€777k for social farming projects
Social farming is the practice of offering activity on family farms as a form of social care support. Picture Social Farming Ireland
€777,000 in support of social farming projects in Ireland has been announced.
Social farming is the practice of offering, on a voluntary basis, farming and horticultural participation in a farming environment as a choice to people who avail of a range of therapeutic day support services.
Participation in social farming has been shown to provide benefits to participants such as improved community connections and relationships, increased self-esteem and capacity, improved health and wellbeing, and the opportunity to develop occupational and life skills from engaging in farm-based activities.
This funding for the extension of contracts for social farming model projects and the National Social Farming Network has been announced by the Department of Agriculture.
The projects to receive funding are:
- Leitrim Integrated Development Company CLG – to continue to develop the National Social Farming Network known as Social Farming Ireland; and to model and progress full commissioning and mainstreaming of social farming supports across a range of sectors and services;
- 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;
- South Kerry Development Partnership – to increase participant and host farmers engagement so that the social farming opportunity is available to more people in Kerry;
- IRD Duhallow – to promote rehabilitation, social inclusion, training and improved quality of life in a non-clinical setting using agriculture including plants and animals.
Announcing the funding, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that he is "pleased to be able to continue to support this initiative which provides an important service throughout rural communities for disadvantaged groups 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 wellbeing as well as the opportunity to learn new skills," Mr McConalogue said.
"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."
