Care Farming Research in Action

Redefining Community Support Through Care Farming

Presented By:

Shawn Hayden, LADC-II

President & CEO - GAAMHA

​

Care Farming Network National Conference

Feb 9–11, 2026

Why We're Here

Care Farming Works.

The Question Systems Ask is Why, How, and at What Cost Over Time.

Care Farmers See Impact Every Day

Research Helps Systems Trust What Communities Already Know

Our Goal: Protect Dignity, Prove Impact, and Build Sustainability

I am NOT an Academic Researcher.

• Person in Long-Term Recovery from SUD
• Lived Experience Navigating and Receiving Care from Traditional Treatment Systems
• Build Programs, Teams, and Systems
• We Partner with Researchers Because Rigor Matters
• This Work is About Translation, Not Credit

Why Research Matters

• Care Farming is Growing Faster Than the U.S. Evidence Base
• Data Provides Evidence of Impact
• Funding, Policy, and Insurance Require Data
• Ethical Care Farming Must Consider:
• Human Outcomes
• Animal Welfare

Evergreen Grove at GAAMHA

​

• Long-Term Residential Treatment (6–12 Months)
• Adult Men with Substance Use & Co-Occurring Disorders

​

​

​

​

• Outpatient Therapy for Young People Ages 12-24
• Treatment & Early Intervention for Substance Use and Mental Health Challenges
• Weekly Sessions (Initial Duration of 24 Weeks)

What Makes This Model Different

Care Farming Embedded in Daily Life

Responsibility and Access are Earned

Animals are Not Tools—They are Co-Participants

Relationships Develop Over Time

Study #1

Animal-Assisted Therapy & Recovery

Philip M. Papoojian, PhD

Liberty University (2025)

• Qualitative Dissertation Research
• Conducted Onsite at Evergreen Grove

Why Qualitative Research?

• Captures the Nuance of Lived Experience
• Explores Meaning, Purpose, Identity
• Identifies Mechanisms of Change

Recovery is More Than Symptom Reduction

High Clinical Complexity of Participants

These are high-acuity, high-risk clients. Positive engagement in this context is not trivial.

75%

Experienced Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) During Early Treatment

100%

Reported Multiple Prior Relapses

91%

(11/12) Were Receiving Medication Management for SUD and/or Mental Health

Source: Papoojian AAT Study

What the Data Shows

Descriptive Findings (Papoojian, 2025):

100%

Positive Lived Experience

All participants reported a positive lived experience in program.

67%

Program Rating: 10/10

A majority rated the program as excellent.

33%

Program Rating: 7-9

A third of participants rated the program highly.

100%

Stress Reduction

All reported stress reduction through animal interaction.

92%

Animal Bonding Critical

Nearly all identified animal bonding as vital to treatment.

92%

Continued Animal Work

Almost all expressed interest in ongoing animal interaction post-treatment.

Qualitative narrative study, n = 12, adult men in long-term dual-diagnosis treatment

Building Recovery Capital

Responsibility & Purpose

Emotional Regulation

Trust and Attachment

Transferable Life Skills

Recovery capital is the total sum of internal and external resources—including social, physical, human, and cultural assets—that an individual can build and utilize to initiate and sustain long-term recovery from addiction.

Resident Voices

"They depend on us to live, and that changes how you see yourself."

"When I'm overwhelmed, I go sit with the animals—it grounds me."

"I learned patience with the animals, and I use it with people now."

(Papoojian, 2025)

Why These Voices Matter

Not Anecdotes—Evidence of Change

Align with Known Recovery Drivers and Predictors of Healthy Outcomes

Often Invisible in Traditional Metrics

The Ethical Question

If care farming helps people...

Is it good for the animals too?

STUDY #2

Are Humans Good for Goats?

Rebecca Butler, MS

University of Pennsylvania (2022)

• Randomized Controlled Trial

​

• Focus on Positive Welfare Indicators

Why Animal Welfare Matters

• Ethical Responsibility

​

• Program Integrity

​

• Credibility with Donors/Press/Public

​

• Long-Term Sustainability

What Makes Care Farming Distinct

Animals Retain Autonomy

Voluntary Interaction

Familiar Environment and Handlers

Ability to Disengage Freely

Key Animal Welfare Findings

1

No Evidence of Stress or Avoidance Behaviors

• Goats did not show increased avoidance, agitation, or withdrawal
• Interaction patterns suggested neutral-to-positive affect, not tolerance under pressure

Why this matters: Directly counters concerns that therapeutic programs may stress animals

2

Voluntary Interaction Increased Without Coercion

• Increases in human engagement occurred without food rewards, restraint, or training
• Interaction was initiated by goats themselves, not prompted by handlers

Why this matters: Relationship—not reinforcement—is driving engagement

3

Individual Differences Were Stable and Respected

• Goats demonstrated consistent individual preferences (some highly social, others more reserved)
• Welfare outcomes were positive without forcing uniform participation

Why this matters: Choice and autonomy—not intensity of interaction—are the key welfare safeguards

4

Habituation Occurred Without Desensitization

• Over time, goats showed increased comfort and expanded behavioral range
• But did not display signs of emotional blunting or disengagement

Why this matters: Distinguishes healthy familiarity from overexposure

Animal Welfare Takeaway

When animals have choice and control, welfare improves.

• Supports One Welfare Framework

​

• Reinforces Ethical Care Farming Design

Putting the Studies Together

Key Finding:

Care farming can produce consistent, positive lived experiences for people with high clinical complexity (100% positive lived experience; 100% stress reduction through animal interaction).

Dual Outcomes

The same program design that supports human recovery does not compromise animal welfare—and may enhance it through autonomy and choice (Butler, 2022; Papoojian, 2025).

Program Design Matters

Program design—not species alone—determines outcomes (long-term, embedded, relationship-based vs. short-term or forced interaction).

Parallel Mechanisms:

For Humans:

Responsibility and bonding are central mechanisms of change (92% identified animal bonding as critical to treatment)

For Animals:

Choice and control are central mechanisms of positive welfare (voluntary engagement increased over time in the goat study)

Ethical Care Farming is Not Extractive When:

Humans Earn Responsibility

(Not Consume Experiences)

Animals Retain Agency

(Not Perform Roles)

Wellbeing is Mutually Reinforcing

(Not Competing)

This Dual-Outcome Evidence Strengthens:

Ethical Legitimacy

Funding Credibility

Long-Term Sustainability

Why This Matters

For Funding

• Funders Require Evidence-Informed Programs
• Dual-Outcome Research Strengthens Proposals
• Ethical Frameworks Increase Credibility
• Transforms the Work From Promising to Proveable

Funding & Sustainability Pathways

Grant Funding Implications

Competitive Positioning

Clear Logic Models

Replicable, Transparent Approaches

Research Helps Care Farms Speak System Language

Insurance Reimbursement Implications

Sustainability Beyond Philanthropy

Access for People Who Cannot Self-Pay

System-Level Legitimacy

Reimbursement is About Outcomes Over Time

Cost vs. Value

Higher Per-Session Cost:

Facilities and Land

Skilled Staff

Animal Care and Welfare

Lower Aggregate Cost:

Improved Retention

Reduced Relapse and Readmission

Avoided Higher-Cost Services/LOCs

Building the Dataset & Looking Forward

Building the Dataset

• Longitudinal, Real-World Data
• Measures that Matter to Systems
• Collaboration Across Farms and Researchers

Looking Forward

• Research Protects Program Integrity
• Data Builds Sustainability
• Dignity Remains the Center

Acknowledgments

• Residents of ROOTS & Carl E. Dahl House
• Evergreen Grove Farm & Clinical Staff
• Philip Papoojian, PhD
• Rebecca Butler, MS
• GAAMHA Leadership & Community Partners

Let's Connect

Shawn Hayden

LinkedIn:

shayden@gaamha.org