Category: Υλοποιούνται τώρα

The organization New Agriculture New Generation is implemented the “Social Farming 360” program, with full support and funding from the Citi Foundation. In close collaboration with the General Secretariat for Anti-Crime Policy of the Ministry of Citizen Protection, and in partnership with ActionAid and Freedom Gate, the program focuses on enhancing food security, developing skills for vulnerable social groups, and promoting the production of social farming products.

Addressing Food Security and Sustainable Farming

Food security is a global challenge, with more than 770 million people suffering from some form of undernourishment. In Greece, the need for sustainable food production is becoming increasingly urgent, especially as agricultural productivity faces significant challenges due to the climate crisis. Social Farming 360 addresses these challenges by supporting sustainable food production in correctional facilities across the country. The program not only promotes sustainability but also offers inmates opportunities for training and employment in agriculture, focusing on olive cultivation, medicinal, and aromatic plants. The project further enhances the expertise of the agronomists working in these facilities.

A Multidimensional, Two-Year Program

With the Citi Foundation’s financial backing and in cooperation with the General Secretariat for Anti-Crime Policy, Social Farming 360 is a two-year program that spans multiple layers of intervention. It supports sustainable food production and distribution in four agricultural correctional facilities (Agia Chania, Tiryntha Argolida, Kassavetia Volos, and Kassandra Halkidiki) and two special detention centers (Women’s Detention Facility and Eleonas Thiva Drug Rehabilitation Center). In addition to agricultural training, the program includes the development of soft skills, professional integration, and reintegration through psycho-social education, in collaboration with ActionAid and Freedom Gate.

Transforming Agriculture and Empowering Social Reintegration

Social Farming 360 plays a crucial role in transforming agricultural practices within correctional institutions, providing practical skills to inmates, and actively supporting their reintegration into society. At the same time, it ensures food security within the detention centers and the local communities surrounding them.

Global Support for Local Impact

New Agriculture New Generation is one of 50 organizations worldwide to receive $500,000 donations from the Citi Foundation as part of its first Global Innovation Challenge. This initiative focuses on four critical areas: access to food, food availability, affordability, and community resilience. The Global Innovation Challenge represents a $25 million philanthropic effort to identify and support innovative solutions to social and economic challenges faced by low-income communities worldwide.

They said about the program

• Aimilios Kyriakou, CEO of Citi Greece, Cyprus, Malta:
  “Safe, healthy, and nutritious food in sufficient quantities is fundamental for everyone’s well-being. It requires constant effort and cooperation at all levels to achieve this goal. The new Citi Foundation initiative, ‘Global Innovation Challenge – Food Security,’ aims to contribute to solving this global issue. We wish great success to the Social Farming 360 program and our volunteers who are eager to support.”
• Effie Lazaridou, CEO New Agriculture New Generation:
  “We are proud to contribute to the transformation of agricultural activities in correctional facilities and actively support the reintegration of inmates and food security in detention centers and their surrounding communities. The trust of Citi Foundation honors us and motivates us to work even harder in collaboration with the General Secretariat for Anti-Crime Policy towards sustainable food production, especially as the climate crisis significantly affects agricultural productivity.”
• Dimitra Lygoura, General Secretary for Anti-Crime Policy:
  “The Social Farming 360 program is a valuable opportunity for the reintegration of vulnerable groups into society and for creating a more sustainable and inclusive environment. I congratulate the New Agriculture New Generation organization and Citi Foundation for this initiative, and I am confident that this collaboration will yield positive results on multiple levels.”
• Makis Drakopoulos, Director of Programs and Institutional Funding at ActionAid:
  “Through this program, based on ActionAid’s expertise in the labor integration of people at risk of social exclusion, we aim to help inmates develop their skills and gain the confidence needed for successful professional reintegration.”
• Tina Annett Torronen, President of Freedom Gate:
  “With years of experience in implementing psycho-social support programs in correctional facilities, Freedom Gate is proud to contribute to the success of the program by enhancing inmates’ psycho-social framework and reintegration prospects.”

LEARN MORE