RESEARCH
How Therapeutic Horticulture Is Advancing Around the World
Summary
This article explores how horticultural therapy and therapeutic horticulture are developing across countries and regions through very different professional, educational, healthcare and policy pathways. Examples include competency-based credentialing in the United States, voluntary professional registration in Canada, professional standards and referral and procurement pathways in the United Kingdom, government-supported workforce development in Singapore, insurer-supported implementation in Germany, research-led development in Sweden, Denmark and China, professional and policy pathways in East Asia, regional coordination in Latin America, and locally led capacity-building in Ukraine and Armenia. The article also considers lessons from adjacent Green Care and care-farming systems, while distinguishing these practices from horticultural therapy.
Rather than identifying one country as the model to follow, the scan highlights the different pieces required for broader healthcare integration. Professional credentials can establish competency but do not automatically create employment, reimbursement or referral pathways; strong research may not lead to implementation without organizational readiness, procurement mechanisms and sustainable funding. Across the international examples, the article identifies recurring needs including credible education, clear scopes of practice, workforce training, practitioner and organizational standards, healthcare referral pathways, evidence relevant to decision-makers, contracting mechanisms and sustainable funding.
