National Care Farming Initiative
Latest News Update
Now available:
NCFI Spring Newsletter 2010
&
E-Bulletin - February 2010
What is Care Farming?
Care farming is the therapeutic use of farming practices
Care farms:
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Utilise the whole or part of a farm, be they commercial agricultural units, smallholdings or community farms.
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Provide health, social or educational care services for one or a range of vulnerable groups of people. Includes people with mental health problems, people suffering from mild to moderate depression, adults and children with learning disabilities, children with autism, those with a drug or alcohol addiction history, disaffected young people, adults and people on probation.
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Provide a supervised, structured programme of farming-related activities, including animal husbandry (livestock, small animals, poultry), crop and vegetable production, woodland management etc.
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Provide services on a regular basis for participants, where clients/participants attend the farm regularly as part of a structured care, rehabilitation, therapeutic or educational programme.
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Are commissioned to provide care farming services by referral agencies such as social services, health care trusts, community mental health teams, education authorities, probation services, Connexions etc. Clients can also be self-referred as part of the direct payments scheme, or be referred by family members.