Researchers will work with farmers to better understand how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected their mental health and what can be done to improve support.
The research team, led by the University of Reading, will look at the experiences of farmers and the challenges that rural charities have faced in providing support.
They will also be exploring how Defra and other bodies can better target support for farmers and rural communities in times of crisis.
Project leader Dr David Rose, of the University of Reading, said that farmers’ mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic was a major challenge.
"Working long hours in a stressful job and often in isolation, and four in five agricultural workers recognise that poor mental health is a major issue facing the sector.
“The pandemic has clearly had a major impact on mental health, and we can really unpick the extent of that impact for farmers and rural communities more widely."
The project is not just about better understanding the effect of the pandemic, Dr Rose said, as researchers will be working with rural charities to work out what has worked and what the government can do.
"We know that key sources of support for rural communities – friends in the pub, agri shows, on-farm demonstrations – have been unavailable during the pandemic.
“Many of the scarring effects of Covid in rural communities will have a long lag time before struggling individuals seek help," he said.
It comes as recent research by the Farm Safety Foundation suggests that many agricultural workers report struggling with mental health.
A survey conducted by the organisation found that over 80% of farmers under the age of 40 believe poor mental health is the biggest hidden problem that they are facing.
In October 2020, the Farming Community Network, a charity which supports farmers, noted that nearly half of the calls to its helpline in the preceding four months related to mental health due to stress caused by Brexit, Covid-19, financial concerns and other issues.
Dr Jude McCann, CEO of the charity said: “For some within the farming community, the Covid-19 pandemic has heightened feelings of stress, anxiety and other forms of mental ill-health.
"The cancellation of many events, as well as limitations on being able to travel and visit others, can exacerbate feelings of isolation and loneliness, and accessing face-to-face support has been made more challenging.”
