Farmers, farm family members, farmer representatives, safety professionals and people working on farms or living around farms all have a role to play in the health and safety as a poor mental health affects a person’s ability to cope with and manage their lives, particularly during personal change and life challenges.
People living and working in farms and agricultural premises in remote areas are more likely to suffer higher levels of loneliness and social exclusion more so than their urban counterparts. Farmers are under a lot of pressure, especially with high cost of feed and production generally and the state of the nation putting many under severe stress resulting in ill health and reduced production capacity.
Farmers are under pressure because of financial threat as many sourced loans from banks, many are not insured and very many are operating below capacity .
Farmers are also stressed because of lack of social support, anxiety and work stress as every farmer in a group are trying to stay afloat leaving little or no room for empathy or emotional intelligence.
Farmers are also anxious especially when it comes to their crops or animals,thinking about pest invasion,sudden death or other unforeseen disasters,leading to unnecessary worry cycle that can kill the farmer,collapse the farm or lead to depression.
Health and safety on farms are an aspect of safety codes on site,but now farmers health and wellbeing should be part of safety code to help farmers strike a balance and lead peaceful lives .
Seminars on mental health and well-being of farmers will help keep farmers and farms running for a long time and ensure food security.
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