Image Credit: Mental Health Ireland
Mental Health Ireland have collaborated with the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority in Ireland to develop the Farming Resilience Programme website aimed at helping farmers develop resilience in overcoming serious setbacks in life and in business.
In normal times it can be difficult to ensure that the mental health of the farming community is supported as access to services can lay behind barriers such as stigma, cost, availability of service, time or distance. The COVID-19 pandemic further heightened the challenge of social isolation and loneliness in farming for many, however, and left some completely cut off from their peers and society more generally. There is also the overall economic impact of such a crisis in already testing times. Being one of the critical industries, it is important that those within the farming sector are looking after themselves while continuing to work. Cultivating resilience during challenging times, with the assistance of this innovative and timely programme, will help farmers to cope with the numerous challenges and stresses of everyday farm life.
More information can be found here.
Source: Mental Health Ireland
