Cultivating Wellness: Developing a Therapeutic Farming Program

Commodities

• Agronomic: hemp, sunflower
• Vegetables: greens (leafy), okra, peppers
• Additional Plants: herbs
• Animals: goats
• Miscellaneous: mushrooms

Practices

• Animal Production: therapeutics
• Crop Production: crop rotation, high tunnels or hoop houses, pollinator habitat
• Education and Training: demonstration, mentoring, workshop, youth education
• Farm Business Management: agritourism, apprentice/intern training, business planning, e-commerce, farm-to-institution, grant making, labor/employment, marketing management, new enterprise development, value added
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement
• Pest Management: botanical pesticides, mulching - vegetative, traps
• Production Systems: holistic management, transitioning to organic
• Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, employment opportunities, food access and security, food sovereignty, leadership development, local and regional food systems, quality of life, social networks, social psychological indicators

The Cultivating Wellness project aims to establish an innovative therapeutic farming program at Diddly Squat Farming, integrating sustainable agriculture with health and wellness principles. Our objective is to create a model demonstrating how small-scale farms can serve as spaces for healing, personal growth, and community well-being while maintaining productive agricultural operations. The project will focus on four key components: (1) Designing and implementing a therapeutic garden with sensory elements and accessible features; (2) Developing mindful farming practices and a curriculum connecting sustainable agriculture to personal and ecological well-being; (3) Creating a structured horticultural therapy program in collaboration with mindful based facilitators; and (4) Integrating animal-assisted therapy using our existing small livestock. Additionally, we will establish a teaching kitchen to demonstrate the connection between farming, nutrition, and overall health. Our plan of work includes garden design and implementation, curriculum development, and staff training. Crucially, this model will create job security, leadership development, and employment opportunities, aiming to build social and psychological indicators for a youth cohort (ages 18-25). We plan to engage and affect 20 members of this cohort, who will work alongside other farmer tenants on the property, fostering intergenerational knowledge transfer and community building. Our outreach strategy involves hosting regular open days, connection with local youth-based organizations, and developing a volunteer program. By combining our farming expertise with wellness practices, we aim to serve 100-150 individuals annually, demonstrating measurable improvements in participants' health and well-being while creating a replicable model for integrating therapeutic practices into working farms.

1. Establish and implement a therapeutic farming program at Diddly Squat Farming that integrates sustainable agriculture practices with wellbeing support, serving at least 100 individuals annually by the end of the two-year project period.
2. Design and create a sensory garden and accessible therapeutic spaces on half-acre of the farm, incorporating at least 20 different plant species chosen for their therapeutic properties, by the end of the first project year.
3. Develop and implement a 12-module curriculum that combines mindful farming practices with personal well-being and environmental stewardship, to be used in at least 24 workshops over the two-year project period.
4. Recruit, train, and mentor 20 young adults (ages 18-25) from diverse backgrounds in sustainable farming practices and basic life support skills, with at least 80% completing the full two-year program to provide steady job force for underserved youth and aide labor support for farm tenants.
5. Establish partnerships with at least three local organizations (e.g., wellness providers, schools, veterans' groups) to ensure a steady flow of program participants and contribute to community wellness resources.
6. Conduct pre- and post-program assessments of all participants to measure changes in quality of life indicators, agricultural knowledge, and community engagement, aiming for a statistically significant improvement in at least 70% of participants.
7. Develop and implement at least three new farm-based therapeutic activities (e.g., goat yoga, lavender meditation walks) and measure their effectiveness through participant surveys and qualitative interviews.
8. Create a comprehensive guide documenting the therapeutic farming model, including best practices, lesson plans, and evaluation tools, to be shared with at least 50 other farms or organizations by the end of the project.
9. Increase farm revenue from therapeutic and educational programs by at least 25% over the two-year period, demonstrating the economic viability of the model.
10. Create steady job force for underserved youth and aide labor support for farm tenants.