The final FarmElder Conference took place in Brussels on 6th June 2024. SKDP and Kerry Social Farming was represented by Joseph McCrohan and Julie Brosnan. Mattyas Szabo, Policy Officer, Social Sustainability EU DG Agriculture delivered the keynote address. Dr. Eugene Kevin Foley-Friel Agriculture Attaché, Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union attend the event. Joseph McCrohan was part of the subsequent discussion panel ‘Social Farming: Aligning Research, Practice and Policy for Cultivating Change’ along with Elena Ambuhl (EU Affairs manager for Agroecology Europe Association) and Mattyas Szabo.

FarmElder is an Erasmus+ research project examining the benefits of social farming for the elderly. A series of videos have been created within the partners countries, Portugal, Slovenia, Ireland and Germany, showing older people involved in social farming. These are now available on www.farmelder.eu along with national case studies and reports. A free online training course is also being finalised. The Spring 2024 Newsletter is here

SKDP also hosted a National Social Farming event at the dairy farm of John and Catherine Fleming at Muckross, Killarney, on May 24th as part of FarmElder. Minister for Mental Health & Older People Mary Butler TD was guest speaker and Clare Gormley (Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine) also attended. Elaine Cleary TUS (Technological University of the Shannon) addressed the gathering, outlining the research and practical work of FarmElder, the development of training modules and the outputs from the project.

A number of agencies working with older people across Kerry were present providing information on the range of services and opportunities available for older people. Over 100 people attended, including representatives from all other social farming projects funded by DAFM, namely Rachel Budd (IRD Duhallow), Debbie Kelleher (Field of Dreams /Down Syndrome Cork) and Eadaoin O’Connell (West Limerick Resources/ Development Officer Social Farming Ireland).

SKDP had previously welcomed our European partners to Kerry during 10th -12th May 2023. On 10th May, following a project meeting in Kenmare, the group visited Breeda & Pat O’Sullivan’s sheep and suckler farm in Bridia Valley, Glencar, which was a Case Study in FarmElder. Breda O’Sullivan, supported by St John of God Services Killorglin, comes to the farm and helps with feeding cattle and sheep and at lambing time. Farmer Breeda was interviewed by FarmElder team and gave her insights into social farming and her enthusiasm for the project. Anni & Josef Hindelang, host farmers from Bavaria, shared their experiences of hosting groups of people with dementia and their carers on their farm since 2020.

The group visited Kenmare Community Garden, another Case Study, focusing on the part played by in its development by local resident Denise McClure. Manager of Taobh Linn Centre, Tanya O’Sullivan and Patricia Holbein (SKDP Board/ Kenmare Community Garden Committee member) explained how the site has progressed from vacant waste ground to what is now a haven of activity with a polytunnel, a large number of raised beds and recently planted native trees and fruit trees. Work is ongoing to develop the garden as a space for local school students to learn about nature and how to grow their own fruit and vegetables. This work is being done with the assistance of SKDP Rural Social Scheme members.

SKDP is part of FARCURA research on social farming in Europe. The FARCURA website is www.farcura.eu and has details of all project activities. Kerry Social Farming is represented within FARCURA team by Joseph McCrohan, SKDP Rural Development manager. The aim of this collaboration between educational and third sector organisations from Slovenia, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Ireland has been in working together to create greater, more widespread awareness of social farming.

The National Summary Reports 2020 and Case Studies, which includes a case study on a host farm in Kerry, as well as reports on Social Farming practice in Germany, Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia is available on the website.

The project team have created a six module introduction course to social farming. This free course is now available on the website. The course looks at practical examples of social farming such as building relationships with participants and with service organisations; it provides tips on communication and conflict management; looks at the day to day organisation of activities on the farm and gives tips on the enterprise planning and business management of a social farm. The course is available in French, German, Slovenian, Portuguese and English. Each country held at National Conference during 2021 (see our NEWS page for information on the Irish Conference held in South Kerry in September).

The Final FARCURA Conference was held online on September 30th.

The partnership is delighted to announce receipt of funding from EU Erasmus Plus to continue working in social farming. The Farmelder programme, beginning in 2022, will examine the potential for developing social farming projects that address some of the challenges faced by older people across Europe.

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Kerry Social Farming is committed to engaging with Irish and European partners for the further advancement of social farming and opportunities for host farmers and participants in a wider European context. With that, SKDP is one of several partners, with Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) as lead/applicant partner, in a successful submission, Fostering inclusion through Social Farming (FARCURA Project), which has been granted European funding under the Erasmus+ Programme.

The FARCURA Project will run from October 2018 to September 2020 and aims at developing a flexible training course (workshops and E-Learning portal) for farmers; agricultural training consultants/ advisors; higher education staff; farming and social care representative bodies on the new and innovative topic of social farming.

The FARCURA project consortium consists of 8 partners from Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, Belgium and Germany. The partners involved in the project are:

Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland
South Kerry Development Partnership CLG, Ireland
Zavod Grunt, Slovenia
Biotehniski center Naklo, Slovenia
Hof und Leben GmbH, Germany
Agrarsoziale Gesellschaft e.V., Germany
ADRIMAG - Associacao de Desenvolvimento Rural e Integrado das Serras de Montemuro, Arada e Gralheira, Portugal
EUROPEAN LANDOWNERS ORGANIZATION (ELO) Belgium.

An Evaluation of Kerry Social Farming (KSF) was commissioned by the KSF working group in 2016 to review the implementation of the Project to date and to help inform its future development. The research was funded by the Department for Agriculture Food and the Marine (via Commision for Economic Development of Rural Areas Programme, Rural Innovation and Development Fund (CEDRA)) and was carried out by Dr Brendan O Keeffe (Mary Immaculate College), Dr Caroline Crowley (Crowley Independent Research) and Dr Shane O Sullivan (Limerick Institute of Technology). A link to the KSF evaluation report 2017 can be accessed here: http://www.southkerry.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Kerry-Social-Farming-Evaluation-Report-2017.pdf

Additional research which has informed both the development of social farming in Kerry as well as the evaluation report on Kerry Social Farming, include the Iveragh Uplands Report and an assessment on Rural Vibrancy in Kerry. These reports highlighted that farming has a greater societal role to play in Ireland and also have highlighted the strength of the voluntary spirit that is present in Irish rural communities.