My Vision - Care Farming

Care Farming

   

Care farming is the therapeutic use of farming practices. Care farms:

*Utilise the whole or part of a farm    

*Provide health, social or educational care services for one or a range of vulnerable groups of people   

*Provide a supervised, structured programme of farming-related activities

My vision is to collaborate with others to develop care farming activities on a mixed holding based on Permaculture and bio-dynamic, sustainable design systems.  The idea is well summarised by the quote from Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution:

“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings”.

Across the UK both the health and social care, and farming sectors are currently facing unprecedented challenges.  Current health and social challenges include obesity, depression, disconnection from nature and the increase in number of disaffected young people place much pressure on health and social care providers and education providers.  In addition, the farming sector has suffered many setbacks recently that threaten the economic viability of farming.  Challenges faced by the sector include BSE, foot and Mouth and bluetongue as well as fluctuations in markets, late subsidy payments and adverse climatic conditions.

The business case for Care Farming hinges on the potential win-win scenario for both the health and social care, and farming sectors. This is because Care Farming offers:

• Evidence of positive outcomes
• Support for individuals to develop confidence and promote participation
• Development of employment skills
• Economic viability of farming
• Community bases
• Benefit to the local economy

There are over two thousand Care Farms in Europe.  The Netherlands and Norway lead the way in terms of numbers.  In the UK there is a growing movement towards green care in many contexts, ranging from social and therapeutic horticulture (STH), animal assisted therapy (AAT), ecotherapy, and green exercise activities.  There is robust evidence in support of Care Farming.  According to the key findings of a research project conducted by the University of Essex in 2008 entitled, Care Farming in the UK (Hine, Peacock and Pretty, 2008):

• Spending time participating in care farm activities is effective in enhancing mood and improving self-esteem
• Working on a care farm can significantly increase selfesteem and reduce feelings of anger, confusion, depression, tension and fatigue, whilst also enabling participants to feel more active and energetic
• Care farming therefore offers an ideal way of helping a wide variety of people to feel better

If co-developing a Care Farm sounds of interest to you, I'd love to hear from you.