Social Farming Connects Limerick Communities

Social Farming is a national network, which aims to create new opportunities, connect people, and enhance lives.

For young adults with disabilities, Social Farming in Limerick has provided an opportunity to learn new skills while building meaningful connections with farmers on their own ordinary farms

Enable Ireland, the national disability service provider which delivers vital services to children and adults in Limerick, has been working with Social Farming Ireland to connect service owners with local family farms. Where people with disabilities face obstacles to community engagement, education, and employment, social farming aims to encourage participants to socialise, gain confidence and build relationships. For farm families, benefits include forming meaningful connections, learning management skills, and discovering a different pace of working.

Farms involved in the Social Farming initiative are typical working farms where participants can get involved in farming activities that interest them. From gardening and animal care to indoor activities like baking bread or jam making.
One of the farms involved in the collaboration is Ballycasey, Kildimo. The farm is run by retired dairy farmer Pat Liston and his wife, Anne Liston. Eoin Danaher and Wiktoria Bober, who attend Enable Ireland services in Limerick City Centre, joined Anne and Pat on Kildimo Farm for a ten-week placement. For three hours, one day a week, Eoin and Wiktoria visited the farm and worked with Pat and Anne. They learned farming skills such as feeding calves, putting up fencing, and changing the animals’ bedding.

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Eoin said, “It’s been great to get the experience of working on a farm. What I love to do most is feed the animals.”

At the end of each visit to the farm, Anne would cook fresh scones and apple tart for everyone to enjoy.  Anne commented, “All our family are grown up and gone, so for us it’s a great connection. We had both retired from our on-farm and off-farm jobs  and wanted to give something back to the community.”

Patrick continued, “I worked all my life as a dairy farmer, which was a very busy lifestyle. When I retired from full-time farming, I had more time on my hands. We heard about social farming and thought it would be a brilliant initiative to be involved with. It works both ways, for the participants and for us.”

In total, 6 service owners who attend Enable Ireland services in Limerick have been involved in Social Farming so far, working with two farms in Limerick. Explaining why the Enable Ireland Limerick City Centre hub decided to collaborate with Social Farming, Sarah Clancy, Adult Support Worker, said, “We wanted to offer the adults who attend our service something different. We looked at a few options and chose social farming as  it takes us out of the usual day service and outdoors into the Limerick countryside. It provides Service Owners with the chance to  build practical skills, work as a team, and develop communication skills.”

Social Farming is a national network, which aims to create new opportunities, connect people, and enhance lives. It has a network of 170 social farms across Ireland including all types and sizes of farms, and its work is supported by the Department of Agriculture. The Network, led by Leitrim Development Company, works locally with West Limerick Resources (both charities) across the Mid-West area.

Helen Doherty, Operations Manager, Social Farming Ireland, said, “We in Social Farming Ireland support ordinary family farms through training, quality assurance and ongoing development, enabling     them to provide community-based health and wellbeing opportunities. Social farming is a sustainable diversification option for     farmers who wish to share their skills, their farm and their time to support people in achieving improved wellbeing, social     inclusion and improvements in quality of life.”

For further information on Social Farming Nationally please see website. The local contact for Social Farming Ireland in the mid West Region is Leanne Higgins – [email protected] (087 3663842) who is based in West Limerick Resources GLG.

Enable Ireland services for children with disabilities and their families cover all aspects of a child’s physical, educational, and social development from early infancy through adolescence. For adults, they offer a range of services which include day services, training, personal development, supported and independent living, and social and leisure activities. Enable Ireland provides vital disability services to children in Limerick from Blackberry Park. The non-profit organisation also runs services for adults from its hubs located in Castleconnell, Limerick City, Quinns Cross, and Rathkeale.