Social Farming Research Articles

Sustainability and Social Farming in the Czech Republic: The Impact of Selected Factors on the Employment of Disadvantaged Persons in Agriculture

In the agricultural sector, where factors like the type of agriculture, management techniques, and access to funding are critical, disadvantaged people face significant barriers to employment. This study investigated the effects of these factors, especially with regard to sustainability and social farming, on the employment of disadvantaged persons in the Czech Republic. We sent questionnaires to 2036 agricultural businesses within the Czech Republic, and the data we received were sorted and analyzed. There was a favorable relationship between farm size and employment chances. Disadvantaged people were more likely to be hired by large farms, especially those larger than 250 hectares. Furthermore, mixed-production farms were more capable of employing disadvantaged persons, unlike conventional farms, which reached their maximum employment levels at one, three, or six workers. Organic farming had a more even distribution, while biodynamic farming showed limited capacity to employ disadvantaged persons. Farms involved in fundraising had fewer farms but employed more disadvantaged persons (number of employees peaked at two, four, and six), while farms that did not engage in fundraising hired more disadvantaged individuals (peaked at one and three employees). The motivations for employing disadvantaged persons were primarily social concerns, as well as labor shortages and economic and innovative factors. These findings show the importance of agricultural enterprises using these factors to improve the social and economic well-being of disadvantaged persons.

Legal and Economic Conditions for Running a Care Farm: A Polish Case Study

The purpose of this paper is to present the situation of Polish care farms in the context of legal and economic conditions. The need to analyze this topic arises from the current lack of literature that has synthetically addressed the challenges posed by the ageing population in the European Union, including in Poland. The research gap revealed by the authors is especially prominent when it comes to aspects related to the setting up and running of care farms in Poland. Therefore, this paper analyzes the legal forms of establishing a care farm. Next, it discusses the economic aspects of how care farms operate. Based on research materials, especially including those retrieved through the use of the formal dogmatic approach, the authors determined the formal conditions for the setting up and successive running of care farms. The authors have analyzed with the help of formal dogma the forms of running care farms in Poland referring to the current legislation, as well as the position presented in the literature. Also, due to the method used in analyzing the materials collected in this study, the authors have presented their views on how to finance such facilities. Findings from this research confirm that Polish care farms have promising outlooks as they respond to the changing needs of an ageing society. Moreover, as a result of the formal dogmatics method used, it was found that in Poland the most common form of running a care farm is an association. This is because the establishment of an association does not require the fulfillment of many legal criteria as is the case with a sole proprietorship. For this reason, those interested in starting a care farm may opt for the association form.

Frontal Cortical Activity during Care Farming Activities of Adults Using Electroencephalogram

The underlying therapeutic mechanisms of care farming activities have not been addressed using psychophysiological data. We aimed to understand frontal cortex activation in adults during care farming activities and to explore the psychophysiological effects. Using a randomized crossover study method, 20 adults (average age, 31.3 ± 9.8 years) participated in 10 care farming activities, (four gardening activities, three animal-mediated activities, and three off-farming activities) for 3 minutes each at an actual care farm. Electroencephalography (EEG) was performed during the activity, and emotional states were assessed using subjective emotional questionnaires after each activity. The EEG results revealed that alpha activity increased during gardening activities, such as organizing garden plots and planting plants. Spectral edge frequency 50, which predicts the degree of arousal, increased during interaction with dogs. The results of the subjective emotional questionnaire revealed that participants experienced positive emotions, such as vigor, comfort, naturalness, and relaxation, when participating in care farming activities compared with those while resting. Therefore, this study suggests that care farming activities can induce changes in the frontal cortex activation and positive emotional states in participants. This study elucidates the use of such activities to address mental health-related issues.

Facilitating positive emotions in people with challenges by combining conventional occupational training and a novel farming program: a feasibility study

ObjectiveJapan has a system of occupational therapy programs known as self-reliance training (training for daily living), which helps people with various disabilities lead more meaningful lives. Recently, it has been shown that green care farms are beneficial for dementia care and that agricultural and horticultural work has a positive impact on people with intellectual disabilities and mental disorders. This study examined the health-improving effects of farm activities and developed an attractive program for adolescents with developmental and intellectual disabilities who use independent training facilities. The program comprised agricultural and horticultural activities such as vegetable cultivation and management, flower planting, and flower arrangement.ResultsNo significant differences were observed in any of the measures for positive mood before and after the usual program (UP). However, anger-hostility and depression-dejection improved significantly after the farm program (FP) (p < .05). Self-efficacy improved significantly after both UP and FP (p < .10). Free responses were obtained from UP (131 responses) and FP (126 responses) participants; thematic analysis of FP participants’ statements revealed that positive comments included “confidence in accomplishing tasks,” “anticipation and joy of growing plants,” and “motivation for gardening activities.”

Building Community &amp; Capacity of Care Farms Benefiting Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Differences in the United States: A Demographic Study

Abstract Date Presented 03/22/24 Adults with intellectual and developmental differences are often excluded from gainful employment. This care farm study provides information that is helpful in providing community supports for these individuals living in the United States. Primary Author and Speaker: Deborah L. Gangluff Additional Authors and Speakers: Paige Jackson

Implementing the Quality of Life and Potential of Social Farming

&lt;p style="text-align:justify"&gt;The present study explores the Quality of Life (QoL) of young people with intellectual disabilities engaged in a social farming initiative, known as ‘‘Tuttincampo: Social Farming and Inclusivity’’. The project stands as an innovative approach to improving social inclusion and providing vocational education and training. The initiative seeks to offer a viable alternative to traditional rehabilitation day centers by establishing a network of both public and private institutions. To explore the QoL of the young people we analyze data from the Personal Outcome Scale (POS), a tool that investigates the perception of QoL through self-assessment and hetero-assessment. Data were collected at the beginning and at the end of the social agriculture project. The results obtained confirm the importance of planning pedagogical actions to support social inclusion and vocational training for people with intellectual disabilities, highlighting, as well, the potential of social farming as a new “space” to achieve a higher level of QoL.&lt;/p&gt;

Understanding tourism in social farming as a form of social innovation

Tourism in social farming contexts has important implications for the inclusive development of rural areas. However, current literature on the topic is still scarce and many organizational aspects of this activity are still unexplored. To provide a systematic understanding of the phenomenon, this study presents a literature review to identify tourism in social farming as a form of social innovation. The results of this research reveal how tourism in social farming responds to specific societal challenges, how it fosters social actors' agency and which kind of relationships it stimulates among them. In the end, a comprehensive framework is proposed. Conclusions will detail the theoretical and practical implications of this study while leaving room for reflection on future research.

Upper and Lower Limb Muscle Activation during Green Care: An Electromyographic Analysis

Green care activities are associated with lower intensity and a lower risk of injury than agricultural activities aimed at producing agricultural and livestock products; however, the risk of health problems cannot be completely ruled out. To implement green care interventions to improve physical health, it is essential to identify the green care activity levels and biomechanical characteristics of the movements that are appropriate for each subject’s physical functions and goals. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the muscle activation of the upper and lower limbs during 19 green care farming activities. We used electromyography signals, which are biomedical signals that measure the action potentials generated in the muscles and nervous system when the muscles contract, to evaluate the muscle activation. Twenty adults (aged 29.9 ± 9.6 years) participated in this study. Participants performed 19 green care farming activities, including horticultural activity, animal-mediated, and off-farming activities. The participants performed each activity three times. The electromyography data were assessed using surface electromyography during activities to measure muscle activation. As a result, 16 upper and lower limb muscles were activated during the green care farming activities, which showed significantly different muscle activation by care farming activity. As a result of the comparison of muscle activity according to each muscle, many of the muscles of the upper and lower limbs were most activated during organizing a garden plot, transplanting plants, and collecting natural objects. In conclusion, the electromyography data obtained during this study suggest that green care farming interventions may be effective for training specific muscles of the upper and lower limbs.

“Mapping Out” Sustainable Social Farming Paths in Italian Municipalities

Social farming in Italy has not developed homogeneously. In view of this, this article adopts a multivariate analysis approach to analyse the heterogeneity and the similarities in the development paths of social farming in Italian municipalities. The article takes into account the information from a representative sample of 410 interviews. The results suggest that the offer of social farming activities is highly correlated with the distinct nature of the enterprises and with the interest of local actors, who in many cases finance these activities. Regarding the characteristics of social farms, the results of principal component analysis show that the consolidated experience of offering social services and the continuation of activities are the most important organisational elements. Concerning the territorial distribution, the findings of a hierarchical cluster analysis show that Italian municipalities have distinct experiences according to the level of maturity of the social farms in each cluster, with differences in location, the agricultural system, the organisational culture and the social services provided. Assessing enterprise characteristics and recent development paths for social services in Italy can have far-reaching implications for policy. The latter should provide information and training to farmers and users to increase understanding of the social value of social farming and foster a collaborative and sustainable approach to social farming practice.

Electromyographic Analysis of Upper- and Lower-extremity Muscles in Adults during Agro-healing Activities

This study investigated the activity of upper- and lower-extremity muscles for 15 agricultural tasks of agro-healing. For the development of an agro-healing program using farm resource types, 15 selected agro-healing activities (namely, digging, raking, fertilizing, planting transplants, tying plants to stakes, watering, harvesting, washing, cutting, cooking, collecting natural objects, decorating natural objects, interacting with dogs, walking dogs, and feeding fish) were extracted and performed in a total of 21 adults (average age: 42.29 ± 14.76 years) at D Care Farm in Cheongju, Korea, from June to July 2022. Before these activities, informed consent was obtained from participants and muscle activity of the upper and lower extremities was measured. Muscle activation during activity performance was measured using electromyography (EMG), and the rating of perceived exertion for each activity was investigated. Bipolar surface EMG electrodes were attached at 16 locations on the left and right upper-extremity muscles (anterior deltoid, biceps brachialis, brachioradialis, and flexor carpi ulnaris) and lower-extremity muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, biceps femoris, and gastrocnemius). The results indicated that the activity of the lower-extremity muscles was higher than that of the upper-extremity muscles during 15 agricultural activities. During plant-mediated activity and animal-assisted activities, the rate of right muscle use was higher than that of left muscle use among the upper-extremity muscles, whereas the rate of right and left muscle use showed a similar tendency among the lower-extremity muscles. During plant-mediated activities, agricultural activities involving the use of heavy tools highly activated the right forearm muscle (flexor carpi ulnaris), whereas holding and interacting with animals highly activated the left forearm muscles (biceps brachialis, brachioradialis, and flexor carpi ulnaris). It is expected that the EMG data obtained in this study can be used as basic biomechanical data when designing an agro-healing program to improve physical function.

Social farming and educational needs: how kindergarten farms could fill a gap

Kindergarten farms are educational initiatives aiming to reinforce or even create relationships between nature and future generations involving them in agricultural settings. They take the form of Outdoor Education (OE), intending to enhance the outdoor environment in its various configurations, from an educational perspective. From the agricultural side, these activities are included in social farming (SF), represents a union between the educative sphere and the agriculture world and offering added farm revenue with a multifunctional view. In Italy, these educational services within the farms (‘Agrinidi’ and ‘Agriasili’) have grown recently, contributing to the educational system where services are marginally available or lacking. This study has focused on the families' needs concerning early childhood services in support of work–life balance; it also investigated their attitudes and interest in OE and in a structured educational service within a farm. To achieve such an aim, a literature study about OE and the educational initiatives within the farm in Italy was carried out. This was followed by an online questionnaire, carried out with 510 resident of a region of Italy (Umbria). The findings indicate high interest in educational services organized in both nature and farms. The statistical and econometric analysis of a subsample of 161 respondents having children under 6 years old has underlined that the attitudes towards OE are affected by specific socio-demographic variables: income and educational levels. In this respect, older participants having a high degree of education and benefiting from a high economic status showed the highest level of preference for OE services. In the conclusions, we underline that developing educational services "Agriasili" and "Agrinidi" can contribute to strengthening the synergy between agriculture and the education sector. They carry out social functions for the creation of collective well-being. They represent a diversification of farm business and a response to citizens' needs for early childhood education in nature; moreover, they push implementation of policies encouraging the birth of these services in rural and peri-urban areas where they are lacking or crowded.

‘The Sanctuary’ – developing a human-animal model to promote health in a supported residential aged care setting

Abstract Human-animal relationships are vital for many older persons. Finding ways to include animals in aged care settings can be part of reorienting aged care settings from a solely humancentric focus to a human-animal inclusive one for the 21st century. This case study project report describes the development of an animal inclusive model of care for a Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) in a regional town in Australia. The model’s primary objective was to facilitate residents’ empowerment through safe engagements with animals as a source of health and wellbeing while incorporating best practise animal-care and husbandry. Exemplars used to inform the model included The Eden AlternativeTM and Care Farms. The Sanctuary model sought to cover several gaps identified in these approaches. These included clear policies and protocols regarding animal welfare, infrastructure needs (animal housing and designated human-animal interaction areas), staffing models, stakeholder engagement approaches (both within the RACF and the local community) and developing sustainable resourcing and financial frameworks. A vision to establish a refuge for both humans and animals was inherent in the design of the Sanctuary model, and to operationalize this vision, policies, resourcing plans and practical processes were formulated informed by multi-species ethical understandings. Regrettably, it was not possible to fully implement the model. However, this case study is presented with the aim of seeking to redress the noted 85% wastage of global health research; a wastage that includes human-animal research knowledge. Insights into opportunities and barriers and experiential knowledge are shared with the aim of facilitating future endeavours to implement parallel visions that embed human and animal inclusive models in residential aged care in the future.

Exercise Intensity Assessment of Care Farming Activities in Adults

We aimed to determine the energy expenditure, oxygen uptake, and exercise intensity of 10 care farming activities performed by adults. The study had a crossover experimental design. Participants performed 10 care farming activities for 5 minutes, including four plant- and three animal-mediated activities, and three other activities. Each participant wore a portable telemetric calorimeter during the activities, and oxygen uptake, heart rate, and exercise intensity were measured. Twenty-one adults (aged 31.5 ± 10.2 years) participated in our study. Energy expenditure, oxygen uptake, and exercise intensity differed significantly for each activity. The 10 care farming activities were regarded as light- to moderate-intensity activities. The exercise intensity, energy expenditure, and oxygen uptake for organizing a garden plot were significantly higher than those for other care farming activities. Cooking using harvests, interacting with dogs, and feeding rabbits had the lowest exercise intensity, energy expenditure, and oxygen uptake. Other activities, such as transplanting plants, harvesting, creating art, maintaining a garden, walking with a dog, and cleaning the farm, had moderate exercise intensity, energy expenditure, and oxygen uptake. Energy expenditure, oxygen uptake, and exercise intensity data could be useful when developing a care farming program suitable for the physical condition of participants in care farming interventions.

Development and Effectiveness of an Agro-Healing Program Utilizing Rural Resources to Relieve Stress in Adults

The purpose of this study was to develop an agro-healing program using rural resources for stressed adults and to measure its effectiveness. A one-day agro-healing program was developed using the resources of a care farm located in Cheongju, South Korea. A total of 37 adults in their 20s to 50s who were experiencing mild or more severe stress participated in the agro-healing program. Analysis of stress-related psychological and emotional indicators of the agro-healing program revealed that post-treatment stress, anxiety, and depression indicators of the healing program significantly decreased (p&lt; 0.05). Furthermore, mood state, vitality, and resilience indicators increased significantly, which demonstrated effectiveness in improving the mental health of participants with mental health issues. A Pearson correlation analysis between each psychological and emotional variable after the program found that stress had a significant correlation with all variables. Subjective vitality had a full mediating effect on the relationship between stress and resilience. Finally, the one-day agro-healing program was found to help relieve symptoms in adults with stress.

Mind, body and blood: advancing green care through innovative methodologies within the field of health geography

ABSTRACT In the post-COVID city, interest in creative green interventions to tackle health inequalities are at an all-time high. Key actors, from policymakers to funding bodies and beyond, are increasingly investing in concepts such as Social Prescribing and Green Care. In particular, the latter has received a large amount of attention and support, with mainstream media and an array of studies raising awareness around the benefits of juxtaposing nature with the city. In this paper, we reflect on the growth in this interest, particularly with a focus on the United Kingdom and the immense potential for the approaches within the wider urban global expansion. Through a focused systematic approach, we highlight the impact of several interventions on the ground, with an explicit case study focus on community gardening and care farming: highlighting both micro and macro practices within the built environment. Our paper raises awareness around the value of these interventions and novel methods for further exploration by academics and practitioners, particularly within a UK context, while presenting an opportunity learn from a pilot case study. In doing so, we advocate for more radical approaches to exploring these spaces and showcase the power of interdisciplinary work between geographers and health researchers in this burgeoning field.

Social farming as a driver of innovation for migrant empowerment and sustainability. The Italian experience

Social farming represents an innovative approach that combines productive agricultural activities with the provision of social services, including health, education, training, employment, and recreational opportunities. While social farming is a concept that is being implemented in various ways across Europe, in Italy, it has a particular emphasis on the integration of disadvantaged individuals into the labour market and local communities. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of two social farming enterprises located in northern Italy, specifically examining their role in facilitating the integration of asylum seekers, refugees and former unaccompanied minors into agricultural work. The study explores the sustainability of these enterprises from economic, social and environmental perspectives. It also investigates how these enterprises contribute to regional development through their involvement in local and supra-local networks.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN RURAL AREAS: OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CARE FARMS

Aim: The aim of the research was to find the advantages and disadvantages of running care farms, one of the forms of entrepreneurship in rural areas that drive social innovation. Methods: The study’s analyses consisted of secondary research and a qualitative approach. The target group reached were people interested in or already running care farms in Poland (n = 17). The research was conducted between December 2022 and March 2023. Results: The findings reveal the observed advantages and disadvantages of care farms as reported by those overseeing these centers. Operators of such facilities emphasize the importance of their centers being part of a network of similar entities. Conclusions: The most important conclusions were the need for further regulation to help social farming actors stay in business through networking, better marketing and advertising of social farming operators that support the local community, creating jobs, and improving the quality of life of those in need.

장애인 대상 서비스디자인관점 치유농업 사례연구

In Europe, social farming began in the late 19th century after the Industrial Revolution as a way to create jobs and produce food by utilizing farmland as rural populations moved to cities and production decreased due to urbanization and industrialization. In Korea, the government began supporting the revitalization of social agriculture in 2018. Rural areas in Korea are in a serious crisis. We want to revive rural areas by fostering the 6th industry and tourism industry, but it is not an easy problem. Social agriculture requires the government to actively intervene and play an active role in creating jobs in rural areas and protecting rural areas in terms of food and security. In this study, we developed a program for a farm subject to a social agriculture revitalization support project, designed the program in terms of service design as part of healing agriculture for children with developmental disabilities and intellectual disabilities who are socially underprivileged, and analyzed the healing effect.

WHAT CAN OTHER DEMENTIA CARE SETTINGS LEARN FROM GREEN CARE FARMS? AN EXPLORATION OF THEIR FUNCTIONS AND FORMS

Abstract Green Care Farms (GCFs) are an innovative long-term care alternative in dementia. They aim to better meet residents’ needs by integrating nature and animals into daily life. This study explores the functions of GCFs and possible forms of realizing them in practice. A multiple case study using ethnographic methodology was conducted on two sites: one original GCF established for seven years and one regular nursing home redesigned and recently opened aiming to apply GCF characteristics. Participatory observations (n=58), interviews (n=64), a focus group, an environmental assessment and expert panels were conducted. Six functions of GCFs were identified, crucial for the successful execution of their innovative vision in practice: providing opportunities for purposeful activities, stimulating residents, creating a community, sharing responsibilities, integrating the vision in all actions and continuously transforming. These functions may take several forms, which could be implemented in regular care, taking into account the specific local context.

Exploring green care approaches for healthy aging, healing from trauma and holistic environmental, social, spiritual, intellectual and emotional wellness among individuals with dementia: A scoping review

AbstractBackgroundGreen care approaches, or nature‐based treatment for greater health and healing, can offer a sense of place and community, empowerment, and various psychological, physical, social, spiritual and environmental benefits, as well as less isolation, depression and posttraumatic stress among older adults, including among people with dementia. This is particularly relevant since the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, which has given rise to further isolation, depression anxiety and trauma in this population. Still, while green care practices have been in place for more than 100 years, research on green care approaches, such as through care farms and gardens, for promoting healthy aging and holistic wellness among individuals with dementia is limited. Thus, a scoping review was conducted to explore what is currently known about the use of horticulture‐based green care approaches for promoting healthy aging, holistic wellness and potential psychological healing from past trauma.MethodIncluded were peer‐reviewed articles that reported on primary qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods study findings relating to green care approaches for healthy aging and holistic wellness, including with regard to psychological healing. While no geographical parameter was set, all included articles were published in the English language.ResultsIn total, 101 potentially relevant sources were identified in Academic Search Complete and Google Scholar using the search terms “care farm*” or “green care” or “horticulture” or “therapeutic garden” or “nature‐based” AND “dementia” or “Alzheimers.” Of these, 42 peer‐reviewed articles were screened in for full text reading, and a thematic analysis was conducted to offer an overview of current research on horticulture‐based strategies for promoting holistic wellness, healing and healthy aging among individuals with dementia as well as implications for future research, practice, and policy.ConclusionKey overarching themes surround the use of green care for psychological, social, spiritual, environmental and social wellness among individuals with dementia as well as the relevance of green care approaches to advancing trauma‐responsive and culturally appropriate care. Further implications for future research, practice and policy will also be discussed.