SUPPORT FOR FARM FAMILIES - AN ALBERTA APPROACH TO FARM MENTAL HEALTH
Preliminary survey results
During late 2023 and early 2024, AgKnow conducted a survey with the goal of gathering insights to shape the development of mental health initiatives tailored to the needs of the Alberta agricultural community. By February 20, 2024, we had received 168 responses from farmers and various stakeholders of the agriculture community.
KEY FINDINGS
Primarily consisting of current or retired farmers (91%), participants were asked about the importance of having access to farm-informed counselors. These counselors could either be farmers themselves, grew up on a farm, have trained in agriculture, or have experience counselling farm clients. Results showed67% found it important, 26% somewhat important, and 7% not important. The primary reasons for seeking or contemplating counselling services were family dynamics (such as relationships with spouses, children, and extended family members) and coping with mental illness (like depression, anxiety, or dementia). These were followed by challenges related to managing financial stress on the farm, navigating farm transition/succession, and seeking grief support, respectively.
Respondents who hadn’t sought counselling were asked to provide their top three reasons for refraining. The primary hurdle reported was cost, followed by not having enough time during the day and concerns about counselors lacking an understanding of agriculture. Other barriers noted included privacy concerns, not knowing enough about counselling, and lack of access to counselling services in their area.
Respondents ranked an Alberta-based, farm-informed counselling program as their top option to meet the needs of Alberta farmers (55%). This was followed by a cost-share insurance program for mental health, taxpayer-supported sliding scale online counselling, and the national Telus Health counselling program. Notably, 88% believed that an Alberta-based, farm-informed counseling program better served the needs of Alberta farmers compared to the national Telus Health Counseling Program. Additionally, 81% considered the Alberta-based, farm-informed counseling program more suitable for Alberta farmers than taxpayer-supported sliding scale online counseling.
The survey requested farmers to evaluate several programs supported by the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (SCAP). Farmer wellness/mental health came in fourth place, following Crop Insurance (AFSC), AgriStability/Agri-Recovery, and Farm Safety, which comprised the top three rankings.
A final report of this survey is pending.