Lantgården som resurs för samhället och organisationen av dess välfärdsinsatser

The aim with this report is to present how municipalities and regions in Sweden can get help by farms in the design of welfare interventions, for example within social care, education, health care, alternative work tasks and integration. An additional aim is to highlight how these activities should be organised in order to create a long-term sustainable cooperation between the Swedish farms and society. Historically, farms have been used as a social intervention with benefits for many individuals and society, but this gradually decreased during urbanization. Several European countries have reintroduced the farm as a resource for various vulnerable target groups in society and have rebuilt a national structure for its implementation. International research has shown that being on a farm can provide increased motivation, social contact, feeling of being needed, being able to cope with tasks, increased movement, increased mental health, and several other functions important for human well-being. Swedish research has shown that farms can provide support in social care and for pupils with different challenges, but several target groups could benefit from a farm-based intervention. In Sweden, there are about 80 approved Green Arena farms, as well as several other farms that municipalities and regions can procure for various interventions. An expansion of farmed-based interventions in Sweden would benefit rural entrepreneurship, and especially women's entrepreneurship. However, there is a lack of a supportive structure and a national political stance in this area. The report proposes several recommendations. Appoint a government investigation with assignments to tentatively the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and the Swedish Board of Agriculture, with the commission on how public administration can facilitate and support these initiatives. Assign Sweden's Municipalities and Regions (SKR) to create a coordination from national, to regional, to municipal level between authorities and agricultural enterprises. Develop national guidelines and quality systems for the use of farms for social interventions. Create a document regarding quality assurance at national level in collaboration between various actors, such as the Hushållningssällskapet and the National Board of Health and Welfare. Multi-year procurement with reasonable compensation must be applied. Require that everyone who receives a contract through public procurement have documentation that they have completed an approved course, that their farm has been assessed for risks and that they are otherwise suitable. Build a supportive structure that is flexible for the use of farms for different target groups within municipalities and regions. Research funding needs to be provided for interdisciplinary research from both the user perspective and the business perspective. Allocate research funds to socio-economic analysis where the costs of farm-based interventions are compared with other interventions.