An online showcase aimed at creating a new National Farmer Health Alliance (NFHA) in Ireland will be held on September 16.
The objective behind the proposed alliance is to help establish a centralised body to support the health and well-being of those working in the Irish agri-sector, and their families.
A range of relevant stakeholders and agencies are set to take part in the half-day event, which will be opened by Martin Heydon, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, with special responsibility for Farm safety.
It will feature keynote international speakers specialising in supporting farmer well-being:
- Dr. Alison Kennedy, senior research fellow with the National Centre for Farmer Health at Deakin University, Australia; and
- Philippe Roy, adjunct professor at the University of Sherbrooke’s School of Social Work in Quebec, Canada, whose work on male farmers’ mental health has received many distinctions.
The initiative took root during discussions involving the Men’s Development Network and a range of stakeholders in the new farm advisor health training programme, On Feírm Ground (part of Engage Training Programme).
This also led to the European Innovation Project ‘FarmConnect’, which will be piloted in Waterford and Roscommon in 2022.
“It was a natural extension of the work we were doing across these projects around key themes affecting farmers’ health and well-being,” explained Men’s Development Network CEO, Seán Cooke.
“Research shows agriculture is disproportionately impacted by health issues, both physical and mental, compared to other sectors. Farming also has the highest rate of fatalities of any sector nationally.
“However, local and national efforts to encourage farmers to mind their health have suffered from the lack of a centralised, joined-up approach.
“This is an opportunity to finally provide that coherence and bring about big changes for the better for farmers, their families, and rural communities.”
The showcase will feature participative workshops during the morning and afternoon sessions.
These are designed to shape the alliance’s structure, agenda and values.
Attendees can freely visit a range of exhibition booths hosted by pioneering projects focused on improving health, safety and well-being in the agricultural sector and rural communities generally.
Participants will have group/one-on-one networking opportunities during coffee and lunch breaks, just like a live conference — all courtesy of virtual technology (on the interactive Hopin.com platform).
“We want to foster a meeting of minds and real engagement among the plethora of bodies and organisations who, through various programmes and initiatives, are encouraging farmers to think and act in a more holistic, health-conscious way,” Seán said.
Prospective alliance members – drawn from across health bodies, community organisations, training and support agencies, educational institutions and business, farming groups, Government departments and NGOs – will be invited to register an interest in participating in further discussions.
Once established, it’s envisaged the alliance will serve as a central information hub and fulcrum for farmer-specific health and well-being awareness campaigns, research and policy advocacy.
Alison Holmes, a clinical tutor at the University of Limerick (UL) as well as a farmer, is a member of the NFHA steering committee.
Having received active support from the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Health, and the Health Service Executive, the proposed coalition could become a very effective collective, she said.
“We hear much of the term sustainability in relation to Irish farming practices, yet it is rarely a term used regarding the Irish farmer and farm family,” the 2019 Nuffield Scholar said.
“Collaborative efforts such as this allow for the topic of farmer health and wellbeing to be highlighted and addressed on a national scale and to positively impact on individuals and the agri-industry as a whole,” she said.