Federal government invests in farmer mental health
The federal government is investing up to $1.08 million in activities aimed at supporting the mental health of Canadian farmers.
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The investment will be used by the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW) to support mental health literacy education for agriculture educators across the country, the development of a mental health toolkit to support the sector in case of catastrophic events, and to help industry further develop capacity throughout the sector and facilitate the sharing and expansion of national farm mental health strategies and resources.
The CCAW will also develop Canada’s first evidence-based agriculture literacy training program in collaboration with the Rural Physicians Society of Canada in order to deliver the training to rural physicians who interact with Canadian farmers and organize two national conferences that will enable mental health information sharing with stakeholders from across the sector.
In a release, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay said the funding will help more farmers gain access to the mental health support they need, with services and tools tailored to them.
“I know firsthand the challenges that come with life on the farm. You work around the clock, 365 days a year, facing unique demands and significant pressure. With everything else our producers have to manage, it can be hard to check in on yourself and prioritize your mental health,” said MacAulay.
The CCAW is a collaboration between researchers and mental health professionals looking to expand access to counselling and develop new resources for people in agriculture. It virtually brings together national and global leaders in the agricultural mental health field to conduct research to develop evidence-based community-informed programming and education to address challenges related to well-being among Canadian farmers.
Funding is provided through the AgriCompetitiveness Program, a Sustainable-CAP initiative.
If you are struggling with your mental health, here are some free mental health resources available for farmers:
Source: Farmtario.com