What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature
Published by Greater Good Magazine Research is discovering all the different ways that nature benefits our well-being, health, and relationships. By Kristophe Green, Dacher Keltner | March 1, 2017 Humans have long intuited that being in nature is good for the mind and body. From indigenous adolescents completing rites of passage in the wild, to modern East Asian […]
Healing Hives: Exploring the Effects of Beekeeping on Veteran Mental Health and Quality of Life
Abstract Veterans experience higher risks of suicide and mental health disorders due to the traumas of military service, disabilities, and the difficulties of reassimilation into civilian life. Therapeutic interventions using human-animal interactions have shown promising results in reducing many risk factors affecting veterans’ quality of life. This quality improvement project sought to consider if veterans […]
What Are Care Farms?
Author: Dr. John LaPuma What are care farms? Simply put, a care farm involves the therapeutic use of farming practices to facilitate healing. Also known as green care or therapeutic farming, care farming is supervised and structured, providing “farming-related activities for individuals with a defined need.” These activities include things like animal husbandry (livestock, small animals, poultry), agriculture, horticulture, […]
Measuring the Impact of Care Farming
At the 2025 Care Farming Network National Conference, a facilitated discussion focused on identifying what is needed to effectively demonstrate the impact of care farming. This interactive session crowdsourced ideas and recommendations for researchers on how to enhance their work in support of care farmers and strengthen advocacy efforts for care farming at the national […]
Green fingers and clear minds: prescribing ‘care farming’ for mental illness
© British Journal of General Practice 2016 INTRODUCTION GPs face considerable challenges in accessing effective treatment options for patients with depression and anxiety.1,2 Antidepressant use has been rising steadily since the early 1990s and GPs have been accused of over-prescribing, with approximately 70% of depressed patients in primary care being prescribed antidepressants.3 National Institute for Health and […]
What’s New in Care Farming Research? Exploring the Latest Findings + Impacts
A session exploring What’s New In Care Farming Research was offered at the 2025 Care Farming Network National Conference. In this session, researchers shared the studies on the benefits of care farming. Presenters dove into ongoing research, highlighted key findings related to mental health, social inclusion, and the benefits provided by care farms. The discussion featured […]
A History of Care Farming: A Podcast with Simple Sparrow Care Farm
LISTEN HERE Guest Host: Jamie Tanner When the weight of the world feels so heavy, perhaps your restoration can be found outside in the welcoming of “almost” spring on a care farm. In this episode, we are joined by Jamie Tanner, the brilliant mind behind Simple Sparrow Care Farm, as she shares about the incredibly supportive […]
Care-farming as a catalyst for healthy and sustainable lifestyle choices in those affected by traumatic grief
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 […]
Current status and potential of care farms in the Netherlands
A research paper published in 2007 by researchers in the Netherlands which provides a useful overview of the origins of care farming and its development over time. While focused on care farming in the Netherlands, this paper provides a useful model for research that could be conducted in the US and elsewhere to better understand […]
Effects of Care Farms: Scientific research on the benefits of care farms for clients
Author: Marjolein Elings, Plant Research International, Wageningen UR This article provides a great overview of what care farming is, its history, and how it fits within the larger “green care” ecosystem. It also covers care farming for different populations and the specific benefits of care farming. A great introduction to share with people wanting to […]