With the growing season upon us, the lives of farmers across Canada are becoming incredibly busy. The hectic pace of farming creates pressure to juggle many aspects of running a business. And sometimes one of his first balls to drop is mental health care.
To commemorate Mental Health Week, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Minister Lawrence Macaulay today announced $1.08 million to the Canadian Center for Agricultural Welfare (CCAW) through the Agricultural Competitiveness Program, a sustainable Canadian agriculture initiative. announced funding. partnership.
CCAW brings together national and global leaders in the mental health field to conduct cutting-edge research and develop evidence-based, community-informed programs and education to address health-related challenges for Canadian farmers. This is an organization that does
“CCAW works with grassroots, community-based organizations across Canada to provide meaningful support for the welfare of Canadian agriculture,” said Brianna Hagen, the organization’s chief executive officer and principal investigator. “There is,” he said.
CCAW will use this funding to support activities to:
- Supporting the mental health of Canadian farmers, including supporting mental health literacy education for agricultural educators across the country.
- Developing a mental health toolkit to support the sector in the event of a catastrophic event.
- Further support industry-wide capacity development. and,
- Facilitate the sharing and expansion of farm mental health strategies and resources across the country.
CCAW also collaborated with the Canadian Rural Physicians Association to develop Canada’s first evidence-based agricultural literacy training program, providing training for rural physicians who interact with Canadian farmers, and providing training for rural physicians who interact with Canadian farmers. Two national conferences will be held to enable the sharing of health information. stakeholders from across the sector;
The Agriculture Competitiveness Program supports sector-led activities that identify industry best practices, build sector capacity, and advance farm management, farm safety information and tools, and agricultural awareness activities. .
If you’re struggling with your mental health or just need someone to talk to, Agtalk This product by the Do More Agriculture Foundation is available to Canadian producers. Agtalk is a free and anonymous mental health support community for members of Canada’s agriculture sector, available in both English and French.
