Take up the opportunity to become a social farmer in Cork
Training for those interested in becoming social farmers is available next week in Co Cork.
Social farming is the practice of offering activity on family farms as a form of social care support.
It provides a safe and supportive opportunity for people to benefit from relationship building, through farm activities, building confidence, self-esteem, and fitness, and breaking down barriers and enhancing peoples’ lives.
Social Farming Ireland (SoFI) is in the fourth year of developing social farming across Ireland, working with more than 90 farmers in 24 of the 26 counties.
The farms involved are ordinary working farms, and social farming uses the existing assets of the farm and the farmer.
The focus is on people’s abilities rather than their limitations.
SoFI supports and co-ordinates all aspects of the placements on farms to meet the needs of the supported person.
Participants who benefit from social farming include those with disabilities, mental ill-health, youth at risk, long term unemployed, refugees and asylum seekers, school support programmes.
Participants usually attend a farm one day per week, from 10 weeks upwards, depending on their individual needs.
The farmers are compensated for the support, time, and resources they provide to participants, and for incidentals relating to farm insurance, health and safety.
The SoFI training for farmers (which is free) will be on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 4 and 5, 9.30am to 4.30 pm, at the Teagasc Moorepark Food Research Centre, Fermoy, Co Cork.
Booking is essential; further information is available from Maryanne at admin@socialfarmingireland.ie or 071-9641772.
Training days will take place later in the month in Co Laois and Co Leitrim.
National social farming co-ordinator Helen Doherty said farmers relish the opportunity to make a difference to participants’ lives and to engage with their local communities.
“Our farms range in size from a one-acre grower to a 700-acre farm, with everything in between, including some large tillage and dairy enterprises offering social farming placements. There is no specific type of farm required, just your time.”
SoFI is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to develop a national social farming network, including training for potential social farmers.
The training programme was initially developed by the Social Farming across Borders Project, a pilot scheme in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“This training is considered essential for anyone who wants to engage with participants on their farms,” said Helen.
“We aim to answer all the questions and put in place a firm knowledge base with each farmer to enable them to open the social farming opportunity to people on their farm.”
