‘We want more farmers to get involved...’
DROMID NATIVE EVELYN O’CONNELL IS NEW KERRY SOCIAL FARMING FACILITATOR FOR SOUTH KERRY
DROMID native Evelyn O’Connell is the new Kerry Social Farming Facilitator for the south Kerry area.
Evelyn is excited about the role, and with a background in Occupational Therapy she is looking forward to merging this with her strong interest in farming.
“I’m looking forward to it and meeting with those involved,” Evelyn said.
“Hopefully, given my background as well as my interest in farming, I can help enhance what is already a fantastic project. What we have at the moment is brilliant, but I would be hoping that we can do even more.”
Together with Rena Blake (Kerry Social Farming Facilitator in the north of the county), Evelyn is looking for more farmers to join the project. By signing up as a host farmer you will be offering participants an opportunity to learn farm skills, life skills, connect with the rural community and build relationships.
Due to the current shortage of host farmers around 15 people with special needs are still waiting for an opportunity. Many of those waiting are living in the mid Kerry area. Any farmers in this district (or anywhere else in the county) who may be interested in becoming hosts can get in touch.
“People have been on the waiting list now for a long time and we would really love if more farmers got in touch about becoming hosts,” said Evelyn.
“It would be lovely to get those on the waiting list out into a farm setting. I’ve met with all the host farmers and participants, and there is such a positive aspect to Kerry Social Farming. The host benefits every bit as much as the participant does.”
Host farmers are encouraged to give it a try, which is usually for just a few hours a week. This can be arranged at a time that suits the farmer.
Although Kerry Social Farming is a voluntary project, it ensures that no host farmer is out of pocket. Full financial support is given to cover additional insurance costs and implement necessary farm upgrades
“Some of the participants have been with their host farmer now for over seven years, which tells you how good it is. The commitment of our host farmers, and the amount of time they put in voluntarily, is just amazing,”
Evelyn added.
“I’ve heard nothing but good feedback about the positive difference there is in a participant who visits a farm setting; their ability to engage in tasks has grown so much since they’ve become involved in the project.”
The success of Kerry Social Farming relies solely on the participation of host farmers: the more farmers that get involved, the more it makes a significant difference in someone’s life.
Contact Evelyn on: 066 9472724. Email: eoconnell@ skdp.net. Contact Rena Blake on: 087 969 2881. Email: renablake@newkd.ie. You may also contact Joe McCrohan at: jmccrohan@skdp.net. For more general information on Kerry Social Farming, visit: www.kerrysocialfarming.ie