werragut

IDENTIFICATION OF THE CASE STUDY

Case study number: DE-01

Name of the farm/organization: Werragut / Werra Grange

Title of the case study:  

Organic chicken farm including people with special needs 

MAIN DATA

Country

Germany     

Year of establishment

2009

Target groups

• Disabled people                                                        

Type of farm

Mixed organic family farm

Size (in hectares)

50 ha

Numbers of employees from target groups

5

Number of members from target groups using services without employment

0

Sources they live from

Eggs, meat from chickens, social work

Innovative / not innovative

Innovative

Websites

www.werragut.de

www.8dc6460bbbb088757ed67ed8fb316b1b-gdprlock/werragut/

DESCRIPTION

The farm “Werragut” is a small family farm which is located in the federal state Hessia, near to the town Eschwege. The farm has 30 ha arable land and 20 ha pastural land. Since In 2009 the farm has been taken on by Katharina Nennewitz. Before that it belonged to her parents, but they leased it to another farmer. Her main impulse to start the farm was that she would like to share with others what has been given to her with is the land and the nature. Three people with learning difficulties live on the farm. The form of therapy they get there is just that they are integrated into the family and into the life on the farm. So that have the feeling of being valued as a person and that there is a real need for them to be there. The source for their income is split in two. One half of the money comes in through social farming and the other half mainly comes from the chickens they keep and sell their meat and their eggs.

POSITIVE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

There are two aspects which led her to take on the farm. One of them is her love in nature and the other one is the love she has for people. Her biggest motivation is also similar to these aspects. It is the grace of charity. Because she feels loved by god and she wants to pass on that love to other people. For the same reason it is also important for there not to keep all the money she earns but to share it with others what she does not need. The biggest success is in her eyes that many people who used to live on the farm are now able to manage their life because they learned so much from their experience there. What has changed within the last years is that they could expand their living space and now more people are able to live on the farm.

OBSTACLES AND HOW TO OVERCOME

The biggest obstacles are faced with the clients itself. For example, one she had a person staying with her who had suicide thoughts in the evenings. So she had to go and stay at the hospital overnight where she was watched. Or another time two of her clients fell in love with each other which wasn`t always easy for everyone as well. When problems appear they have a contract with the state welfare association which then steps in to help them out. “The biggest conflict is really to live with each other every day because everyone brings their own history and their own issues with them”, says Katharina Nennewitz.

RECOMMENDATIONS, ADVICE

You should not be afraid of welcoming people into your family from outside. Because it can help you when the farm is in a financial crisis to get some extra money so that the farm will still be able to exist. But not everyone is able to do that so you need to be honest with yourself whether you would like to have a person staying with you and which consequences it can have. One aspect which should be avoided is to have to high expectations for these people because they won`t always be able to come to work on time or to do a job as well as you could do it.

PROMO

They sell their products directly on the farm they have two vending machines. One for selling eggs and the other one for selling bread. Their costumers just told other people about the products you can buy there. This was enough advertisement to be able to sell all their products. The farm is also not really been advertised on the social media. But from time to time there will be an article in the local newspaper about the farm or projects which happen there.

FINAL SENTENCES

Katharina hopes that all the trees which they planted for an agroforestry project on the farm will grow well. Another idea at the moment is to run a little café on the farm but more with self-service. To make the space attractive for families with children she would like to build a little sandpit. Within the upcoming five years her children would like to realize their own projects on the farm which is growing a larger variety of crops, working with horses and a consultation for agroforestry. She is proud of the fact that the farm still exists and that she did not give up in the past. Even if it was not always easy for all people to find their place on the farm. But she never gives up on someone.