5th European COST 866 Conference in Green Care in Agriculture

Advancing our Knowledge of Green Care in Agriculture:

the State of the Art and Future Directions

24–26 August, 2010

Witzenhausen, Germany

Local Organizer:
Dr. Thomas van Elsen, Petrarca, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany

Local Organizing Committee:

Dr. Thomas van Elsen, PETRARCA, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany.
Anne Jaenichen, PETRARCA, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany.
Verena Gardowsky, PETRARCA, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany.
Marie Kalisch, PETRARCA, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany.
Katharina Mittelstraß, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany.
Christine Ghafouri, PETRARCA, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany.
Johanna Schüßler, School Farm Domain Hochburg, Emmendingen, Germany.
Konrad Neuberger, Association for Horticulture and Therapy, Wuppertal, Germany.

Scientific Committee
Dr. Thomas van Elsen, PETRARCA, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany.
Dr. Deirdre O Connor, University College Dublin, Ireland.
Dr. Katriina Soini, MTT AgriFood Research, Finland.
Dr. Joe Sempik, Centre for Child and Family Research, Department of Social Sciences,
Loughborough University, United Kingdom.
Dr. Joost Dessein, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Social Sciences Unit,
Belgium.
Prof. Saverio Senni, Dep. of Agricultural and Forestry Economics, Faculty of Agriculture,Tuscia
University, Viterbo, Italy.
Dr. Jan Hassink, Plant Research International, Wageningen University and Research Center,
Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Ir. Marjolein Elings, Plant Research International, Wageningen University and Research Center,
Wageningen, The Netherlands.

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BACKGROUND
“Green Care” is the use of agricultural farms as a base for promoting human mental
and physical health. The health sector and social services need alternatives to tradi-
tional medical treatment, therapy, rehabilitation and work training. In the countryside
and on farms, the animals, the plants, the garden, the forest, and the landscape are
used in recreational or work-related activities for psychiatric patients, mentally dis-
abled persons, people with learning disabilities, people with burnout problems, people
with drug problems, young people, elderly people, prisoners in farm prisons, and cli-
ents of social services. Such activities may not be pure therapy but extensive experi-
ence suggests they may have therapeutic value. The number of such multifunctional
farms offering Green Care services is increasing rapidly in Europe. Recent studies sug-
gest the following numbers: Norway: 600, Netherlands: 830, Italy: 685, Germany:
300, Austria: 250, Belgium: 400, Slovenia: 15 and Ireland: 100. Many countries do
not have good estimates and numbers are best estimates and depend on how green
care is defined.
Over the last four years, EU COST Action 866 Green Care in Agriculture has aimed to
increase the scientific knowledge base on the topic of Green Care in Agriculture and to
shape an international research agenda around the issue (see
http://www.umb.no/greencare for full details of the Action activities). More specifi-
cally, the focus of the Action has been on the following themes: the development of a
conceptual framework for the analysis of the health effects of green care; the promo-
tion of best practice in relation to research methodologies in green care; determina-
tion of the economic benefits of green care services; identification of the necessary
support systems for the development of green care services; analysis of the interface
between policy and practice in green care and an evaluation of the contribution of
green care to agricultural, rural, health and social care policies.
In all of these specific areas, our work has also focused on identifying the key re-
search questions that should inform a research strategy on the topic of Green Care in
Agriculture. Previous conferences and workshops undertaken by this Action have fo-
cused on presentation of research activities; discussion of the concepts and
theoretical frameworks in Green Care research and addressing research needs and
policy challenges.
You are cordially invited to the final event of the Action takes place this year from 24-
26 August 2010 in Witzenhausen, Germany. We want to use this opportunity to pre-
sent key findings on the above-mentioned themes to a broad range of stakeholders
and to receive feedback and analysis from a range of academic and policy interests.
Further information and updates can be found on the event website at www.soziale-
landwirtschaft.de/index.php/veranstaltungen/cost-conference-2010 or on the Action
website at www.umb.no/greencare

Event Programme
Monday 23 August 2010
There will be an additional “pre-conference” day before the COST event itself begins
on Tuesday, 24 August 2010. Contributors from several countries are being invited to
share and discuss aspects from of their own research and their country's situation re-
garding green care. It will be of particular interest to German stakeholders to learn
about green care in other European countries. This additional conference day will be
supported by the German Rural Areas Network (see www.netzwerk-laendlicher-
raum.de/). Simultaneous translation will be provided. People from abroad participat-
ing in this "pre-conference" event should arrive one day earlier on Sunday 22-08-
2010. Updates about this event will be available from our website at www.soziale-
landwirtschaft.de/index.php/veranstaltungen/cost-conference-2010.

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Tuesday 24 August 2010

08:00-09:00 Conference Registration

09:00-09:30 Conference Opening and Welcome from Local Hosts

09:30-09:45 Dr. Deirdre O Connor, University College Dublin, Ireland.

Chair of Cost Action 866
Overview and Introduction to Conference

09:45-10:15 Dr. Joe Sempik, Centre for Child and Family Research,
Department of Social Sciences, Loughborough University, UK.
Developments in Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Green Care –
Reflections on the State of the Art

10:15-10:45 Mr Tadeu Caldas, Ecotropic Consulting, Cologne, Germany

Sustainability Issues and Green Care in Agriculture

10:45-11:15 Coffee Break

11:15-11:45 Prof. Marian Barnes, Professor of Social Policy, University of

Brighton, UK
A Social Justice Perspective on Green Care in Agriculture

11:45-12:30 Plenary discussion

12:30-14:00 Lunch Break

14:00-14:30 Ms. Emma Clarence, Organisation for Economic Co-operation

and Development, Local Economic and Employment
Development (LEED) Programme, Italy
A Social Economy Perspective on Green Care in Agriculture

14:30-15:00 Dr. Thomas van Elsen, PETRARCA, University of Kassel,

Witzenhausen, Germany.
Policy and Practice Interactions in Green Care: a Cross Country
Analysis.

15:00-15:30 Mr. Wolfgang Reimer, Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and

Consumer Protection, Germany
The role of multifunctional and social farming in the perspective of
agricultural policy

15:30-16:00 Coffee

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16:00-17:00 Plenary discussion
17:00-17:15 Summary of the day

17:15 Poster Presentation and Launch of photo exhibition

“Faces of Social Farming” (by Daniel Thomas Funda)

19:30 Dinner

Wednesday 25 August 2010

Full day’s excursion to social farms:
(1) Richerode Farm: Workshop for disabled people (WfBM) with 180 users, organic
mixed farm with 230 ha, winner of the “support price for organic farming” (2008):
www.foerderpreisoekologischerlandbau.de/de/preistraeger/preistraeger-
2008/hephata-hessisches-diakoniezentrum/
Movie download: www.foerderpreisoekologischerlandbau.de/de/medien/filme-der-
preistraeger-2008/der-film-hephata-hessisches-diakoniezentrum/
Pictures: www.foerderpreisoekologischerlandbau.de/de/medien/bilder-der-
preistraeger-2008/hephata-hessisches-diakoniezentrum/
(2) Fleckenbuehl Farm: 250 ha- Biodynamic Farm run by a community of 200 for-
mer addicts. Three rules are crucial for everone on the farm: No drugs, no violence,
no smoking. Bakery, butchers, removal service, pottery are further enterprises of the
community.
Website: www.diefleckenbuehler.de/
Brochure: www.diefleckenbuehler.de/downloads/Broschuere-die-Fleckenbuehler.pdf
(3) School Farm “Hutzelberg”: Educational Farm offering stays for school classes
for one week. During their stay the pupils care for the animals, work in the garden,
bake bread and produce cheese – they experience farm life on a small organic farm.
Website: www.schulbauernhof-hutzelberg.de/

Thursday 26 August 2010

9:00-9:30 Dr. Joost Dessein, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries

Research (ILVO), Social Sciences Unit, Belgium.
Economics and Values in Green Care: What are the Issues?

9:30-11:00 Dr. Jan Hassink, Plant Research International, Wageningen Univer-

sity and Research Center, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Facilitated Discussion: Towards a Research Strategy for Green Care in
Europe.
(with opening contributions from Working Group representatives)

11:00-11:30 Coffee Break

11:30-12:30 Plenary discussion

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12:30-14:00 Lunch Break

14:00-14:30 Ms. Mara Lai, European Network for Rural Development (ENRD),
Belgium.
Institutional Support Mechanisms for the Development of Green Care in
Europe: Insights from a Rural Development Perspective

14:30-15:00 Mr. Michael Kügler, German Chambers of Agriculture Brussels

Office
Green Care in Agriculture as an innovative element in EU-rural-
development policies: From niche to mainstream

15:00-15:30 Summary Discussion and closing remarks

15:30-16:00 Coffee Break

16:00 MC Meeting of COST Action 866

19:30 Conference Dinner

Friday 27 August to Saturday 28 August 2010

Optional post-conference tour to 2-3 social farms in Northern Germany. This activity
cannot be reimbursed by COST.
The tour will start at 27 August at 9:00 and end at 28 August at 20:00 in Witzen-
hausen. The farms will be visited using a Mini-Bus. The costs will depend on the num-
ber of participants (miniumum 6, maximum 16 persons). The mixed farms we visit
include mentally handicapped people. More information will be provided on the confer-
ence website.

General Information
Venue: The event will take place at the Faculty of
Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel,
Witzenhausen. See http://www.uni-
kassel.de/agrar/?c=25&language=en. Witzenhau-
sen is a small town of 15,000 inhabitants right in
the center of Germany
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witzenhausen. The
University of Kassel maintains a satellite campus in
Witzenhausen which offers an organic agricultural
sciences programme, which is unique in the coun-
try. This also puts Witzenhausen among Germany’s
smallest university towns. Witzenhausen can be
reached by train www.uni-
kassel.de/agrar/?c=65&language=en. Arriving by
plane in Hanover or Frankfurt, you will need to go
by ICE (high speed train) to Goettingen or Kassel and then take the local train to
Witzenhausen (for train connections www.bahn.de).

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Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, Witzenhausen and the River Werra

Accommodation: We have already pre-booked rooms in local hotels which will be

available from 20 € to 110 € (average: 50 €) per night. There are also bed and break-
fast facilities (see (www.kirschenland.de) and there is a campsite available. Partici-
pants are asked to book their own accommodation from the list of hotels provided
(see below). For updates regarding accommodation please see our website at
www.soziale-landwirtschaft.de/index.php/veranstaltungen/cost-conference-2010. As
the number of rooms in Witzenhausen is limited, most places will need a transfer ei-
ther by shuttle, taxi or local train. Please book your room as soon as possible! If you
have difficulties with the websites in German language, do not hesitate to contact the
tourist information
http://kirschenland.de/sites/gensite.asp?SID=cms310520101538012701684&Art=018
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List of Hotels: (futher information see attached excel- file)

www.hotel-stadt-witzenhausen.com/hsw/bildergalerie.htm
www.burghotel-witzenhausen.de/titelseite_englisch.htm
www.hotelzurwarte.de/
http://kirschenland.de/sites/gensite.asp?SID=cms310520101538012701684&Art=0109
www.hof-carmshausen.de
www.campingplatz-werratal.de/camping/main.html
www.pension-werrablick.de/index.php?id=2674
www.gasthaus-wolf.de/gasthaus/landgasthof.html
www.werratalhotel.de

Registration Information: Please complete the Conference Registration form and

send it to the local organizer by email to Anne.Jaenichen@petrarca.info before 11
August 2010.

Registration Fee: (250 € per person) includes conference material, coffee breaks,
lunches, dinners incl. conference dinner and bus travel during excursion. This will not
be reimbursed by the COST office.

Registration Deadline: 11 August 2010

Meals: Meals will be provided by a local catering service. The cost of all meals is cov-
ered by the Registration Fee.

Website information: Updates of these announcements can be found on our website

at www.soziale-landwirtschaft.de/index.php/veranstaltungen/cost-conference-2010.

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City Map

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Location of Hotels