Social agriculture

Social farming combines agricultural production with social and educational work. Agricultural, horticultural and forestry farms as well as gardening and landscaping serve as places for health promotion, resocialization, as a therapeutically effective setting and as a place of learning for people not familiar with agriculture. People with mental and psychological disabilities, addicts, prisoners, school-weary youth, migrants, the long-term unemployed, dementia patients, schoolchildren, kindergarten children, and active seniors are target groups of social farming (van Elsen 2016).

In Germany, social farming farms are predominantly organic. "Many helping hands" also enable synergies for the development of biodiversity and cultural landscape by reviving landscape management measures and old cultural techniques such as the use of leaf hay (van Elsen & Kalisch 2007). Research activities in the field of social farming were triggered by the establishment of a Farming for Health working group in 2004 in the Netherlands.

• van Elsen, T. (2022):Establishment of an ecological farm as an own business in the Torgau correctional facility. - Concept commissioned by the Free State of Saxony, 104 p.
• van Elsen, T. with the collaboration of Pauline Reichardt, Sophia Hesse, Annalena Wagner, Lena Franke, Nora Bühler and the Operational Group "Added Value through Social Farming" (2021): Added Value of Social Farming for Agricultural Production. Final report EIP project, Witzenhausen, 99 pp.
• van Elsen, T. (2020): Social farming as ecological inclusion. - In: Bossert, L., Voget-Kleschin, L., Meisch, S. (Eds.): Making it easier to live well with nature. Sufficiency policy for nature conservation. Metropolis-Verlag: 119-131, Marburg.
• van Elsen, T. (2016): Social agriculture. - In: Freyer, B. (ed.): Organic farming. Fundamentals, state of knowledge and challenges. - UTB 4639, Haupt Verlag, Bern: 192-204.
• van Elsen, T. (2013): The research project social farming on organic farms in Germany. - In: Limbrunner, A., van Elsen, T. (eds.): Ground beneath our feet. Green Social Work - Social Agriculture - Social Farming. - Beltz Juventa, Weinheim/Basel, 42-48.
• Limbrunner, A., van Elsen, T. (Eds.) (2013): Ground beneath our feet. Green social work - social farming - social farming. - Beltz Juventa, Weinheim/Basel, 182 pp.
• Kalisch, M., van Elsen, T. (2009): A critical reading from cases and emerging issues: Landscape and environment. - In: Di Iacovo, F., O'Connor, D. (Edit.): Supporting Policies for Social Farming in Europe. Progressing Multifunctionality in Responsive Rural Areas. SoFar project: supporting EU agricultural policies. - Arsia: 135 -140, Florence (Italy).
• Di Iacovo, F., O'Connor, D. (Edit., 2009): Supporting Policies for Social Farming in Europe. Progressing Multifunctionality in Responsive Rural Areas. SoFar project: supporting EU agricultural policies. - Arsia: Florence (Italy).
• Braastad, B. O., Gallis, C., Sempik, J., Senni, S., van Elsen, T. (2007): COST Action 866 "Green Care in Agriculture" - a multi-disciplinary scientific network. - In: Gallis, C. (ed., 2007): Green care in Agriculture: Health effects, Economics and Policies. 1st European COST Action 866 conference. Proceedings (Vienna, Austria), University Studio Press: 13-24, Thessaloniki.
• van Elsen, T., Kalisch, M. (2007): The diversity of care farms and their multifunctionality - contributions and perspectives for nature and landscape development. - In: Gallis, C. (ed., 2007): Green care in Agriculture: Health effects, Economics and Policies. 1st European COST Action 866 conference. Proceedings (Vienna, Austria), University Studio Press: 67-81, Thessaloniki.