SolcoTalenti


SolcoTalenti is a social cooperative dealing with sustainable environment, green space care and job placement - and its “Zabina" project. SolcoTalenti completes the services provided the SolcoImola consortium of social cooperatives working in the field of people with disabilities, elderly, immigration, social inclusion and job placement. It is an example of social business for community working in network (network business).

Contact details

Function / Organisation : Contact , SolcoTalenti

E-mail : ppiazzi@solcoimola.it
Facebook : https://it-it.facebook.com/pages/Coop-soc-Solco-Talenti/487724814656169
http://www.solcoimola.it/
40026, Imola, Italia

Stakeholders

  • La strada, association dealing with cultural and social integration for disadvantages people, involved in the initiative through the organization of creative laboratories.
  • Municipality of Castel S. Pietro Terme (near Bologna and Imola), owns the soil and the building where Zabina project has been implemented

Objectives

SolcoTalenti cooperative and its Zabina project aims at educating to urban agriculture and job placement of people with disabilities. This happens by means of its activities, the care and safeguard of a peri-urban area and a rural building. It aims at creating favorable conditions for social and work inclusion of people with disabilities. Zabina project deals with the care of green spaces and new crops through social inclusion of people with disabilities and the management of crops and a building.

Legal framework & Budget

Social cooperative, B type (according with Italian legislation: a social cooperative which aims at creating favorable conditions for the job placement of people with disabilities in the field of agriculture, trade, services and industry) The 50% of their members are people with disabilities

Activities

Main activities: - Peri-urban agriculture; - Job placement for people with disabilities; - Snails farm; - Green space care; - Services for schools (meal distribution and cleaning); Concerning Zabina project and peri-urban agriculture: - Snail farming with the support of specific technicians; - Cereals farming; - Orchard gardening and care; - seasonality-based gardening; - Carpentry and recycle; - Organic mushrooms farming; - Green space management.

>Innovation & Outcomes

Product innovation: crop of pomegranate and snails farm, with a low environmental impact and the lack of chemical treatments. These products have a positive impact on trade, considering the growing attention for organic and heath food. Organisational innovation: a network of social cooperatives, a business network which works with shared methods, entrepreneurial initiatives and economic resources. The initiative is coherent with its objective and deliver the following outcomes: - social inclusion of people with disabilities by means of work integration/inclusion and job placement; - safeguard of agricultural land; - green management of land.


Main obstacles & Next steps

None in the development of the activities, even if the seasonality of products implies long time for experimenting innovation. Main difficulty is the involvement of external audience (citizens) in the initiative). 2017 - New area of snails farm within Zabina project Next challenges: - Develop and implement projects and initiatives able to create synergies with other stakeholders; - Analysis of local needs; - Develop the capacity to identify the weaknesses of employment; - Create a network of stakeholders in order to co-design projects and services. Concerning Zabina project: - Organization of thematic events on urban agriculture; - Organization of workshops and education path addressed to schools; - organization of summer camps and events organized in partnership with sport associations; - Organization of thematic workshops and seminars on disabilities for teachers.

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Project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund