The Regional Council unanimously approves the law on horticultural therapy

Horticultural therapy is defined internationally as a rehabilitation practice that involves the patient’s involvement in horticultural activities.

MILAN – Il Regional Council unanimously approved the law on horticultural therapy. With an additional budget of 250 thousand euros, the costs of insurance, custody and maintenance of gardens for therapeutic purposes will be supported.

The provision voted by the Chamber modifies law no. 18 of 2015 “Provisions regarding educational, urban and collective gardens” by introducing the category of rehabilitation-therapeutic gardens that may arise land belonging to public bodies (Municipalities, schools, hospitals, penal institutions, etc.) and of social welfare realities who deal with disadvantaged or fragile categories (elderly, disabled, etc.).

Following the expansion of the range of possible beneficiaries, the financial allocation of the law currently in force is increased from 150 thousand to 400 thousand euros always from the funds of the General Directorate of Agriculture.

Horticultural therapy is a non-conventional complementary therapy that complements traditional ones and is defined internationally as a rehabilitation practice that involves the patient’s involvement in horticultural activities with the assistance of a therapist trained and in order to achieve specific therapeutic objectives both physically and psychologically. The first to observe the multiple beneficial effects of horticultural and gardening practices on patients was the father of American psychiatry Benjamin Rush. Since then the practice has spread throughout the world. The advantages observed in patients are multiple: contrast to stress and depression without or with reduced use of psychotropic drugs, stimulation of motor skills, increase in learning ability, natural contrast to the decline of cognitive faculties in elderly people, increase in self-esteem and socialization .

Two agendas were also approved: one from the minority who hopes for the expansion of the financial allocation of the law and one from the majority tending to involve third sector associations in the management of horticultural spaces.