Growing in 't Paradijs - A tale of man and nature : An exploratory study of care farming

07/06/2013

Informations

Sophie Hopkins (Wageningen University)
01/04/2011
Anglais
Agriculture, Forêt, Services à la personne, Cohésion sociale, Santé
Publication externe
agriculture sociale
Autre
  • Care farming is becoming increasingly popular and accepted as a health care service, particularly in the Netherlands where the main clients are the elderly, those suffering from mental health problems, children with autism and the mentally or physically handicapped. Whilst care farming is a form of green care, associating it with the benefits of being within a natural environment, there remain great differences between the type and style of care being delivered amongst farms and much dispute about the role of the farmer or farms themselves. General definitions are a contentious issue as it is the individuality of care farms that seem to be appealing. However, the Netherlands are leading in this field and have introduced several accreditation schemes that can ensure clients of a certain standard of care without compromising the rural idyll that is attached to this care option. Care farming is also being utilised as a viable solution for entrepreneurial farmers Undertaken from an interpretive approach, this report takes a closer look at the benefits or limitations of care farming to participants by examining their own experiences and perspectives. A mixed farm in Barneveld, the Netherlands, served as a case study and engaged a wide number of people through participant observation techniques. Additionally, there were 37 semi-structured interviews. The research focused on providing an overview all those involved in care farming, from the clients, to the staff, volunteers and family members, as it is not only the clients that experience care in this context. The results were collated and thematic coding was used to analysis the data which was then combined with the literature review to answer the research questions. By incorporating different perspectives of people involved in care farming, a triangulation of experiences ensured a fair and accurate reflection on the role of care farms could be made.
    Hassink (2007) and Sempick et al. (2008) identified three main categories of benefits associated with care farming: Physical or active; mental or restorative; and social. These three elements can be further broken down to provide an appreciation aspects such as diet and identity within the context of care farming and it was investigated how they impacted on participant’s experiences. It can be argued that there is a distinctive overlapping between the three categories and as such, whilst the focus may be on one, such as promoting physical work, consequences will be rippled across other aspects, such as encouraging participants to take part in group activities or improved well being whilst maintaining gardens. This multilayered and flexible approach to care seems to suit both the environment and the participants. It is also one of the key strengths of care farming.
    The philosophy of ‘t Paradijs manifested itself in five different forms: Christianity; putting the client first; individuality; teamwork; and innovation. Participants seemed to identity with the aspects they felt most suited them. For example, the management felt all five aspects were essential to the existence of ‘t Paradijs. Whereas the staff were concerned with meeting the client’s needs and seeing each person as being unique. Similarly, they took strength from the support they gave one another. The clients however favoured being given time and space to find their own way and were proud to be part of such an inspiring and influential farm. They also felt as if their work was more meaningful if it could directly assist with the maintenance or income of the farm business and they took great ownership and satisfaction in these roles. Another outcome was that every participant felt cared for in some way, not only the clients. This sense of belonging to a community gave people the strength and support to face their own challenges and helped to reinforce the idea of equality and sociability that was inherent in the daily activities.
    Surprisingly, the role of nature and animals was not necessarily seen as important as the role of people involved in the care farming progress. Instead they seemed to provide the background or purpose to interactions with one another, especially in the case of the older people. Likewise, the autistic groups were only interested in the animals they could have direct contact with, such as holding the rabbits. This does not mean that the surroundings were underutilised, but only that were not often considered to be the focus of activities as one may expect from green care which usually relies on interaction with nature for restorative outcomes.
    In terms of suitability, many participants believed those from a farming background got the most from attending ‘t Paradijs as it formed an element of continuity in their life experience, especially for the older male clients. However, there was a distinct lack of education about farming or nature and all participants relied upon one another to share knowledge. It was explained that especially for the autistic group, the decision not to teach the clients about their surroundings was purposeful as it provided a distinction between a place of freedom (‘t Paradijs) and a place to learn (school). The lack of familiarity about both farming and the environment amongst many of the participants was still an unexpected find and further extenuated how the focus was heavily on the care of the people. This led to questions such as ‘how important is the farm in care farming?’.
    Investigating the role of the farm addressed issues such as the image of rural and what people expect from farming, resulting in the acknowledgment that farming is undergoing a transition period. The accessibility of ‘t Paradijs, and its accommodation of different needs, is something visitors believe should be strived for on a wider scale. Interestingly, the distinction between the farmer and an entrepreneur was blurred as the manager saw himself as the latter, with a full-time care farmer being employed. The difference between the two roles however was not important to other participants and they drew their own conclusions, commonly acknowledging that there were two farmers, only that the manager had more of a leadership role, sometimes understood as the head of the family. This role, and that of the family in general, was very important to the way participants related to one another and how they placed themselves within the community. Whilst several issues were addressed in the discussion, the ultimate conclusion was that all participants benefited from the idea of being ‘useful’. How this translates into care depends on the context and those involved, but it seemed as if caring for one another, whether client, staff, family and so on, created an environment in which people could focus on their abilities rather than their weaknesses. The role of the farm is linked not only to that of the animals and nature, but also to the people that are engaged in the activities, especially the idea of an extended family or community. Even though there are certain limitations to care farming, such as the lack of in-depth counseling desired by some clients, there seems to be a wealth of benefits associated with this concept. It is only hoped that further investigations can continue to enlighten the experiences of the actual participants in this choice of health care, as it is their view and feelings that should ultimately determine if care farming is a success or not.

  • http://www.wageningenur.nl/upload_mm/a/9/6/ebf6a873-e67d-4655-943e-a5560d15c612_...