational outcomes of immigrant regularization measures in Italy
P. Pierucci – Public Health Protection in Italy between the Dismantling of Universalism and the Development of Collaborative Action. The “CASE di COMUNITÁ” PROJECT

Call for Papers – Rethinking Welfare to Prevent and Combat Gender-Based Violence – Welfare e Ergonomia

Monia Torre — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 08:37:16 +0000

The call for papers “Rethinking Welfare to Prevent and Combat Gender-Based Violence: Challenges and Opportunities for an Integrated System” is now open, edited by Pietro Demurtas and Emiliana Mangone.

Selected contributions will be published in issue no. 2/2025 of the journal Welfare e Ergonomia, published by Franco Angeli and recognized as Class A by ANVUR.

The main focus is on the prevention and combating of gender-based violence, considered strategic areas for rethinking the welfare system through an innovative and inclusive approach.

Deadlines

Abstract (max 3,000 characters, including spaces): submission by January 31, 2025.

Abstracts must include: introduction, scientific context, methodology, innovative results, and essential bibliography.

Topics of Interest

Proposals should address, also from a comparative perspective, topics such as:

Welfare models to prevent gender-based violence and support victims.
Integration of anti-violence, social, and digital policies.
Territorial management of policies to combat violence.
Strategies to address new forms of digital violence.
Intersectional approaches and responses to unmet needs of victims.

How to Participate

Send abstracts to welfarergonomia.rel@irpps.cnr.it. After acceptance, registration on the Franco Angeli OJS platform is required (registration link).

Welfare e Ergonomia was established within the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the CNR and is funded by the Department of Human and Social Sciences, Cultural Heritage of the CNR. The journal adopts peer review using the double-blind method and is recognized by ANVUR as a Class “A” scientific journal for area 14 (Political and Social Sciences).

Labor Exploitation, Rights, and Health in Contemporary Society

Monia Torre — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 10:16:01 +0000

Welfare & Ergonomia Issue 1/2024
edited by Marco Omizzolo

The monographic issue of the journal Welfare & Ergonomia 1/2024 dedicated to “Labor Exploitation, Rights, and Health in Contemporary Society” (Franco Angeli) offers reflections on the labor market and its evolution in contemporary forms of exploitation and marginalization.

The 10 contributions presented allow this phenomenon to be framed in terms of a restructuring of Western society itself, of the social pact that constitutes and shapes it, and of the specific type of capitalism that organizes it. As the volume editor, Marco Omizzolo, emphasizes, labor exploitation can no longer be considered exceptional, “that is, as a malfunction of a labor market that actually works. No, on the contrary, all analyses that encompass different sectors of the labor market, from logistics to agricultural work to domestic care work, reflect—also through life stories—on working conditions systematically based on marginality, vulnerability, and exploitation, which also embrace a dramatically growing number of people, workers, both quantitatively speaking.”

Marco Omizzolo – Introduzione al volume 1/2024 Welfare & Ergonomia

How to cite

Marco Omizzolo (ed.), 2024. “WELFARE E ERGONOMIA” 1/2024, Milan: Franco Angeli, DOI: 10.3280/WE2024-001003

Below are the LONG ABSTRACTS in English of the articles. The complete journal is available for purchase on the Franco Angeli publisher’s website.

Federica Cabras, Luigi di Cataldo, Monica Massari Migrant Bodies at Work. Exploitative practices and (in)visibilization processes from the Sicilian countryside to digital platforms
Fabio Berti, Giulia Mascagni, “You have to be careful when working”. Exploitation, health and access to healthcare for foreign workers in agriculture
Ottavia Salvador, “We hurt all over”. An experience of trade union struggle and workers inquiry for risk and harm prevention in the workplace
Emilio Gardini, Struggle and self-organization. Class formation and mobilizations in the logistics industry
Chiara Davoli, Exploiting within the rules. Outsourcing in agriculture and socio-educational services
Isabella Corvino, Claudia Petrescu, Pina Sodano, Dual mastering and labour exploitation: life and work stories of Romanian women in home care in Italy from Romania
Rafaela da Conceição Hilario Pascoal, Francesca Cimino, The relevance of multi-level governance on contrasting the social inequity health determinants of exploited migrant workers: A comparison between the Project P.I.U. Su.Pr.Eme. in the Region of Sicily and the Project Common Ground in the Veneto Region
Sara Korbi, Digitalization and migrations: IT platforms and agricultural work
Fiammetta Fanizza, Fiorella Spallone, The definition of welfare space in the project redevelopment of Borgo Mezzanotte
Stefania Peca, Pierluigi Musarò, Sowing exploitation reap campaigns, of awareness. The role of diasporas in countering labor exploitation.

Open Section

Valentino Santoni, Networks for occupational welfare: mapping Italians’ experiences
Chiara Verga, Cancer and Big Data: Empirical Approaches and Field Research for Effective Prevention
Elia Pizzolitto, Roberto Veraldi, Inequalities, Covid-19, And Healthcare Access In Urban And Suburban Areas: An Initial Review

The complete journal is available on the Franco Angeli website.

This monographic issue also marked an important transition in the life of the journal Welfare & Ergonomia, whose editorship passed from founder Antonella Ciocia to Pietro Demurtas and Anna Milione (CNR-IRPPS), who will continue to share it with Mara Tognetti (Catholic University of Milan), and which became part of the editorial projects funded by CNR-DSU. These developments were presented on September 27, 2024, at the CNR’s Aula Marconi.

Labor exploitation, rights, and health in contemporary society

Monia Torre — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:40:50 +0000

September 27, 2024

h. 09.30 – 13.00

Marconi Room, CNR Headquarters, Rome

Speakers will include Marco Omizzolo, who edited the issue; Anna Milione, Pietro Demurtas, and Mara Tognetti, who co-direct the journal; and Salvatore Capasso, Director of the CNR-DSU.

Welfare & Ergonomia, recognized as an Anvur Class A journal, originated as an IRPPS editorial project and is published by FrancoAngeli.

Call for Papers – 1/2025 – Welfare & Ergonomia

Monia Torre — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 15:40:54 +0000

The call is now open to contribute to the next issue of the journal Welfare & Ergonomia, dedicated to “Social agriculture between new and old social work practices, theoretical perspectives and policy innovations“, edited by Angela Genova and Tiziana Tarsia.

The issue will collect theoretical contributions and empirical research (both subject to peer review) related to:

case studies at local, national and international level capable of producing critical reflections that highlight the challenges in implementing social agriculture, with a multidisciplinary approach

study of policies and their effects with specific attention to national and regional regulatory contexts and practices that connect emerging themes such as innovation processes in the primary sector and the diversification of agricultural activities, energy transition, the return of young people to agricultural activities, attention to well-being and the environment in a one health perspective
analysis of the results of social research evaluating social agriculture experiences as a mechanism for rehabilitation processes and social participation of people in disadvantaged situations, but also for promoting community activities and social cohesion.

Potential authors of this issue of Welfare & Ergonomia are invited to submit by September 25, 2024 an abstract of approximately 3,000 characters, and, if accepted, by January 20, 2025 the full contribution.

Read the complete call (English).

Born from a CNR-IRPPS project, Welfare & Ergonomia is a biannual journal published by Franco Angeli and recognized in 2017 in ANVUR’s class A for the field of Political and Social Sciences.

For information and contacts: welfarergonomia.rel@irpps.cnr.it.

Youth beyond stereotypes

Monia Torre — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 12:05:59 +0000

The monographic issue of the journal Welfare & Ergonomia, dedicated to “Youth beyond stereotypes” (Franco Angeli) and edited by Carlo Buzzi, aims to examine the major evolutionary changes in the youth world that have occurred in our society in recent times.

It does so not through a structural approach—namely demographic, economic, or social. In these three areas, the literature is already extensive; instead, it focuses on cultural aspects, taking into account the significant internal variability among young people. This variability is often invisible to adults and the media, which, by failing to consider it, creates superficial and stereotyped images of the youth world.

There are 12 selected and published articles, plus one practical experience, divided into 3 sections. We are making the long abstracts of the articles available here in PDF format.

Part One. Transformations, redefinitions, identities

It focuses on the processes of identity acquisition—both individual and social youth identity—within a social context that is sometimes challenging.

Redefining oneself as young: conflicts, connections, and solidarity (Maria Grazia Gambardella, Sveva Magaraggia)
“Emerging” adults: between navigating by sight, participating in local projects, and building their own future (Simona Guglielmi, Arianna Piacentini, Giuliana Parente, Maria Tullia Galanti)
Children’s social categorisation practices and family background (Agnese Desideri)

Part Two. Peripheries, resilience, life choices

It presents articles that examine youth attitudes and behaviors capable of dealing with difficult contexts or situations that lead to specific life choices.

Life choices and environmental cultures: Neo-rural youth staying in inner areas (Stefania Leone, Andrea Orio)
Youth on the margin: Expectations for the future, ties to places, and participation in public life in the inner areas of Calabria (Sabina Licursi, Emanuela Pascuzzi)
Freshmen during the pandemic emergency: daily life, emotional dimensions, and the mediatization of distance (Michele Bonazzi, Marco Pedroni)
For others and for themselves: Adolescents and volunteering, between solidarity and identity (Laura Solito, Letizia Materassi, Giacomo Buoncompagni)
Attempts at social advancement between marginality and signs of change among Sinti youth (Rita Bertozzi)
Youth Well-Being: beyond need… for health (Anna Ravera, Francesca Porta)

Part Three. Science, trust, uncertainties

It focuses on youth sentiments toward science, a factor that has a strong impact on many aspects of life, such as the idea of technological progress, the relationship with institutions, and the concept of health.

The relationship of Italian youth with science and technology: Analysis of data from the Science Technology and Society Observatory 2007-2023 (Andrea Rubin, Barbara Saracino)
Visions of Europe and trust in science within the Italian student community (Valentina Tudisca, Nicolò Marchesini, Adriana Valente)

Call for Papers – Welfare & Ergonomia

Monia Torre — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 11:11:54 +0000

The new call for papers from the journal Welfare & Ergonomia, edited by Alberto Pesce and Veronica Valenti, is dedicated to “Investing in the care of social reintegration for incarcerated individuals: trends and new perspectives of Italian welfare.”

Proposals may be submitted by March 29, 2024, by sending an abstract of approximately 3,000 characters (including spaces).

All information is available in the call.

Welfare & Ergonomia is a Class A journal (Anvur), published by Franco Angeli, based on an editorial project and direction by IRPPS (thanks to researcher Antonella Ciocia).

By way of example, contributions for this edition may cover:

social and health aspects resulting from overcrowding at both collective and individual levels;
the importance of maintaining emotional and family ties in prison to gather suggestions for reform perspectives;
the mutual relationship between forms of restorative justice and social reintegration;
the importance of educational paths and professional training in prison;
the analysis of Italian or European best practices aimed at promoting training, placement, and employment;
the analysis of traditional welfare models and their implementation regarding persons deprived of liberty, with attention also to new models or policies concerning inmates or former inmates;
the analysis of legislation and jurisprudence regarding the social and professional reintegration of inmates;
a critical analysis of the role of local authorities, social private organizations, and the private sector in ensuring training, placement, and employment;
the analysis of local best practices or those piloted in individual penal institutions;
the analysis of factors leading to recidivism:
the analysis of state and regional spending aimed at promoting social and professional integration paths;
the treatment of inmates nearing release at the end of their sentence;
the impact of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence or neuroscience, on the social and professional reintegration of incarcerated individuals.

Call for Papers – Welfare & Ergonomia

Monia Torre — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 15:09:12 +0000

The journal Welfare&Ergonomia (Class A, Anvur, published by Franco Angeli) has opened the call for papers No. 1, 2024, “Labor exploitation, rights and health in contemporary society,” edited by Marco Omizzolo.

This issue of W&E will investigate the organization, dissemination, and evolution of the labor exploitation system and its effects on psycho-physical health and the welfare system in Italy. Proposals may be either theoretical or empirical.

For submission, an abstract of approximately 3,000 characters (including spaces) must be sent by October 13, 2023, to omizzolomarco@gmail.com; welfarergonomia.rel@irpps.cnr.it.

Call for abstracts (pdf)
Call for abstracts EN (pdf)

W&E – Istituto di Ricerche sulla Popolazione e le Politiche Sociali

Social farming between new and old social work practices, theoretical perspectives, and policy innovations

Welfare e Ergonomia Issue 1/2025edited by Angela Genova and Tiziana Tarsia

How to cite

LONG ABSTRACT

Call for Papers – Welfare and Digital: Opportunities, Challenges, and Innovations – WeE 1/2026

Investing in the social reintegration of incarcerated individuals

Welfare & Ergonomics Issue 2/2024edited by Alberto Pesce and Veronica Valenti

How to cite

LONG ABSTRACT

Call for Papers – Rethinking Welfare to Prevent and Combat Gender-Based Violence – Welfare e Ergonomia

Labor Exploitation, Rights, and Health in Contemporary Society

Welfare & Ergonomia Issue 1/2024edited by Marco Omizzolo

How to cite

Labor exploitation, rights, and health in contemporary society

Call for Papers – 1/2025 – Welfare & Ergonomia

Youth beyond stereotypes

Call for Papers – Welfare & Ergonomia

Call for Papers – Welfare & Ergonomia

Welfare e Ergonomia Issue 1/2025
edited by Angela Genova and Tiziana Tarsia

Welfare & Ergonomics Issue 2/2024
edited by Alberto Pesce and Veronica Valenti

Welfare & Ergonomia Issue 1/2024
edited by Marco Omizzolo