Support of Human Sustainability in Agriculture
The agriculture sector plays a crucial role in Europe due to its impact on food security, rural development, environmental sustainability and local economies. However, there are also numerous daily stressors associated with agricultural work which are invisible to people who do not have a close relationship with this sphere.
To address these problems, the AgriMental project created the AgriMental Coaching Manual, one of the major results of Work Package 2. This manual was created as a tool which can be used by VET trainers, coaches, educators, agricultural advisors and other specialists to encourage psychological well-being and human sustainability among farmers.
Importance of Mental Well-being in Agriculture
The farmers are affected by various stressors which influence their mental health, productivity and life quality. Financial instability, increasing costs of production, climate change, unpredictability of markets, high workload and insufficient access to specialised services were listed as some of the main problems that were found during the AgriMental research.
The project emphasises that mental well-being cannot be separated from agricultural sustainability. Moreover, farmers’ resilience, emotionality and stress management skills are crucial elements for creating a safe, productive and sustainable agricultural environment.
AgriMental Coaching Manual
The AgriMental Coaching Manual contains theoretical information, coaching techniques, behavioural psychology, useful tools and examples related to the agricultural sector. It seeks to develop specialists’ abilities to detect psychosocial risks and provide the support needed to manage stress and build resilience of farmers.
This manual consists of the following sections:
- overview of the problem of mental health in the agricultural sector;
- EU report which is based on desk and field research;
- work safety, team effectiveness, climate change influence on psychological state, stress and resilience chapters;
- technologies, apps and wearables for stress management;
- practical tools for coaches;
- protocols of exercises;
- micro-credentials model for further training.
Evidence from European Research
The manual is based on the research carried out in Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy and Türkiye. As a result, the researchers have discovered that there are similar stressors faced by farmers in these countries despite different agricultural systems and national contexts.
As a result of field research, the AgriMental project proved that there are such common problems in the agricultural sector as financial uncertainties, climate variability, bureaucracy, long working hours and labour shortage. At the same time, there are few specialised services providing psychological help to farmers, especially in rural areas.
It proves the necessity of developing preventive and accessible support systems which could be applied to agricultural training.
Preventive and Educational Approach
The preventive approach is one of the main features of the AgriMental Coaching Manual. In contrast to clinical interventions, it encourages early awareness, stress detection, emotion regulation, communication skills and coaching methods.
Using this approach, coaches and trainers can teach farmers to find stress symptoms, analyse their stress coping techniques and develop better reactions to stressors. Additionally, the manual helps to integrate nature and creativity based techniques, digital tools and exercises into the process of training.
Further Development
AgriMental Coaching Manual will serve as the basis for the next steps of the project, including creation of MOOC, learning materials and wellbeing checklists for agricultural organisations.
