A research paper published in 2020 by Richard Gorman (Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK) and Joanne Cacciatore (School of Social Work, Arizona State University, USA) which shares the benefits of care farming for people experiencing traumatic grief, based on a survey of 120 participants at a care farm in the southwestern US.
Abstract: “Care-farms are increasingly utilized as a means of providing care, support, and therapy for a wide range of different populations, enabling people to cultivate social, physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This study explores the impacts of a care-farm intervention for traumatically bereaved individuals, a population at high-risk of poor physical and psychological outcomes. The study examines how a care-farming model can enable and encourage participants to cultivate healthy and sustainable lifestyles. Following their participation in a care-farming intervention, bereaved parents, siblings, and spouses described significant pivots toward healthier eating, improved sleep outcomes, and increased physical activity. Our results indicate that care-farming may have potential to influence positive changes to health and health behaviors that last beyond the intervention period.”