Is food an important element of care farming?

During a recent online course I found myself trying to answer a question - Is food an important element of care farming? I was unsure if the person meant food production on farms, such as growing crops, fruits and vegetables, or preparing and sharing food as part of a care farming day.

My first thought was no, because the academic care farming literature describes how the three key elements for the client experiencing care farming are: having supportive social interactions, being in an outdoor environment, and having purposeful work to do on any type of farm. But then I thought, hey, maybe food is an important element after all if I considered growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing food as pieces of the care farming day or experience.

Green care as we would it recognise today, began in Medieval Europe. Restorative Monastic gardens were often established in the grounds nearby and purposefully designed to support and care of the sick and infirm. Such gardens offered a chance for people, including the monks themselves, to spend time in nature, perhaps in solitude or with other people, and carry out meaningful work such as growing fruit and vegetables or tending to the livestock. These gardens physically fed the patients and the monks while also nourishing the body, mind and spirit. 

In Europe, farms and gardens have existed in partnership with hospitals and other communities such as prisons, for hundreds of years. But in the UK, a gradual move to separate hospitals from farms and gardens began in 1948. Despite published reports from the late 1800's through to the early 1900's describing the many positive benefits for patients, as the end of the 1940s drew near, the government of the day decided that no new hospitals would be built with attached gardens. Over time, increasing numbers of hospitals that had such facilities saw their land, including the gardens and farms, repurposed. Researchers have differing views on the drivers for this change but it seems likely that the National Health Service was seen as a progressive and modern organisation and farms and gardens were perhaps seen as unscientific and old fashioned.  Of course, it could also be the case that there was a feeling that it would not have been appropriate for modern hospitals to be seen to be using patients as unpaid farm and garden labour.

But what of modern care farms and those that do not offer a growing space? From spending time on many care farms I have noticed that snack or lunch time seems to be one of one of the most popular times of the day, where clients and staff gather together socially over a meal. Some care farms have taken this further by encouraging clients to try cooking and baking as part of their activities and then proudly sharing the results with everyone. Such activities will often make use the fruit or vegetables, eggs etc actually grown or produced on the farm. I suppose that this is a prime example of 'farm to fork' principles in action - growing or rearing produce as part of the activities on the farm and then benefiting directly from the fruits of the labour. 

I wonder if this be considered as a way to include food topics and activities in to care farming sessions? I don't know what other people may think, but I am beginning to see food as a key component of care farming and it perhaps always has been since those early days in the monastic gardens. What do you think?

Green Care in the USA

Those of you who have been reading my blog over the last few months will be aware that as part of my Churchill Fellowship I will be travelling to Europe to conduct research into Care Farming. Obviously, due to the pandemic I have been unable to travel so I decided to 'virtually' explore care farming further afield. Over the last few months I have explored Australia and Canada and over the last couple of weeks I have been investigating Green Care in the USA.

Although there are some similarities between green care in the USA and Europe they also differ in many ways. In the UK and Europe for example, it is not uncommon for farmers to choose to diversify into care farming in order to bring in an additional income stream. Allowing clients to have access to 'proper', working farms, is seen as an important element in bringing together an authentic outdoor experience, social interaction and being a part of purposeful work.  There are far fewer purpose-built therapeutic farms.

Colleagues in the USA tell me that farmers there are not currently choosing to diversify into green care but for those who are interested in setting up community events during the year tend to favour Agrotourism principles. A simple example might be running a 'Harvest Day', encouraging families to visit the farm, join in with some fun activities, and maybe purchase from farm produce shops at the same time!

However, there are a number of residential therapeutic communities dedicated to helping adults with severe mental health issues such as Hopewell and Gould Farm. They are first and foremost clinical treatment centres, based on farms, that use nature, community, meaningful work and clinical engagement to treat the whole person. These models of treatment have been replicated across the US and have influenced similar projects in Canada, Australia and elsewhere. 

One field, in which the US has been at the forefront for over 70 years, is Animal Assisted Interventions.  Those of you that read my series of three AAI blogs over Christmas and New Year, will already be aware of the amazing work of the New York State based Green Chimneys organisation. This Special Educational Needs School also offers Youth and Family Services, Early Education Programmes and Outdoor Education through their farm and wildlife centre. 

However, commonality does exist between Europe and the US in the establishment of use community growing spaces and gardens, many in urban areas, such as NYC Parks GreenThumb. They offer companionship, opportunities for people to learn new skills, grow and harvest their own fruit and vegetables, spend time in nature, improve local biodiversity and a serve as a place to bring the wider community together.

If you'd like to know more about community growing in the US why not join Green Thumbs online annual conference in February 2021.

 

'Knowing Better Food' through the Oxford Real Farming Global Conference

In the words of Jesse from the Fast Show, this week, I have been mostly attending the Oxford Real Farming Global 2021 Conference.

The conference, founded in 2010, brings together likeminded people from across the world to highlight and discuss alternatives to conventional farming. I joined a number of workshops, all very thought provoking, but as I continue to be involved with community growing, community orchards and the Buckinghamshire Food Partnership, I found myself leaning towards the food, farming and climate discussions. I even attended my first zoom in Spanish with an English Translation!

The highlight for me was the Better Food Traders 'Know Better Food' three day workshop which encouraged us to think about our relationship with food, buying choices and to consider our potential ethical buying power.

If that's peaked your interest then look out for the ORFC in the Field in Oxfordshire 30th June and 1st July 2021 with sessions including beekeeping, heritage grains and soil health.

You may also be interested in the upcoming NYC Parks Green Thumb 2021 Growing Together Conference in February 2021.

 

The benefits of Animal Assisted Interventions

This the last in this series of three blogs exploring Animal Assisted Interventions and this week I shall be considering the benefits for the clients who undertake interventions involving animal support.Such benefits can be gained through passive as well as active interactions. 

Passive interventions can be simply described as spending time near an animal. Bente's research published in 2013 found that even being near an animal can or will produce feelings of relaxation, lower blood pressure and lower the heart rate.

An active intervention is a hands on animal session and may include the client being involved in the feeding, watering, cleaning, exercising or other basic care and may include more complex tasks such as calculating and preparing the correct amount of feed for each animal. Clients that visit a farm regularly or attend other animal sessions will likely develop positive relationships with the animals. The development of these connections supports the client further as they experience a reduction of their levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and through activation of their oxytocin system, reduces feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness. It is known that oxytocin plays a part in strengthening the bond between mothers and babies but it can also reinforce the bond between humans and animals. 

Bente's research also showed that spending time with animals has been found in many cases to support children with their emotional and cognitive development and their fine and gross motor skills. It can also improve concentration and motivation for children and adults alike. For those experiencing physical and mental illnesses, time spent with animals can aid the healing process and speed up recovery times. You will recall that in an earlier blog I described how many medieval monastic hospitals had gardens (with animals) attached to them for use by both the patients and the monks so this is not a new idea!

I hope you've enjoyed this deeper dive into the world of animal assisted interventions. This week I'm attending the online Oxford Real Farming Conference Global 2021 so I look forward to sharing my highlights with you next week.

Keeping animals and people safe during animal assisted interventions

As I indicated in my last blog, this time I will focus on the importance of careful planning when considering Animal Assisted Interventions. Before designing any  such interventions it is crucial to consider the needs of the clients, the animals, and the role of the practitioner in facilitating the sessions. Following a consistent approach will help to ensure the best possible outcomes for all.

In the UK, there is no specific legislation aimed at those using animals in a therapeutic way as part of an intervention.  There are general animal welfare laws such as the 2006 Animal Welfare Act Section 9 which describes how those persons responsible for animals have a duty to ensure their welfare.  Some countries such as Austria have gone further and developed quality standards for all professionals using Animal Assisted Interventions. The Austrian 'Five Pillars' takes into account: animal welfare, animal training, animal health and the health and safety measures the provider has put in place and the qualifications that the provider holds. 

The Austrian Council for Agriculture and Rural Development requires farmers who run care farms to have an understanding of supporting vulnerable individuals with health and education. It also ensures that professionals such as teachers and social workers take a qualification to support their knowledge and understanding of how to work with animals within their practice. This qualification would include units on animal husbandry, animal housing, animal training, health and safety, legal requirements and the day to day operations and business management.

If you are working with animals in the UK, the law says that we need to give significant consideration to the wellbeing and welfare of those animals and take reasonable steps in all circumstances to meet those needs. 

This is shown through application of the RSPCA Five Freedoms, freedom from hunger or thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express normal behaviour and freedom from fear and distress. Of course, these guidelines are intended to be followed by anyone involved in keeping animals, including household pets, but organisations or individuals involved in using animals in their professional interventions must develop and implement appropriate policies to meet those needs. Involving animals in any intervention is perhaps not as easy in practice as it may seem in principle.  For example, they must ensure that sessions are well staffed because they need to ensure they have sufficient practitioners available to provide the appropriate duty of care to the animal/s as well as the client/s.  I am also aware that there have been cases where a client has seemed to bond particularly well with a specific animal during sessions and has been allowed to take the animal home with them.  One must not be tempted to allow this to happen because the practitioner remains responsible for the animal's welfare and where harm or neglect, accidental or deliberate, befalls the animal. 

Interventions can be designed for adults and children but it is important to create programmes that are age appropriate and to select the animals that would be suitable for each session. Not everyone feels comfortable around animals in general or with specific types of animals, and some clients may not want to work with them. It is important to respect an individuals view's and allow them to opt out if they wish, even if the sessions are already ongoing and they subsequently change their minds.  When dealing with children, it is also important to consult parents or carers regarding their child and to gain their permission to use animal intervention as part of the child's plan.

Before any client embarks on a programme they must be taught to respect the animals and before any session commences an assessment is made by the practitioner of the emotional state of the client.  They must continue to monitor the situation throughout the session and bring it to a close if it appears that distress is being caused to the animal. Clear goals must be set out for each individual session and clients given age appropriate instructions on how to work with and look after the animals during the session.

Practitioners must keep in mind that not everyone can read animal behaviours, for example a dog growling and showing his teeth may be seen by some individuals as the dog smiling or laughing whereas others perhaps most others will be aware that these are signs is to keep away and to give the dog space.  In such a situation where one didn't understand that the dog was not in fact smiling and was instead giving off warnings, it could prove quite a shock to receive a nip!  So practitioners must offer constant supervision to help avoid distressing situations developing, for both humans and animals.

If you are interested in finding out more about one of the worlds most well known and respected organisations that offers Animal Assisted Interventions you may want to visit the website of Green Chimneys Children Centre in New York USA.

In my next blog I will consider the benefits of such interventions to adults, children and families.