Volatile weather around the globe sees Australia experiencing extreme events at an unprecedented rate. Given their dependence on the land, farmers shoulder a significant physical and psychological burden, which puts their health and wellbeing at risk.
Researchers from the University of New England have launched a national survey they hope will identify what farmers are experiencing and what support they need.
Professor of Nursing Kim Usher and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology Dr Kylie Rice – both landholders themselves – are collaborating with Australian farming organisations to understand the wellbeing of primary producers. They are gauging the impacts of extreme weather on farmers and their farms, and exploring adaptation strategies.
“The impacts on people who are so dependent on the land are unique,” Dr Rice said. “Farmers are trying to adapt, but climatic variability has a huge effect – not just on the farm’s financial viability and the farmer’s livelihood but also on their wellbeing. Farmers have a profound connection to their livestock and land, it’s part of their very identity.”
With extreme weather events no longer isolated incidents, the sustainability of entire farming regions – and food security – is threatened. Rising global temperatures are also forecast to increase the prevalence of infectious and zoonotic diseases.
The researchers hope their survey results will guide health practitioners, “to consider people who are dependent on the land more holistically and within their context”.
UNE Clinical Psychologist, Dr Kylie Rice
“Farming can be extremely stressful due to weather uncertainty, so it’s crucial to ask what people on the land need,” Professor Usher said. “Farmers are not only caretakers of the land on which we all depend; they are essential for the survival of our planet and humanity.”
In an article the pair published in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, they reported that effects of extreme weather exposure can be ongoing, and successive exposures may produce cumulative or compound impacts.
“Each successive extreme weather exposure may reduce resilience, trigger new symptoms and/or worsen previous ones,” Professor Usher said. “In this way, weather events can be acute, variable and pervasive for farmers. They need assistance and resources to create resilient farms and practices, to maintain good health and production.”
The research is part of UNE’s commitment to One Health strategies, which emphasise the connection between people, the environment, plants and animals. A model developed by Professor Usher and Dr Rice may, in future, help health practitioners to assess the extent to which farmers have been impacted by extreme weather events, and facilitate appropriate support.
