Care farm as a chance for social services for the silver generation

Background: The article presents results of my research on the state of knowledge and people’s readiness to run a care farm. Research objectives: The article scrutinizes care farm as forms of providing social services in rural areas as well as preparing people and institutions to conduct this type of activity. The text stems from a fragment of own research commissioned by Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2022. The study aimed to provide knowledge about the demand for advisory and training services for people running care farms in Poland and people planning to start this type of business. Research design and methods: I conducted the study using a survey. I prepared three survey questionnaires and addressed them to people running or intending to establish a care farm (78), Agricultural Advisory Centers (190), regional social policy centers, and social economy support centers (18). Apart from the groups indicated above, the study included local government units (social welfare centers, district family assistance centers, district labor office), Agricultural Advisory Centers in part relating to care farms, people engaged in activities other than agricultural (agritourism farm with the potential to run a care farm, horse riding and hippotherapy activities, family social welfare home), and a social enterprise. Results: The main results show the problem of an insufficient number of entities providing care services (61.1% of respondents). However, a care farm can successfully provide social services, including care services (94.4% of respondents), and 88.9% of respondents indicated their significant role in the deinstitutionalization of social services. Conclusions: Respondents expectations concern support in the form of training on topics related to the creation and operation of care farms, running and managing this type of institution, care services, and an elderly caretaker course. In turn, the advice should concern searching for financing sources and legal aspects of the care farms functioning – which is consistent with the support offered by Agricultural Advisory Centers – submitting offers in public procurement, and concluding contracts for the provision of services. Further barriers arise from the poor level of knowledge about care farms among more than half of the surveyed Regional Centers for Social Policy and Social Economy Support Centers as well as low or no knowledge of the GROWID project in this group of respondents.