Our Farming Philosophy
Care farming & social farming
For thousand of years, the healing power of nature has been well accepted well understood. With an increasingly urbanised world, access to the outdoors has become difficult for many and the positive relationship between agriculture and health under-appreciated and under-utilised.
Care Farming is the use of farming activities to promote healing, mental health, social or educational care. Social farming is an even broader term that encompasses therapeutic farming but simply allows for people of all persuasions and interests to have the opportunity to experience farm life. This can involve a variety of activities from experiencing the outdoors, walking through nature, networking, food production and generating a sense of belonging.
Social farming in Australia
Despite our national character drawing strongly on our rural heritage, and the clear benefits the care farm model offers both the farmer and the farm guests, social farming is not widely understood or supported in Australia. Yet it is a growing movement in most parts of the world, particularly in Europe where there are over a thousand care farms in The Netherlands, and similar numbers in Norway, France, and Germany. Numbers are growing in the UK, Ireland and the USA.
Research tells us that social farming and multifunctional agriculture is a win win win win situation, a win for farmers, a win for the visitors, a win for the health system and a win for nature.
If you want to read more about Care Farming here is a link to Judy’s Churchill Fellowship Report
If you want to know more about Judy’s vision for a care farm, here’s an interview from the ABC Conversation Hour
More information on Care Farming, Social Farming and Multifunctional Agriculture
Churchill Fellowship Report To study the creation and expansion of care farming practices in Australia for autistic adults with acute anxiety Judy Brewer AO Churchill Fellow 2019 Judith Brewer - Churchill Trust
Liz Everard’s Blog and Hocking Fellowship Projects 2019/2020 for SANE Australia Care farming: creating community in nature - The SANE Blog
Joy O’Neill UK Churchill Fellow Care farming; the benefits for farmers and the rural community
A discussion on ‘Nature Prescriptions’ by Nature England A review of nature-based interventions for mental health care - NECR204
Care Farming in the USA Home Page - Care Farming Network
Care Farming in the UK Care farming introduction | Social Farms & Gardens
Social Farming in Ireland Social Farming Ireland
Care Farming in the Netherlands Federation of Agriculture and Care
A helpful summary of care farming What is Care Farming? — Imagine That Farm
More? Well here is a plethora of wonderful research articles on social farming from the University of Waginengin in the Netherlands.