Building Healthscapes: From Farming to Mental Health

Please join us for a day of information and collaboration.

What if we looked at health beyond the clinic — and considered the systems that shape our health long before we need healthcare?

Join us at Lincoln University’s Ashley Dene Research and Development Station for a one-day interdisciplinary event exploring the connections between soil, farming, food, nutrition and human health.

Bringing together perspectives from agriculture, science and healthcare, the event will examine what the evidence tells us about the links between the environments we create, the food we produce and the health of people and communities.

Hear from leading researchers and practitioners, take part in an interactive round-table discussion and see agricultural systems in practice during a farm visit. The day will take a critical, evidence-based approach, exploring both the opportunities and limitations of thinking about health from the ground up.

Whether you work in healthcare, agriculture, research, food or community wellbeing, this is an opportunity to explore a different way of thinking about prevention — and what we can learn when we connect the dots between farming and health.

Tuesday 3rd November | 9.30am – 2.30pm

Ashley Dene Research Development Station, 736 Bethels Rd, Springston, Canterbury

“Building Healthscapes: From Farming to Mental Health” has been endorsed by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) and approved for up to 8 CME credits for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) purposes. Credits will be uploaded on behalf of RNZCGP Fellows.

Programme

9.30am – Registration & Welcome
Morning tea and an opportunity to connect with participants from healthcare, agriculture, science and related sectors.

10.00am – Opening Address
Prof Pablo Gregorini
Building Healthscapes: Setting the Framework
An introduction to the concept of healthscapes, exploring a systems-based approach to health and disease prevention and sharing recent research findings that connect farming systems, food production and human health.

10.30am – 12.00pm | Speaker Insights: From Soil to Health

10.30am – Jacopo Orazi
Soil, Food Quality & Human Health
Jacopo Orazi, Soil Agroecologist, will explore the relationship between soil health, food quality and human health, drawing on research and projects including work with Tūranga Health.

10.50am – 11.10am | Amanda Currie
Farm Management & Food Quality
Amanda Currie, owner of Tinwald Farm, will share practical insights into the relationship between farm management and food quality, including research into changes in the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio.

11.10am – Prof Julia Rucklidge
Food Quality, Nutrients & Mental Health
Prof Julia Rucklidge will explore the connections between food quality, nutrition and mental health, and what current evidence tells us about the role of nutrients in mental wellbeing.

11.30am – Dr Ivan Lin
From Individual Health to Healthscapes: A Systems Perspective
Dr Ivan Lin will explore different healthcare paradigms and bring together the themes from the preceding presentations, considering how soil, farming, food and nutrition can be understood within a broader systems approach to health and wellbeing.

11.50am – Reflections & Questions
A brief opportunity to draw together the key themes from the morning’s presentations before lunch.

12.00pm – Lunch
An opportunity to reflect on the morning’s discussion and continue conversations across healthcare, agriculture, science and related sectors.

1.00pm – Round Table Discussion: Integrating Science, Farming & Healthcare
An interactive discussion bringing together the perspectives presented during the morning and exploring opportunities and challenges for connecting agricultural systems, food quality and healthcare in approaches to health promotion and disease prevention.

2.00pm – Farm Visit: Farm Systems & Food Production in Practice
A practical look at agricultural systems at Ashley Dene, considering the connections between farm management, soil function, food production and farm resilience.

Due to space, health and safety and biosecurity limitations registration is essential. Please register every person in your group.