What is Care Farming? Debbie Wilcox, National Care Farming Initiative UK (NCFIUK)

1. What is Care Farming?Debbie Wilcox,National Care Farming Initiative UK (NCFIUK)

2. Care Farming in the UK & Europe “Growing People’s Possibilities”

3. What is care farming? • Care farming uses commercial farms, woodlands and market gardens as a base for promoting mental and physical health through normal farming activity. • Care farming is a partnership between farmers, participants and health & social care agencies. • Care farming in the UK now encompasses a wide variety of enterprises, from commercially minded farms to those pursuing more social and community objectives.

4. People with mental health issues and depression learning difficulties a drug/alcohol history work-related stress Also PPO’s (Prolific and Priority Offenders) Disaffected and excluded youth Homeless Who is care farming for..?

5. Herefordshire PPO Pilot • 4 PPO’s (Prolific & Priority Offenders) engaged by West Mercia Police • £65 per person per day (£260 per day for the farmer) • 4 days per week (over £1,000 per week) • Income from care farming around £50,000 per year

6. Economics for Herefordshire Police and Community… PPOs ‘A’ and ‘W’ combined past offence and imprisonment history has had an approximate cost of £268,512 Comparable periods before and after joining the PPO Scheme suggests a saving of £47,741 to the community for ‘A’ and ‘W’.

7. Benefits for farmers… Economic viability and rural regeneration – especially for smaller farms. Clients can provide extra labour and an income Job satisfaction – seeing people change for the better through contact with their way of life can deliver tremendous meaning to a farmer Addresses rural isolation Expands the value of their knowledge, their farm and way of life

8. Benefits for participants • Connection with nature • Connection with people • Connection with meaningful work and a supportive daily structure Care farms are not based on an individual’s limitations but on their potential

9. Care Farms in Europe Holland 818 Norway 650 Germany 300 Austria 250 Belgium 140 Also Slovenia, Ireland, Sweden, Poland & Italy

10. Holland • Small production farms – mainly dairy or grassland • Most clients have learning disabilities or mental health problems • 0.9% (818) of all farms are care farming, fastest growing area of diversification • Average revenue €73,000 (c.£65k)

11. Holland – why so successful? • National Support Centre for Agriculture & Care • VAT exemption • The work activities

12. National Care Farming Initiative Our vision: Thriving farms and landscapes providing social, educational, therapeutic and development opportunities Our mission: Provide a voice and supportive services for care farmers, to inspire decision makers and to develop policies and actions that will support care farming in the UK

13. NCFI Achievements • Given care farming a voice, unified under the banner of NCFI and have put care farming on the map and in the minds of policymakers. • Enabled a network to evolve • This has led to country/regional initiatives • We are now a movement! • Continue to run events and search for funding. • Launch of new website

14. NCFI Website

15. NCFI Website

16. The Future of UK Care Farming • Our diversity is our strength • Look at how CF can fit into current policies & agendas • There is no one “right” answer, model or example of care farming • What works in one area/country may not work in another • Care farming will not suit all farmers • It took the Netherlands CF movement 10 years to get where it is now!