Inclusion on the farm: pilot project in Andechs starts in November!

Inclusion on the farm: pilot project in Andechs starts in November!

A lot is happening in social farming in the heart of Bavaria! An exciting pilot project will start in November in southern Bavaria, which is dedicated to the inclusion of people with disabilities. This is intended to enable disabled people to spend time on farms, live and work there. The Würmseefelder Hof in Andechs-Machtlfing, lovingly run by Franziska Ortner and her husband Johannes, plays a central role in this. With their five children, the family already offers farm tours, children's birthday parties and company outings and has had positive experiences with visitors with disabilities, including a girl with Down syndrome and a visitor with dementia. This commitment should now be placed on a broader basis, like this District messengers reported.

A key goal of the project is to provide people with disabilities with individual care based on their needs and abilities and to enable them to work on the farm. For this purpose, a specialist office for social agriculture will be set up, which will act as a link between the companies and people with disabilities. The specialist office is led by Sebastian Gut, head of the Brücke Oberland association, and takes on important tasks such as negotiating budgets with the Upper Bavaria district. According to the report, funds for farmer services flow directly from the district to the farm, with 20% being forwarded to the department.

A step in the right direction

Social farming offers promising opportunities for a more inclusive society. There is already a network in Bavaria in which agricultural businesses can expand their offerings for people with disabilities and socially disadvantaged people. This ranges from providing housing and care to working in the company itself, which not only increases the well-being of those affected, but also promotes integration into the community. The LFL Bayern emphasizes that social farming is a young sector that is developing rapidly and has great market potential.

Now is the right time to create new offers! Three farms, including the Würmseefelder Hof, the Jäger-Hof in Herrsching and the Dürnstetten riding stable in Sinzing, are already involved in the pilot project. Interested farmers have the opportunity to diversify their social farming offerings while also benefiting from tailored technical support, underpinned by an ongoing research project called SoLaBay.

Growing relevance of social farming

The topics discussed at stakeholder forums by the NEU.LAND initiative show that social farming is important not only to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, but also to address the demographic challenges of our time. Concepts such as “farm kindergarten” and support for senior living on farms are particularly popular. Anyone who would like to know what the income opportunities in social farming look like will find out that they can range from minor to significant additional income. A business development seminar, which is offered annually, supports farmers in developing individual concepts and strengthening their own economic basis.

The project not only aims to give socially disadvantaged people a voice, but also to enrich society as a whole through greater inclusion. Anyone interested in the project as a farmer or person with a disability should definitely contact the Department of Social Agriculture in Munich and don't miss the chance to become part of this exciting development.