Introduction / Rationale: Chronic conditions can significantly impact daily life and participation in meaningful activities. Managing these conditions often becomes a central occupation, requiring daily routines to maintain overall health. Disruption of social participation is common among individuals with chronic conditions. Partnering with community urban farms can promote health management, particularly nutrition management, and social participation. Engagement with urban farms has been shown to enhance well-being, healthy eating, food security, and physical, mental, and social health (Verdugo et al., 2024).
Objectives: This project aimed to reduce food insecurity and promote health management and social participation for individuals with chronic conditions by increasing access to and engagement with an urban community farm and improving farm-to-table processes.
Approach: Using the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO), occupational therapists and urban farm staff developed the "Fresh Food Farmacy" program, which prescribes fresh produce and social participation through farm-based activities and education. Community-asset mapping and stakeholder engagement facilitated the development, implementation, and evaluation of targeted deliverables, including videos on food literacy skills, community asset mapping, infographics for farm staff, and improving farm accessibility for people with chronic conditions and disabilities.
Practice Implications: Partnering with community farms allows occupational therapists to facilitate access to fresh produce, improve food security, prescribe social participation through farm-based activities, and enhance health management for individuals with chronic conditions.
Contribution to the Occupational Therapy Profession: This project exemplifies how occupational therapy professionals can engage with community farms to promote overall health and well-being for individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities.