Problem addressed

In rural Denmark, the farming community is diminishing, as local farmers who have been impacted by globalisation cannot afford to scale-up their food production and distribution on their own. The Danish food production sector is very industrialised and centralised, and opportunities for processing farming commodities locally are limited. Under legislation governing food safety, it is not profitable for farmers to establish their own processing facilities, leading to a diminishing farming sector and a rural population facing unemployment and skills depletion.

Innovative solution

Food and People is a social enterprise that promotes sustainable growth and the development of new and established local micro enterprises. It does so by giving farmers access to communal processing facilities, whilst offering skills training and flexible job opportunities to vulnerable individuals, including people with disabilities.

Local farmers can use Food and People’s communal processing facilities for handling, processing, storing and distributing their own produce. Its facilities for food production are situated in a renovated, previously unused agricultural building on Grønnessegaard Manor, an estate in rural Denmark. The facilities comply with European standards for food safety. Farmers can sell their products through the farm shop at the Manor, and food produced through the communal processing facilities is also used for catering, including the delivery of food to local restaurants and cafes.

The project employs people with disabilities who wish to participate in the farming activities that take place in the Grønnessegaard facility and other local farms.  It offers them training and access to flexible work, which would otherwise be difficult for them to find. Workers with disabilities either contact the project themselves, or are referred to the initiative through the local job centre.  All activities involving employees with a disability are designed and managed in partnership with the local municipality and the job centre. This means that people with disabilities have a tailor-made individual plan, detailing the tasks that they are able to perform on the farm, taking into account their individual capabilities.    

Key results and benefits

Access of farmers to the communal processing facilities and to the web shop and showroom to sell local products have facilitated food production and sale and, in turn, boosted the local economy. Farmers have also learned how to adhere to European standards of food safety when handling, processing, storing and distributing their products. The project has allowed for the development, marketing, processing and distribution of two innovative, locally-sourced products – the Halsnæs food box and the Halsnæs Christmas box, which are publicised and marketed on the web shop and showroom, further facilitating sales for small local producers.

The new facilities have also been successful in terms of helping to boost the tourism sector. Pop-up restaurants with different themes, food workshops and food markets have opened, and visiting days for companies, institutions, and schools to the operations at Grønnessegaard and other local producers are now popular. The site now functions as a local heritage attraction, telling the story of Grønnessegaard's significance for the development of the Halsnæs municipality, in which it is situated.

According to the European Network for Rural Development, eight months after the completion of the project, the social enterprise has created one fixed work position, as well as 2–3 flexible work roles, for people with disabilities.

Potential for mainstreaming

Food and People received funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development for the restoration of the abandoned agricultural facility where it set up its operations. It has the potential to achieve financial sustainability thanks to revenue from its shop, where it sells its products, and through providing services and facilities for local farmers.

The key condition for successful transfer to another context would be strong tailoring to local demands and needs. The model would need to be adapted to the specific issues faced by farmers locally, as this is a key factor for the project’s success. The project’s plans to consolidate and expand the network of local producers and local authorities will create an arena for lessons to be learned and shared with others, thus further supporting its transfer potential.