Care Farming Network Glossary of Terms

Care farming encompasses a wide range of practices, programs, and approaches that use farming to support health, well-being, and belonging. Because care farming intersects with many fields—including agriculture, health and human services, education, disability services, and therapeutic practices—the language used to describe this work can vary widely.

This glossary is intended to provide a practical guide to terms commonly used in care farming and related fields. It is designed to help people who are new to care farming understand the language of the field, while also helping care farms use consistent terminology when describing their work. For farms creating or updating a listing in the Care Farming Network directory, the glossary can also help you select the terms that best describe your farm, programs, and services.

Care Farming Core Concepts

Care Farming	The use of therapeutic farming practices to promote health, well-being, and belonging. Care farms provide structured, intentional programs on farms, utilizing land, plants, and animals to foster emotional and physical well-being, social inclusion, skill development, and community connection for specific, targeted populations.
Green Care	The broader umbrella term encompasses all nature-based health and social interventions, including care farming, ecotherapy, wilderness therapy, social and therapeutic horticulture, animal-assisted interventions, nature arts and crafts, and green exercise therapy.
Farm-Based Therapy	A broad term for therapeutic practices that take place in a farm setting. Care farming falls within this category.
Farm-Based Education	Structured, experiential learning programs on working farms that use agriculture, nature, and food systems as the foundation for teaching.
Agritourism	A combination of agriculture and tourism in which farms invite visitors for entertainment, education, and events. Distinguished from care farming by the absence of a defined therapeutic or social inclusion mission and a targeted population.

Farming Practices

The agricultural activities that form the foundation of a care farm’s work. These practices provide the meaningful engagement through which therapeutic, vocational, and social outcomes are achieved.

Vegetable Production	The cultivation of food crops including vegetables, herbs, and grains. May include field growing, raised beds, and container gardening.
Livestock / Animal Husbandry	The raising and care of farm animals for production purposes, including fiber, eggs, dairy, or meat. Distinct from animal-assisted intervention in that the primary purpose is agricultural production, though therapeutic benefits may occur naturally through the work.
Flower Farming	The cultivation of cut flowers, dried flowers, or ornamental plants for sale or on-farm use.
Nursery / Greenhouse Production	The propagation and growing of seedlings, transplants, houseplants, or landscaping plants. Often provides year-round opportunities for structured horticultural work in a controlled environment.
Orchard / Perennial Crops	The cultivation of fruit and nut trees or other long-term perennial crops.
Aquaponic Farming	An integrated system combining aquaculture (raising fish) with hydroponic plant production, where fish waste nutrients support plant growth.
Hydroponic Farming	Soil-free plant cultivation using nutrient-rich water systems. Often conducted indoors or in controlled environments, making it an accessible farming model for participants across a range of physical abilities.
Value-Added Products	Farm products that have been processed, preserved, or transformed to increase their value. Examples include jams, soaps, dried herbs, baked goods, and candles.

Types of Programming & Services

Care farms offer a range of program types depending on their mission, staffing, and the populations they serve. A single farm may offer more than one type.

Employment	Participants are paid employees, earning wages for their work on the farm. Employment models emphasize job retention, workplace accommodations, and ongoing coaching. Distinct from vocational training in that participants receive direct compensation and long-term support.
Job Skills Training	Vocational preparation and work experience are provided without direct compensation. Builds practical skills, work habits, and agricultural knowledge to prepare participants for future employment. May lead to job placement or further education.
Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI)	Structured therapeutic or educational programs facilitated through human-animal interaction. AAI encompasses several distinct subtypes based on goal, facilitator credential, and setting. Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) — Clinical treatment led by a licensed therapist (e.g., equine therapy for PTSD). Setting: hospitals, mental health clinics, care farms. Animal-Assisted Education (AAE) — Learning and skill development facilitated by an educator or trained facilitator (e.g., dogs helping children with autism build communication skills). Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) — Social engagement and emotional well-being facilitated by volunteers or farm staff (e.g., petting zoo interactions for relaxation). Setting: care farms, nursing homes. Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) — Emotional and physical therapy delivered through interaction with horses, facilitated by a certified instructor or therapist. Farm Animal-Assisted Therapy (FAAT) — Vocational and therapeutic interaction specifically with farm animals, facilitated by care farm staff or therapists.
Community & Arts	Programs centered on creative expression, community building, or social inclusion through farm-based activities. May include farm-based arts, music, storytelling, cooking, cultural celebrations, or open community events. Focuses on belonging and participation rather than clinical outcomes.
Licensed Clinical Therapy	Farm-based services provided by licensed mental health or medical professionals (e.g., licensed counselors, social workers, psychologists, or occupational therapists). The farm setting serves as the therapeutic environment for structured clinical treatment. Distinct from therapeutic horticulture in its credentialing requirements and clinical framework.
Therapeutic Horticulture	Programs that use the farm and garden setting as the primary healing element. Engages participants in meaningful plant- and land-based activities to support emotional, cognitive, social, and physical well-being. Does not require clinical licensure but benefits from training in horticultural therapy or related fields. Note: The term “horticultural therapy” is specifically reserved for use by credentialed practitioners recognized by the American Horticultural Therapy Association.

Care Farm Models

Care farms take many forms depending on their organizational structure, mission, and the populations they serve. These models are not mutually exclusive — many farms operate across more than one.

Residential Model/Lifesharing Community	Residential Model: Participants reside on-site in dedicated housing or facilities, typically with staff providing structured support and supervision. Lifesharing Community: Participants and caregivers share a home and daily life together, often as part of an intentional community built around mutual support rather than a staff-participant structure.
Employer Model	The farm hires participants as paid employees with workplace support.
Licensed Therapy Model	A model in which a licensed practitioner, such as a licensed social worker or licensed mental health professional, provides clinical treatment using the farm as the therapeutic setting. The therapy itself is clinically directed and delivered by a credentialed provider. Example: a licensed therapist leads individual or group counseling sessions in a farm setting, incorporating animals, gardens, or farm tasks into a clinical treatment plan.
Therapeutic Farm Model	A model in which the farm setting and farm-related tasks themselves provide the therapeutic value, without requiring a licensed practitioner to deliver the programming. Well-being outcomes come from structured engagement with the land, animals, and farm work, often blended with volunteerism, education, and community participation. Example: participants care for animals, tend gardens, or complete farm chores as part of a structured program led by farm staff, with therapeutic benefit coming from the activity and setting rather than clinical treatment.

Populations Served

Person-first, strengths-based language is preferred throughout. The following terms reflect current best practices in the field.

People with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) / Autism	Individuals with lifelong disabilities affecting cognitive function, learning, communication, and adaptive skills. Includes Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism spectrum disorder with intellectual impairment.
People Experiencing Mental Health Challenges	Individuals living with depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other mental health conditions.
People in Substance Use Recovery	Individuals navigating recovery from alcohol or drug dependency.
Veterans	Current or former members of the military who may be navigating PTSD, traumatic brain injury, social isolation, or challenges transitioning to civilian life.
Youth Facing Barriers	Young people experiencing challenges related to mental health, substance use, involvement with the justice system, homelessness, educational disruption, or adverse childhood experiences. Care farming provides structured, meaningful engagement in a non-institutional environment.
People Impacted by the Justice System	Individuals who are currently or were formerly involved with the criminal legal system, including those who are incarcerated, on probation or parole, or re-entering their communities.
Older Adults / Dementia Care	Seniors, including those living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, who benefit from the sensory, social, and routine-based experiences that farm environments provide. Programs may focus on cognitive engagement, physical activity, reminiscence, and social belonging.
Immigrants and Refugees	Individuals and families who have relocated from their countries of origin, including those with refugee status or who are navigating immigration processes.
People Experiencing Homelessness	Individuals without stable housing who may benefit from care farming’s combination of structure, community, skill-building, and access to food.
Individuals liveing with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)	Individuals who have experienced an acquired brain injury resulting in cognitive, physical, emotional, or behavioral changes.

Organizational Structure

Nonprofit organization: The care farm operates under nonprofit status (such as a 501(c)(3)), typically relying on donations, grants, and other charitable funding to support its programs.
For-Profit business: The care farm operates as a for-profit business, generating revenue through the sale of products, services, or program fees.
Program of another organization/agency: The care farm operates as a program within a larger parent organization or agency, such as a hospital, school, or social service agency, rather than as its own independent legal entity.
Two entities: Nonprofit and For-Profit-The care farm operates under two separate but related legal entities, one nonprofit and one for-profit, often used to separate therapeutic or educational programming from production or business activities.

Key Terminology Distinctions

The following pairs of terms are frequently confused or used interchangeably. Understanding their differences helps care farms communicate with greater precision.

Healing

Implies a personal journey toward emotional, mental, or physical well-being. Less clinical, more holistic and centered on the individual’s experience. Care farms offer healing spaces, but not all are delivering structured therapeutic interventions.

Therapeutic

Suggests intentional activities or structured programs designed to support well-being. Can be informal (therapeutic gardening) or clinical (horticultural therapy).

Horticultural Therapy

A credentialed clinical practice recognized by the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA). Requires specific educational background and professional credentials. Should not be used by uncredentialed practitioners.

Therapeutic Horticulture

A broader term for plant-based wellness programming that supports well-being without requiring clinical licensure. Appropriate for most care farm contexts.

Neurodiversity	The recognition that not all brains think or feel the same way, and that these differences are natural variations in the human genome. Applied to groups or communities, not to individuals. (A group of people are neurodiverse; an individual is not.)
Neurodivergent	Describes an individual whose cognitive profile differs from neurotypical norms. Includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other cognitive differences. A non-medical, identity-affirming term used at the individual level.
Neurotypical	Describes individuals with typical cognitive development and intellectual/cognitive functioning.
Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)	A medical and legal category referring to lifelong disabilities affecting cognitive function, learning, and adaptive skills. Includes conditions like Down syndrome, autism with intellectual impairment, and cerebral palsy. More specific and clinically defined than “neurodivergent.”

Allied Field Glossary Connections

The following organizations provide related terminology, standards, and guidance:

American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA)
International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO)
Farm-Based Education Network (FBEN)
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT)
American Psychological Association (APA)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE)