The main mission of ASeS is to promote both the culture of agricultural work to foster the development of rural communities in developing countries and social agriculture to facilitate the social-work inclusion of people in fragile states.

All of this is expressed in projects in an integrated form for the benefit of small local agricultural producers in countries where they still struggle to ensure a decent life for all citizens. The twofold goal behind ASeS’ initiatives is to help them better develop their agricultural skills (through training and direct development of technical improvements) both in terms of efficiency and yield and to ensure a safe and decent standard of living, for themselves and their families, through projects focused on the social and health aspects of rural life.

Very often the needs of these households and local communities are similar to each other: a decent dwelling; support for access to basic educational and sanitation services; access to fertile land and water; the development of local storage and transportation facilities; access for small-scale producers to local, regional and global markets; participation of small-scale producers and their representatives in policy discussions; and support for local farmers’ cooperatives and other forms of collective organization in the agricultural supply chain.

While in Italy, and in more developed countries in general, ASeS promotes synergy between agricultural activities and social inclusion for the most fragile segments of the population, particularly people with disabilities and migrants.

Our long-term Vision is to foster human dignity, food self-sufficiency, the development of the growth path of local rural communities in developing countries, and to help the social inclusion of the most fragile segments of the population.

The meaning of the word “solidarity” has also followed a path of evolution over the centuries: it has changed meaning completely, starting from the Latin derivation solidum, meaning “coin,” and, in particular, from the Roman law expression in solidum obligari (joint and several obligation), a definition that leaves little room for emotionalism. It took until the 1800s to see it take on its current meaning related to the idea of a universal brotherhood of men and the belief that the entire human race forms one family.

The latter meaning of “solidarity” guides and inspires ASeS’ actions. Learning to be a farmer, the most effective production techniques, the use of suitable machinery, does not only represent learning a trade, it means, above all, being able to give one’s household a concrete chance to first emancipate itself and then to walk the path toward the development of one’s community in economic and social terms.