{"id":8274,"date":"2025-06-25T12:03:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T16:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/?p=8274"},"modified":"2025-06-25T13:16:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:16:56","slug":"rooted-in-innovation-the-care-farming-network-and-the-rise-of-a-new-kind-of-farming-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/rooted-in-innovation-the-care-farming-network-and-the-rise-of-a-new-kind-of-farming-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Rooted in Innovation: Care Farming Network and the Rise of a New Kind of Farming in America"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"8274\" class=\"elementor elementor-8274\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4dcf23d6 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4dcf23d6\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b4db64d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b4db64d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By Kate Mudge, <a href=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/team-member\/kate-mudge\/\">Co-Director, Care Farming Network<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2b328cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2b328cb\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d20a1d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d20a1d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a sun-soaked field in Tennessee, a group of adults with developmental disabilities tend to rows of vegetables at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oldschoolfarm.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Old School Farm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In Maryland, veterans recovering from PTSD care for honeybees at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.missionbeelieve.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mission Beelieve<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. At <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/desertsurvivors.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Desert Survivors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Tucson, adults with disabilities gain work experience at a native plant nursery and commercial landscaping business. Outside Austin, clinical therapists work with trauma survivors, learning to empower themselves by caring for land, gardens, and farm animals at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplesparrow.farm\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simple Sparrow Care Farm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These aren\u2019t isolated stories- they\u2019re part of a growing national movement that redefines what a farm can be. It\u2019s called care farming, and at its heart is a bold idea: that farms can cultivate not just food, but health, purpose, and belonging.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And leading this movement is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Care Farming Network, <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a member-based network that is pioneering a movement and growing a community of care farms across the United States.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ffe5f8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5ffe5f8\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e7d1bd2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e7d1bd2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>A Pioneering Movement Takes Root<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With roots in many countries, particularly across Europe, where care farming is widely integrated into health and social care systems, the practice has become a recognized, supported, and often publicly funded model of care. The United Kingdom alone boasts nearly 400 care farms, many of which receive government contracts to provide therapeutic services, vocational training, and social support. In countries like the Netherlands, care farming is embedded into long-term care strategies and considered a viable alternative to institutional or clinical settings.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By contrast, care farming remains relatively new and underrecognized in the United States. While interest is growing, most U.S.-based care farms operate without stable funding, formal recognition, or access to the supportive infrastructure their European counterparts enjoy. Many care farmers here face systemic barriers,including limited awareness among policymakers, scarce research, and a lack of sustainable funding mechanisms.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Care Farming Network was launched in 2021 to change that. Hosted by Maryland\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/redwiggler.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red Wiggler Care Farm, <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a trailblazing care farm with a 30-year history of employing adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to grow vegetables, CFN quickly became the first and only national initiative dedicated to supporting care farmers across the United States. Today, CFN includes more than 300 care farms in its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/find-a-care-farm\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">online directory,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a remarkable increase from just 13 farms listed in 2021.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cCare farming shouldn\u2019t be the best-kept secret in agriculture,\u201d says CFN Co-Director Kate Mudge. \u201cIt should be a visible and viable model for healing, inclusion, and community resilience in every county in America.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To that end, CFN provides mentorship for new and aspiring care farmers, one-on-one consultations, monthly virtual gatherings on topics like therapeutic beekeeping and fundraising for a care farm, a growing online resource library, networking opportunities such as farm tours and meetups, and an annual conference that unites care farmers together from across the continent.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f69d330 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"f69d330\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229b6d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"229b6d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/21-Roots-Farm-1024x457.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5891\" alt=\"Girls holding vegetables\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/21-Roots-Farm-1024x457.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/21-Roots-Farm-300x134.jpg 300w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/21-Roots-Farm-768x343.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/21-Roots-Farm-1536x685.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/21-Roots-Farm-240x107.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/21-Roots-Farm.jpg 1888w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">21 Roots Farm, Minnesota<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e9625a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2e9625a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>Why the U.S. Needs a Care Farming Network<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a country facing overlapping crises such as rising rates of mental health challenges, social isolation, disconnection from the natural world, and lack of inclusive employment opportunities, care farms offer an integrative solution.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Care farms support a wide range of individuals, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I\/DD), trauma survivors, veterans, youth, people in recovery, and others who have been historically marginalized or excluded.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than just farms, these are communities of care, where someone might find meaning through planting seeds, feeding animals, joining a harvest, or engaging with a practitioner on a farmstead. For many, care farms provide access to connection, skill-building, empowerment, and dignity in ways traditional services often cannot.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From ServiceNet\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prospectmeadowfarm.org\/front-page\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prospect Meadow Farm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which hires adults with developmental disabilities to grow shiitake mushrooms in Massachusetts, to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/greensdogood.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greens Do Good<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, New Jersey\u2019s first vertical farm, which provides meaningful job training and employment for teens and adults with autism, care farms are transforming lives.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And yet, as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sideeffectspublicmedia.org\/mental-health\/2023-10-05\/farm-based-activities-can-support-mental-wellness-why-arent-there-more-care-farms-in-the-u-s\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Side Effects Public Media <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reports, there are few established funding streams or policy frameworks in the U.S. to support these efforts. Care farmers often struggle for legitimacy, resources, and connection.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s where CFN steps in to provide the infrastructure, community, and advocacy that care farmers need to thrive. As one CFN member put it: \u201cI had not heard of the term \u2018care farming\u2019 until I found CFN. What an incredible relief to find other people doing what I was doing, feeling the same pain points, and having the same joys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d8755d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9d8755d\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-82c63bd elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"82c63bd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"346\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/simple-sparrow-photo.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5953\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/simple-sparrow-photo.png 346w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/simple-sparrow-photo-300x231.png 300w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/simple-sparrow-photo-234x180.png 234w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 346px) 100vw, 346px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Jamie Tanner, Simple Sparrow Care Farm<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-190e460 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"190e460\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>Looking Ahead: A Care Farm in Every County<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Care Farming Network\u2019s vision is as clear as it is ambitious: <\/span><strong><i>a care farm in every U.S. county.<\/i><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This vision is grounded in the belief that everyone, regardless of ability, background, or circumstance, deserves meaningful work, supportive community, and access to a care farm in their community.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To realize this, more research is needed to measure outcomes and establish care farming as a legitimate, fundable practice within U.S. systems of care. While anecdotal evidence is powerful, quantitative studies can validate what care farmers and participants already know: that nature and farm-based interventions improve mental health, build resilience, and foster belonging.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CFN is working alongside academic partners, researchers, and care farms to close this gap. For example, we celebrate the work of the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/greencarelab.ucdavis.edu\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UC Davis Green Care Lab<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, researching animal behavior, stress physiology, and behavioral neuroendocrinology, and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplesparrow.farm\/research\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simple Sparrow Care Farm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Texas, whose <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplesparrow.farm\/research\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ongoing research <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">efforts explore how \u201ccare farming WORKS.\u201d These and other projects are helping to build the foundation for broader recognition and systemic support.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Care Farming Network is also actively collaborating with disability rights advocates, veteran farming organizations, mental health professionals, researchers, sustainable farming associations, academics, and peer-led networks across the country. Together, we are shaping a more inclusive, equitable future for farming, one where care is considered just as essential as cultivation.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The seeds have been planted. The ground is fertile. And with the Care Farming Network nurturing this movement, a new kind of agriculture is growing in America- one rooted in belonging, rising with hope.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ab1130 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4ab1130\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-43b1759 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"43b1759\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"566\" src=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/A-Farm-Less-Ordinary-768x566.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-6435\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/A-Farm-Less-Ordinary-768x566.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/A-Farm-Less-Ordinary-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/A-Farm-Less-Ordinary-240x177.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/A-Farm-Less-Ordinary.jpg 907w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: A Farm Less Ordinary<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Kate Mudge, Co-Director, Care Farming Network In a sun-soaked field in Tennessee, a group of adults with developmental disabilities tend to rows of vegetables at Old School Farm. In Maryland, veterans recovering from PTSD care for honeybees at Mission Beelieve. At Desert Survivors in Tucson, adults with disabilities gain work experience at a native [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24],"tags":[22],"class_list":["post-8274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-care-farms-in-the-news","category-care-farming-network-updates","tag-what-is-care-farming"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Rooted in Innovation: Care Farming Network and the Rise of a New Kind of Farming in America - Care Farming Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/rooted-in-innovation-the-care-farming-network-and-the-rise-of-a-new-kind-of-farming-in-america\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rooted in Innovation: Care Farming Network and the Rise of a New Kind of Farming in America - Care Farming Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Kate Mudge, Co-Director, Care Farming Network In a sun-soaked field in Tennessee, a group of adults with developmental disabilities tend to rows of vegetables at Old School Farm. 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