This course explores care farming, or the use of farming tasks and practices towards a therapeutic aim. Special attention will be given to the development of this modality in the Netherlands as a treatment approach with multiple populations. Students will be introduced to typical needs of populations served by care farms in the Netherlands and around the world. During the campus-based portion of this course, students will visit multiple facilities in the region that utilize interaction with plants and animals as therapeutic interventions, think critically about the model, and contribute to the development of a domestic Care Farming Network. Students will gain hands-on interaction with plants and learn from local care farming practitioners as preparation for participation with the Noorderhoeve care farm in the Netherlands.
- Teacher: Rachel Himmelheber
- Teacher: Sarah Himmelheber