Awareness and resources continue to expand but so does need
BY: Matt McIntosh, writer and farmer
It wasn’t that long ago that mental health was a little-discussed subject in farm country. After concerted efforts in recent years to raise awareness, though, Canadian farmers now have access to a variety of resources to help overcome mental health challenges.
According to some experts, awareness campaigns and increasing openness from farmers about personal struggles fostered a more understanding and supportive culture in Canada’s agriculture sector. As pressures facing farmers continue to expand and diversify, that support matters more than ever.
Significant Progress
For Gerry Friesen, a long-time advocate for mental health awareness in agriculture, the response he receives when speaking about his own struggles with anxiety and depression have changed drastically in the last 15 years.
Under his brand “the Recovering Farmer,” Friesen says the groups he speaks with today are much more engaging and less apprehensive to discuss mental health challenges. Friesen is also the chief administrative officer for The Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program – a program providing farmers access to free counselling services from specialists with agricultural backgrounds.
“We’re drawing more interest every year. It’s a good and bad thing. We’re making it more acceptable to seek help, but that stress on the farm is growing,” says Friesen, citing increasing trade, infrastructure and weather issues as three of many complex pressures burdening the minds of Canadian farmers.
“All of these things are outside the control of farmers. When things are outside our control they create a lot of stress, and that stress is very difficult to deal with. You’re always one decision away from a completely different life.”
Friesen’s perspective is echoed by Lauren Van Ewyk, an Ontario-based counsellor, farmer and chief executive officer for the National Farmer Mental Health Alliance – a country-wide association of mental health professionals that offers mental health services with practitioners knowledgeable about agriculture and the complexities of farm life.
Van Ewyk says progress in both mental health awareness and cultural acceptance is highlighted by the increasing number of people contacting the association for help. Recognition of the problem and support for free counselling from both federal and provincial governments have also helped make mental health services more accessible for farmers, as have the proliferation of province-specific agriculture industry initiatives like We Talk. We Grow. in Nova Scotia and Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program.
“We have seen amazing growth,” says Van Ewyk, referring to the Alliance and her own business. “This past year we have seen marriages restored; clients experiencing suicidal distress to move into recovery and healing; and families experiencing inner-relationship strife, develop communication and move forward together.”
Farmer Mental Health Resources
Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program
Provides mental health support for farmers, their families and employees in the form of confidential one-on-one counselling sessions, with counsellors who have a background in agriculture. This service is available free of charge. Similar services exist in other provinces.
manitobafarmerwellness.ca
National Farmer Mental Health Alliance
Professional therapists and counsellors with lived agriculture experience, along with agriculture specific training, provide services to farmers, their families and community stakeholders. Other resources include blogs on relevant subjects, the Rural Well podcast, national and provincial resources and online mental health programming.
nfmha.ca
Do More Agriculture Foundation
This initiative provides a suite of training, resources, and other events and programs supporting mental health and mental illness awareness. It also acts as a hub for anyone looking for counselling services, as well as contact information for national and provincial crisis lines.
domore.ag
Manitoba Farm, Rural & Northern Support Services
Free, confidential online or telephone counselling for anyone who lives on a Manitoba farm or in a rural or Northern community. Public education, a volunteer training program, and a monthly suicide bereavement support group are also available, along with books, videos, and articles related to rural, northern, Indigenous and agricultural mental health.
supportline.ca
Farmer Statistics
- 58 per cent of farmers meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder.
- 35 per cent of farmers meet the criteria for a depression diagnosis.
- 40 per cent of farmers are reluctant to get help due to stigma.
- 76 per cent experience moderate to high perceived stress.
- Farmers are twice as likely to commit suicide in Canada and the United States, compared to the general population.
- Only nine per cent of farmers seek support compared to 16 per cent of general rural population.
- 25 per cent of Canadian farmers have either thought about taking their own life last year, wished they were dead, or felt that their life was not worth living.
The Road Ahead
Van Ewyk reiterates farmers are themselves “fixers” – that is, people who can fix a problem if given the right tools. While the proliferation of targeted and industry-relevant counselling and other health-supporting tools continues, the need for such services similarly grows.
Citing a University of Guelph study, for example, Van Ewyk says the pressures fermented by the pandemic have been particularly hard on rural women.1 Suicide rates for rural youth are also higher compared to their urban counterparts, as are the rates of substance abuse. Like Friesen, Van Ewyk also points to climate, policy, trade and other challenges as persistent issues pressuring farmer well-being. Collectively, these factors mean farmers are “constantly rallying and falling.” In time, this leads many to shut-off their ability to feel vulnerable or express vulnerability, increasing the risk of reaching a crisis point.
The widespread generational transfer of farms is a factor, too, and one Canada’s agriculture sector is not prepared for.
“Farm transition is a piece that hasn’t been well studied. There are a lot of transitions happening right now, and the long and short of it is transition is hard,” says Van Ewyk. “Post World War II, a lot of immigrants from Europe came here and went into farming. Some came over in survival mode with an experience of trauma. When you have an 80-year-old person who has the majority shares in the business, but grew up in survival mode because of trauma, it’s hard to break with that. You’re dealing with strength, and support, and safety and identity.”
“Trauma is something we’re not talking about enough. Relationships between families are getting damaged. People are walking away from the farm for their own wellness. It’s quite alarming.”
Fundamentally, Van Ewyk says those working within agriculture must continue to spread awareness, while equipping more people – from farmers themselves to seed dealers and other agribusiness people – with the tools to support their clients, neighbours, family or friends if they notice someone might need help. Signs of struggle can include changes in behaviour, such as disengaging from community activities or trouble managing relationships, a loss of trust in others and other emotional changes, and even self-sabotage through poor or otherwise extreme and unnecessary business decisions.
“Farmers might be more likely to reach out to their feed guy. They might drop a comment and not go further than that. Those people interacting with them need to be armed with the resources to validate the farmer’s concerns, and care for their own wellness in the process,” says Van Ewyk.
“Production is related to one’s mental health. We need to make sure that conversation about mental health is interwoven in that lens.”
Friesen also emphasizes the need to continue engaging all agricultural stakeholders.
“I think the resources are there. It’s still a matter of being out there in the community,” he says, adding representatives with Manitoba Farmer Wellness actively attend farming events throughout the year to share information and resources.
“I know we often talk about farmers wanting to talk to someone that knows something about agriculture. But quite frankly, when we’re in crisis, it’s about overcoming that crisis at that point so it’s important to talk to a friend, family member, or neighbour. We’re working on building awareness so people will know what to do when they run into that problem.”
- Deacon, L., Sarapura, S., Caldwell, W., Epp, S., Ivany, M., & Papineau, J. (2023). COVID-19, mental health, and rurality: A pilot study. Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes, 67, 460–469. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12832