Farming as therapy could help 1,000 people within three years

The use of farming as a therapy for people with special needs or mental health difficulties could be helping more than 1,000 people within three years if it is funded and supported by the State,

Jim Kinsella of University College Dublin's school of agriculture and food science has said.

Dr Kinsella managed a European Union-funded pilot social farming project which involved 20 farmers and their families bringing 66 adults with special needs and mental health issues to their farms and into their homes one day a week. Working with animals and nature has proven therapeutic qualities and social farming is well established in countries such as the Netherlands where 1,000 farms are involved.

The pilot project has now ended and, while farmers did the work on a voluntary basis, Dr Kinsella said a funding mechanism is needed to be found as farmers could not be expected to continue this work without some form of payment. He said the value of what farmers had contributed, in labour costs alone, was up to €6,000 per family.

New opportunities

“In three years’ time, potentially we could have 10 or 12 social farms in every county in Ireland,” he said. “By the end of 2017 we could have 300 farms around the country delivering new opportunities to thousands of people.”

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has launched a handbook which gives guidelines to people considering getting involved in the concept.

He said he would like to see the project being replicated nationwide and his department would do all it could to help. “We can create something very powerful across the country,” he said. “Personally I am very committed to this. As far as I’m concerned this is just the start.”

Dr Kinsella said he hoped agri-food companies would provide sponsorship to allow the work to continue, until a permanent funding structure was put in place by the health services.

Wider community

Donegal farmer

Larry Masterson

took three health service users on to his farm during the project and said his family and the wider community had benefited. When the programme ended, his elderly neighbours were asking where the workers had gone.

Daniel Wilson still works on Mr Masterson's farm, through another Health Service Executive-funded programme. He has some mental health issues and said the farm had changed his life.

“When you get on the farm there are no labels, no stereotyping. You are a person, there to help. I always think of it as therapy in disguise. It’s hard talking about your problems but on the farm you forget about all of that.”

John Murphy, who has post traumatic stress disorder, has been working on the farm of Richard and Jackie Moeran in Mountnugent, Co Cavan. "When I started, I was very quiet," he said. "The farm has got me out, got me going again. When I turn in the avenue, I'm a different person."

Farmer Malachy Dolan from Garrison, Co Fermanagh, said bringing four people with learning disabilities on to his farm had been a good thing for the whole family.

“We have three young kids and it was a very grounding exercise for them.” He said the hardest thing for everyone was when the project ended.