Theoretical models for research and program development in agriculture and health care: avoiding random acts of research -- Contributions of natural elements and areas in residential environments to human health and well-being -- Effects of interactions between humans and domesticated animals -- People-plant interaction: the physiological, psychological and sociological effects of plants on people -- Social services as supplementary on-farm activity for mentally disabled people -- The lay beliefs about Farming for Health -- The contribution of care farms to landscapes of the future: a challenge of multifunctional agriculture -- Long-term care in Europe: an introduction -- Green care in Norway: farms as a resource for the educational, health and social sector -- Nature and Health' in Sweden -- Farming for Health in Finland -- Care farms and care gardens: horticulture as therapy in the UK -- Farming for Health in The Netherlands -- Farming for Health - the situation in Flanders -- Farming for Health: aspects from Germany -- INTEGRATION: youth welfare and sustainable development in Switzerland -- Farming for Health in Austria: farms, horticultural therapy,animal-assisted therapy -- Farming for Health in Slovenia -- Farming and social-care combinations in Poland -- Farming for Health in Italy -- Agriculture and health care: the care of plants and animals for therapy and rehabilitation in the Un -- Farming for Health across Europe: comparison between countries, and recommendations for a research and policy agenda.

Farming for Health describes the utilization of agricultural farms, farm animals, plants and landscapes as a base for promoting human mental and physical health and social well-being. This book gives an overview of the development of Farming for Health's initiatives across Europe. This development is a logical result of the changing paradigms in the health-care sector and the demand for new social and financial impulses in agriculture and rural areas. Researchers from The Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Slovenia, Germany, Belgium, Poland, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria and Italy as well as the USA contributed to this book. It not only describes the situation in different countries, it also includes scientific papers dealing with different aspects of Farming for Health's