Lesson 3 – Conclusions and practical hints
Visiting the countryside offers an inside into the European culture, food practices and languages. Therefore, organic farm visits can support refugees of all ages, including children, families and adults. There are many incentives for individuals to learn new vocabulary that is connected to the countryside and agriculture community; and the farm offers educational benefits that support the building of social relations, learning and self-confidence.
Many of the successful initiatives on those organic farms that are working with refugees, have a close cooperation between NGO's, such as the Red Cross, governmental organisations and the farm itself. Due to the difficult situation of the target group the best projects draw on experiences from a range of stakeholders.
Furthermore, there are several good examples of longer projects that offer a chance for individuals to work or volunteer on the farm over a longer period of time.
Some lessons from farmers’ experience with visits:
- Refugees are hard to reach and best done through support networks or groups.
- Refugees can have practical and emotional connections with farms which can be positive. sometimes though, these connections can stir up unhappy memories orstrong emotions of loss.
- It is important is to choose the right size of the visiting group!