The eight partners of the project FARCURA gathered at the Limerick Institute of Technology in Thurles to meet for the first time and discuss project management, as well as the development of the national and European reports on the state-of-the-art of social farming.
The following day, the partners went on a site visit to the Doon Social Farm, an initiative established by Ballyhoura Rural Services – an organisation whose mission is to help people affected by rural isolation. Its purpose is to combine social farming placements with a horticultural training programme. It is targeting early school leavers and people who are not in employment or education. The farm is run by a board of management and has recently hired a farm manager and 2 training course co-ordinators This visit allowed both Noreen Ryan, the manager of the Doon Social Farm, and the consortium partners to exchange on social farming and learn about the challenges and opportunities present in different European countries.