Farming as an employment opportunity for people with Mild Intellectual Disability

Topic(s) addressed

• Encouraging farmers to employ people with Mild Intellectual Disability

• Social inclusion of people with special needs (Learning Together) 

• Sustainability

Target groups

• Farmers, Landowners, Rural Entrepreneurs, Farming Trainers

• PMIDs and their caring families

Methodologies

• Applying a multidisciplinary approach regarding the topics: agriculture, employment, inclusion, and digitalization; and regarding the staff involved: pedagogical staff, farming trainers, therapists for young people with MID, and social workers. 

• Gaining knowledge of employment opportunities for PMIDs on farms, basic knowledge of MID, and development of social, entrepreneurial and marketing skills. 

• Inclusion, participation and cooperation exerted to the utmost, 

• Inviting learners to play an active role in the project (e.g. in filming the promotional video)

• Using digital tools to manage the project (a web-based project-managing platform),

• eTwinning as a dissemination tool

Environments

• Except for the theoretical part, the activities took place mostly out of the class (farms, agriculture fields, centre for people with special needs).

• Online availability of materials ensured sustainable use of resources, at any time and any place.

• A whole school approach was on a very high level, as well as cross-sectoral cooperation.

• The multidisciplinary approach brought together farms in the region, local community, municipality, rural entrepreneurs, Ombudsman Cabinet and agricultural schools in the country

Teachers

• Teachers, involved in the project developed sustainable teaching methods (applicable on a daily basis). 

• They proved to be highly motivated while working with PMIDs who form 10% of the BC Naklo student community and who face many difficulties with job searching after finishing school.

Impact

• Several people with mild intellectual disabilities found employment on farms or in farm-related jobs. 

• Designing curriculum and training content applicable in all participating organizations

• The project led to new related schemes such as Farcura (Fostering inclusion through social farming), REWARD (Raising Employability of Women through entrepreneurial activities fostering rural development) and MILK-ed. 

• ICT-based training is accessible in rural areas, available in 5 languages and covers 65% of EU citizens (before Brexit).