The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has announced that his department will continue to fund social farming in Ireland with an allocation of approximately €777,000 towards the extension of contracts.
The funding will go towards the following social farming model projects and the National Social Farming Network:
- Leitrim Integrated Development Company CLG – to continue to develop the national social farming network known as Social Farming Ireland;
- Down Syndrome Irl. (Cork Branch) – to provide opportunities for participation in a purpose-built farm, the Field of Dreams, with horticulture and animal care elements which will bring long lasting wellness benefits to participants;
- South Kerry Development Partnership – to increase participant and host farmers’ engagement so that the opportunity is available to more people in Kerry and to offer choice to people with disabilities to engage with farm families;
- IRD Duhallow – to promote rehabilitation, social inclusion, training and improved quality of life in a non-clinical setting using agriculture including plants and animals. To include people with mental health conditions, people with intellectual, physical or sensory disabilities, people with autism and those with hidden disabilities;
- Leitrim Integrated Development Company CLG – to model and progress full commissioning and mainstreaming of social farming supports across a range of sectors and services in Ireland.
Minister McConalogue stated: “I am pleased to be able to continue to support this initiative which provides an important service throughout rural communities for disadvantaged groups who are availing of a range of health service supports.
“Participation in social farming has been shown to provide many benefits such as improved community connections, increased self-esteem and improved health and well-being as well as the opportunity to learn new skills.
“I have witnessed the benefits myself having visited a social farm in my home county where I spoke to a number of participants and saw first-hand the activities in which these young people were involved.”
Social farming
Social farming is the practice of offering, on a voluntary basis, farming and horticultural participation in a farm environment as a choice to people who avail of a range of therapeutic day support services.
These operations are run in a number of settings ranging from working family farms, local community initiatives through to more institutional frameworks.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the successful service providers have been identified as having the vision and capability to develop substantial model projects.
Participation in theses types of visits has been shown to provide benefits to participants such as improved community connections and relationships, increased self-esteem and capacity, improved health and well-being and the opportunity to develop occupational and life skills from engaging in farm-based activities.