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Rooted and Rising: Growing the Future of Care Farming February 2026

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Building Inclusive Communities through Social Farming In Ireland

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Brian Smyth, Social Farming, National Project Manager

Brian@ldco.ie

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National Network

A National network Funded annually by the Irish Government through the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) since 2015.

• Recruitment, Training and induction for farmers
• Develop and implement a governance and quality framework for placements. (safety and safeguarding)
• Establish and pay for the first round of placements
• Engagement of stakeholders and commissioners including organisations such as schools disability, mental health, youth, justice, integration older peoples services.
• Broker the commissioning of placement and the budgets / finances to pay for them
• Awareness raising in the public domain (media TV, Radio, newspapers and social media) and among stakeholders promoting the concept and activities.
• Research and policy work to collate evidence (collaborate with University College Dublin and Queens University Belfast)
• Collaborate internationally
• Staff of 12 6 Regional coordinators 2 business development mangers Research and policy officer, National Project manager and National operations manger and administration

People with

• Disabilities
• Mental ill health
• From the justice system
• Homelessness
• Older people /dementia
• Young people /children
• Asylum seekers
• Migrants /Refugees
• Long term unemployed

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�Who we are and our visison

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• Leitrim Development Company https://www.ldco.ie/ an NGO focused on inclusion and community / rural development is contracted by DAFM to run the National Network for Social Farming – Social Farming Ireland. With a small team National Manager, National Coordinator, 5 Regional Officers, 2 Administrators, Research & Policy Officer. Collaborating with many stakeholders

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• Social Farming Ireland supports a person-centered approach that respects the individuality of the participant and their individual rights, choice and control.

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• Guided and led by a set of values and principles, Integration, equity, social justice ++ UN convention on rights of people with disabilities, the SDGs, national policies

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• All are ordinary farmers and we work with them to meet quality practice standards through training, provision of facilities, vetting, reference checking, insurance etc. The farmers are paid for their time / costs supporting small groups of individuals (3-4) on the farm.
• Social Farming provides new opportunities for support for people in living ordinary lives, interacting with their community and environment and developing their potential.

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People and Place

What is Social Farming?

• Social Farming is a planned, person centered, outcome focused support placement on an ordinary farm.
• The farm remains a typical working farm where people can benefit from participation in the farm’s activities, in a community based non-clinical, environment.
• Uses the natural assets of the farm & environment, the farmer, the activities and the community to support a person to achieve some of their own chosen goals.

People, Place, Participation

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Skills and learning

3 key elements

Natural Surroundings

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Reduced stress and anxiety

Improved attentional capacity

Psychological restoration

Sense of calm and safety ‘away from…’

Social Context

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Part of a group

Inclusion

Sense of acceptance & belonging

Ccommunity based

Progress in own goals to

training / work

Meaningful Activities

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New practical skills in areas of fundamental value

Sense of achievement

Opportunity to contribute

Valued Social roles

Adapted from Bragg and Atkins (2016)

Social Farming

Each and all deliver inclusion

Vision

Social farming

Action

Four main areas of benefit to participants INCLUSION

Vision

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Visison

Natural / nature based Support

A Snapshot of our Social Farms

Is there a TYPICAL Social FARM?

• A large diversity of farms, farmers and activity offerings:

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• 160+ active farms available in every part of Ireland
• range in size from 1 acre to over 600 acres and across all sectors.
• Activities range from horticulture only to mixed farms, equine, woodland, dairy, poultry etc.
• Qualities and characteristics of the farmer, the farm family and the community around the farm complete the offering
• Accessibility nationally for this support approx. 30KM
• Altruistic, environmentally conscious, connected in the community, life / family experience

Vision to Action

A great Sense of achievement and valued social roles

Rural / Farm inclusion

• Multifunctionality on the farms. SF is a new innovative activity to support and sustain the income of the farm, the household and economic activity in rural areas.
• Farmers are innovating and supplying community health and social care supports in a different and new way in Rural Ireland.
• Putting the “culture” back in Agriculture and connecting farms with people in their community and highlighting farmer’s relevance and importance in the community and in the rural economy.
• Relational support. Social farming builds connections between people, between non-farmers and farmers, community and farmers, between people and the environment, between and across Government departments/ sectors that don’t usually interact.
• The main “asset” is within the Social farmers and this is released in providing the support. No real capital investment needed. Social farming is an investment in people, in inclusion and in social capital in Rural areas. Bioeconomic service provided by farmers through social innovation

New opportunities and experiences

Future perspectives to Action

• Demand is growing for this “nature based support” from both people and commissioners.
• Farmers responding - multifunctionality and additional income
• Support is increasing from Irish Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine and across the European Union / member states
• Social farming leads to farmers focusing on and engaging more people (non farmers) on what farming and food production means, the relevance of farms /farmers in managing habitats, water quality, biodiversity, carbon /climate and in sustaining rural communities etc.
• Policy goals European Commission supporting innovation in Farming https://eu-cap-network.ec.europa.eu/publications/report-eu-cap-network-focus-group-social-farming-and-innovations_en

“Diversity is a mix and Inclusion is making the mix work” Andreas Tapia

Which of these is the farmer?

Out in nature / environment we are all the same.

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For further information

brian@ldco.ie

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Website: www.socialfarmingireland.ie

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