In the industrialised countries, solidarity economies of the past decades have reacted in particular to the technology-driven changes in the labour markets and were associated with responses to deindustrialisation and mass unemployment. From the
realisation of the need to create sustainable alternatives of sufficiency, of "enough for all", a new eco-social movement of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) is growing worldwide today. The combination of social and ecological intentions is new compared to previous decades and results in a greater potential for innovation through the integration of different social movements. Today, the solidarity-based economy is part of an awareness of the turnaround in growth and is linked to alternative ideas of welfare, a good life for all and the preservation of the natural and cultural foundations of life. Its significance lies not only in its economic potential and its contribution to overcoming the current social crises, but also in its emancipatory power vis-à-vis dependencies on the state and the market.
Social farming (SoLaWi) is part of the SSE. Social farming refers to health-promoting interventions and social integration measures in the context of agriculture and forestry or horticultural activities that aim to improve the social, physical, mental or psychological well-being of people and to open up learning opportunities and options for meaningful and affordable employment for specific target groups.