As part of the RESONATE project’s ongoing work in Case Study 9, we have made substantial progress in co-creating nature-based interventions with care farms across the Netherlands. This includes both farms offering daycare for people with dementia and those providing support for young individuals with mental handicaps.
Over the course of 2024, the research team conducted co-creation sessions with 6 intervention farms. These sessions explored innovative ways to optimize the use of outdoor areas at care farms, focusing on sensory engagement and improving well-being for both staff and clients. With three co-creation sessions completed at each participating farm, the results are now being compiled into online training that will help other care farms across the country.
Insights from the Third Meeting: Talking to Clients About Nature
One of the key milestones in this action research was the third meeting where staff engaged clients in conversations about their personal experiences with nature. The goal of these discussions was to help clients reflect on how being in nature impacts their well-being, drawing out memories and emotions tied to outdoor experiences. The homework assignment for staff was designed to facilitate these conversations in a relaxed, open environment, allowing clients to freely express their thoughts on what nature means to them.
In the homework assignment, staff were asked to record conversations with clients about their experiences and memories of nature. The staff were encouraged to frame the discussion around sensory questions—asking clients what they hear, smell, and see when they are outside. These questions aimed to deepen the client’s connection to their natural environment and help them articulate how it affects their mental and physical state.
One of the participants shared, for example, how simply hearing the sounds of birds and wind would bring a sense of calm, while another reflected on the way certain landscapes or smells, like fresh grass, evoke memories of childhood. For many, these moments in nature provided more than just peace—they triggered deeper feelings of connection and spiritual significance.
Action Research in Practice: Understanding the Process
The assignment also gave care farm staff an opportunity to practice action research principles. In this participatory research, staff not only support researchers in data collection but are actively involved in the process of co-creating solutions with clients. The role of the staff as listeners, facilitators, and reflective practitioners is key to making this approach work. The homework task helped staff reflect on their skills in facilitating meaningful conversations, the challenges of engaging clients, and how they could improve the dialogue about nature in the future.
The audio recordings of these conversations, which include rich insights into the sensory and emotional experiences of clients, will be analyzed and integrated into the project’s broader findings. This reflective process also helps to refine the meaning of the outdoor area at each farm, as staff gain a better understanding of what clients truly value in their outdoor spaces.
Looking Ahead: Scaling Nature-Based Care Across the Netherlands
Building on these insights, the project is moving into Phase 2, where the focus shifts towards scaling the co-creation methodology across the country. Online training programs, incorporating lessons from Phase 1, will be developed to support more care farms in adopting nature-based interventions and optimizing their outdoor spaces for better health outcomes. This scaling process will ensure that more care providers can benefit from the success of the initial co-creation sessions, expanding the impact of nature-based care across the Netherlands and beyond.
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