Together against loneliness – the farm of joy and friendship

40 Green Care rated farms in Norway participate in the ‘Together against loneliness’ project alongside their local shire. The goal is to socialise people of all ages through activities on the farm. The project is part of the Norwegian government and Department of Health’s vision to prevent loneliness. Many people seem to experience loneliness these days, particularly during and after Covid19. The first farms joined the Pilot project during spring 2021, and by autumn seve- ral farms joined. Norwegian farms has always been a natural arena for socialising, carry out meaningful jobs and have good conversations between people from all walks of life, often without the need to make a booking, and just turning up. Humans need social interactions. Spending time outdoors and with animals is also important for our wellbeing. Research and studies show that handling and care for animals give us a great sense of purpose. The Green Care farms are safe arenas open for people to develop their skills, having a good time and have a sense of purpose. The government, through the Department of Health, start- ed working on and putting together funding for this project in 2020. Their goal is to develop and put plans in place to prevent and reduce loneliness, which will increase overall health and life quality in our populati- on. The target group are people that are lonely or typi- cally exposed to experience loneliness.

We are lucky at Hauger farm to experience and take a part in this project alongside the shire of Asker.

Our farm is always open on Thursdays between 10am and 2pm, however, we require bookings before- hand to know how many will be here, and to prepare the activities. We always start the morning with a cup of coffee and a chat around the fire pit in the yard. Our farm is small but consists of a great variety of animals. We have four horses, goats, sheep, a couple of pigs, cats, chooks, ducks and rabbits.

Regardless of what activities we have planned for the day, we always spend time with the animals in the barn. Some animals need feeding, some might need fresh straw, and some just enjoy a pet. We do different activities every week. Some days we might shear a sheep, the following week we might use the wool to make a seating mat. We have harvested vegetables, made pickled beetroot and pumpkin. These are a very popular side dish at lunch time by the way. We try to match activities with the season, like chopping fire- wood for the winter. Sometimes we also solve new challenges together. The best part about this project, is when the participants continue to catch up outside the farm.