Care farming; the benefits for farmers and the rural community
By Joy O'Neill, 27 August 2021
Fellow’s Profile
Joy O'Neill
Fellow’s Profile
Joy O'Neill
Care farming: the benefits for farmers and the rural community
Fellowship
Themes
Focus
Introducing the benefits of care farming to rural communities
Countries
Fellowship year
2020
Supported by
Locality
South East
Biography
I am trained in early years childhood development, teaching and special educational needs. In 2018 I developed an interest in green care and care farming after placing a young person, at risk of exclusion from school, on a care farm. Shortly after, I began researching green care and care farming and became a director of a local care farm and a volunteer for the Farming Community Network.
I am aware of the benefits to clients but I was keen to understand any wider benefits – my Fellowship research looks at care farming: the benefits for farmers and the rural community. Joy has been awarded a Clore Social Fellowship. This is aimed at Voluntary and Community Leaders in and around Oxfordshire focused on social impact and is linked to her Oxford Climate Alumni Network work. The fellowship includes a fully funded six months leadership programme starting in September 2023.
Ideas
Activity
April 2025 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Joy O’Neill (CF 2020) has launched a new newsletter, Green Care, inspired by her Churchill Fellowship.
By Joy O'Neill, 8 April 2025
October 2024 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Joy O'Neill has been offered a place on the Cambridge Social Ventures Programme at Cambridge Judge Business School, where she will continue to develop her social enterprise following her Churchill Fellowship research.
By Joy O'Neill, 7 October 2024
October 2024 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has recently been elected as the Chair of her local Food Partnership Group – Good Food Bucks.
By Joy O'Neill, 4 October 2024
September 2024 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has been awarded a place on the Eden Project Communities Community Action Programme, a five-week course focused on making a difference in local communities.
By Joy O'Neill, 27 September 2024
Supporting Families Through Care Farming
In 2020, I had a series of conversations with several health, education and social care professionals who voiced concerns that families who had not previously been considered vulnerable families, may have become so as a result of the challenges they had faced during the COVID19 lockdowns.
By Joy O'Neill, 28 February 2024
October 2023 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care Farm Director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) been selected as one of three Rachel Carson Visiting Scholars for 2023/24 by Chatham University Pennsylvania.
By Joy O'Neill, 27 October 2023
August 2023 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care Farm Director, Joy O'Neill (CF2020) has been awarded a Clore Social Fellowship. This is aimed at Voluntary and Community Leaders in and around Oxfordshire focused on social impact and is linked to her Oxford Climate Alumni Network work. The fellowship includes a fully funded 6 months leadership programme starting in September 2023.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 August 2023
June 2023 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Inclusion Expert, Joy O'Neill (CF 2020), has been asked to be part of an international working group looking at developing international minimum standards for researchers when working with animals in Animal Assisted Interventions settings i.e care farms or animal therapy sessions. The working group and associated project are being run by IAHAIO (International Association of Human Animal Interactions Organisations). Joy has been selected for the 2023/24 Climate Outreach Climate Ambassadors Programme. The programme offers focused training and support for climate scientists and other experts to enable them to talk with wider audiences about climate change and related topics.
By Joy O'Neill, 30 June 2023
June 2022 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) was awarded a place on the Women in Sustainability Innovation Accelerator Programme at Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership of this month. This will allow Joy to build on her Fellowship research, which explored care farming in rural communities, a practice that promotes wellbeing.
By Joy O'Neill, 30 June 2022
March 2022 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) and Australian Churchill Fellow Judy Brewer hosted a free online event exploring global perspectives on care farming on 29 March. Joy and Judy discussed their respective Fellowship projects and shared their plans for the future.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 March 2022
February 2022 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
A working group set up by care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has been accepted by the food and farming alliance Sustain this month. Joy set the working group up as a result of learnings gathered during her Fellowship.
By Joy O'Neill, 28 February 2022
The benefits of care farming
By Joy O'Neill, 7 September 2021
July 2021 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has established a working group in partnership with the University of Oxford Climate Alumni Network this month. The group will investigate sustainable farming approaches, which was a recommendation from Joy’s Fellowship report.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 July 2021
March 2021 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) spoke at the Feedback International Women’s Day event on 8 March. The event focused on women in food and farming, and Joy discussed her Fellowship project, which will explore care farming in rural communities to promote wellbeing.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 March 2021
October 2020 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has been accepted on to the Michaelmas programme at the Oxford School of Climate Change, to learn from some of the most distinguished climate experts. Joy’s Fellowship will explore care farming in rural communities, a practice that promotes wellbeing.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 October 2020
Disclaimer
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
Ideas
Care farming; the benefits for farmers and the rural community
By Joy O'Neill, 27 August 2021
Activity
April 2025 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Joy O’Neill (CF 2020) has launched a new newsletter, Green Care, inspired by her Churchill Fellowship.
By Joy O'Neill, 8 April 2025
October 2024 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Joy O'Neill has been offered a place on the Cambridge Social Ventures Programme at Cambridge Judge Business School, where she will continue to develop her social enterprise following her Churchill Fellowship research.
By Joy O'Neill, 7 October 2024
October 2024 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has recently been elected as the Chair of her local Food Partnership Group – Good Food Bucks.
By Joy O'Neill, 4 October 2024
September 2024 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has been awarded a place on the Eden Project Communities Community Action Programme, a five-week course focused on making a difference in local communities.
By Joy O'Neill, 27 September 2024
Supporting Families Through Care Farming
In 2020, I had a series of conversations with several health, education and social care professionals who voiced concerns that families who had not previously been considered vulnerable families, may have become so as a result of the challenges they had faced during the COVID19 lockdowns.
By Joy O'Neill, 28 February 2024
October 2023 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care Farm Director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) been selected as one of three Rachel Carson Visiting Scholars for 2023/24 by Chatham University Pennsylvania.
By Joy O'Neill, 27 October 2023
August 2023 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care Farm Director, Joy O'Neill (CF2020) has been awarded a Clore Social Fellowship. This is aimed at Voluntary and Community Leaders in and around Oxfordshire focused on social impact and is linked to her Oxford Climate Alumni Network work. The fellowship includes a fully funded 6 months leadership programme starting in September 2023.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 August 2023
June 2023 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Inclusion Expert, Joy O'Neill (CF 2020), has been asked to be part of an international working group looking at developing international minimum standards for researchers when working with animals in Animal Assisted Interventions settings i.e care farms or animal therapy sessions. The working group and associated project are being run by IAHAIO (International Association of Human Animal Interactions Organisations). Joy has been selected for the 2023/24 Climate Outreach Climate Ambassadors Programme. The programme offers focused training and support for climate scientists and other experts to enable them to talk with wider audiences about climate change and related topics.
By Joy O'Neill, 30 June 2023
June 2022 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) was awarded a place on the Women in Sustainability Innovation Accelerator Programme at Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership of this month. This will allow Joy to build on her Fellowship research, which explored care farming in rural communities, a practice that promotes wellbeing.
By Joy O'Neill, 30 June 2022
March 2022 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) and Australian Churchill Fellow Judy Brewer hosted a free online event exploring global perspectives on care farming on 29 March. Joy and Judy discussed their respective Fellowship projects and shared their plans for the future.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 March 2022
February 2022 Fellows' update: Joy O'Neill
A working group set up by care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has been accepted by the food and farming alliance Sustain this month. Joy set the working group up as a result of learnings gathered during her Fellowship.
By Joy O'Neill, 28 February 2022
The benefits of care farming
By Joy O'Neill, 7 September 2021
July 2021 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has established a working group in partnership with the University of Oxford Climate Alumni Network this month. The group will investigate sustainable farming approaches, which was a recommendation from Joy’s Fellowship report.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 July 2021
March 2021 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) spoke at the Feedback International Women’s Day event on 8 March. The event focused on women in food and farming, and Joy discussed her Fellowship project, which will explore care farming in rural communities to promote wellbeing.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 March 2021
October 2020 Fellow's update: Joy O'Neill
Care farm director Joy O'Neill (CF 2020) has been accepted on to the Michaelmas programme at the Oxford School of Climate Change, to learn from some of the most distinguished climate experts. Joy’s Fellowship will explore care farming in rural communities, a practice that promotes wellbeing.
By Joy O'Neill, 31 October 2020
Disclaimer
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
