Care farms as a form of vocational activation. A case study

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the care farm as a form of vocational activation for the farmer, their family members, or their employees, as well as to prepare or reintegrate into the labour market individuals who use the services of these farms, based on the project "Independently (not alone) - supporting people with disabilities in the Tuchola County". Design/methodology/approach: The article presents the functioning of care farms based on the literature on the subject. A case study of care farms that directed their services to people with intellectual disabilities was presented based on information obtained through an expert interview with the leader of the project "Independently (not alone) - supporting people with disabilities in the Tuchola County" and a representative of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Agricultural Advisory Centre in Minikowo, a project partner. Findings: As part of the project "Independently (not alone) - supporting people with disabilities in the Tuchola County", jobs were created for 10 people in the examined care farms, and 4 people from supporting institutions were employed for 2.5 full-time positions. An undeniable success of these care farms was the vocational activation of 22% of the participants in the project. Research limitations/implications: The article describes a case study of the completed project "Independently (not alone) - supporting people with disabilities in the Tuchola County". Future research should expand the scope of the study by increasing the number of examined care farms and directly obtaining the opinions of project beneficiaries (people with disabilities and their caregivers). Practical implications: Expanding knowledge about the functioning of care farms may increase interest among farm owners in diversifying their activities in this direction. Identifying the needs of people with disabilities and their caregivers can contribute to improving work organization and management in care farms. Social implications: To include people with disabilities and their caregivers in society, awareness of the needs of people with disabilities and their caregivers must be raised among both entrepreneurs and the general public. Originality/value: The article describes the effects of a completed project aimed at supporting people with disabilities in care farms. Agricultural farms have recently expanded their activities to include the provision of care services, for example, for seniors or people with disabilities. The article is informational and educational, pointing out the possibilities of diversifying the activity profile and sources of income for agricultural farms and drawing attention to the needs of people with disabilities and their caregivers.