The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Kerry Social Farming Project
KERRY Social Farming (KSF) is voluntary and community based with a shared service that provides farming opportunities for people with disabilities.
Established in 2013, the vision of KSF is to keep delivering assistance and inclusion for people with disabilities within the farming community. Its aim is to bring benefits to people by positively impacting on the community’s capacity both at an individual and societal level.
It also aims to overcome the obstacles that prevent people with disabilities from becoming socially included in rural communities as well as enhancing their personal development.
All of KSF’s participants have developed real relationships with the host farmer and their families, and it enables them to go to the mart, town or church, and to meet with neighbours.
On the farm, participants also engage in every day farming duties like feeding animals, moving cattle, fencing, staking logs and cleaning yards. In addition, KSF hope to provide the opportunity for further education in disability studies via UCC’s outreach programme or distance learning with the Open Training College.
The host farmers are extremely positive and participants are afforded the dignity of a ‘can do’ attitude. The Kerry Social Farming Working Group is committed to building relationships between people with special needs and the community and the voluntary sector in Kerry.