Wellbeing Support in the Agricultural Sector: WP2 of the AgriMental Project
Agriculture represents one of the cornerstone sectors in Europe and serves as an essential basis for food security, economic prosperity, and sustainability of individual countries. Although it proved to be resilient, effective and reliable, farmers face many risks, psychological stress, and other hazards that often go unnoticed.
AgriMental project focuses on solving the above problem via innovative approaches in VET and won funding from the Erasmus+ KA220-VET program. The key element of the project, Work Package 2 (WP2), is concerned with the development of Coaching Manual for VET Trainers about Predictors of Psychological Wellbeing in Agriculture.
Reasons for Encouraging Mental Health among Agriculture Workers
Farmers have to overcome numerous problems, ranging from long working hours, unstable economic performance and climate change, to social isolation and lack of professional help. The AgriMental application argues that occupational stress and psychosocial risk factors are significantly high in the agricultural field.
Moreover, there are multiple obstacles preventing rural people from accessing psychological assistance because of the stigma, remoteness, and lack of awareness about services offered.
However, the AgriMental partnership believes that agricultural workers’ wellbeing and resilience can be enhanced through vocational education and training.
WP2 Overview
One of the primary purposes of WP2 is creating means that will allow trainers, educators, coaches, and other agricultural experts to build up psychological wellbeing of their respective communities.
The key deliverable in WP2 will be Coaching Manual designed for addressing the following issues:
- improving mental well-being literacy of agriculture workers;
- identifying stress symptoms and burnout, anxiety, and depression;
- offering communication and coaching advice;
- ensuring human sustainability in agriculture firms;
- implementing nature-based preventative methods.
- European Partnership for Human Sustainability
The AgriMental partnership includes several entities operating in France, Italy, Cyprus, Türkiye, and Greece, which brings together knowledge in vocational training, psychology, sustainability, rural development, and social inclusion. The common goal that all the members are trying to pursue is establishing psychologically healthy and sustainable conditions for workers of agriculture sector.
Moreover, WP2 targets some European priorities, such as:
- inclusivity and diversity in education and training;
- sustainability;
- flexibility in vocational learning.
Preventive Approach as One of the Key Components of WP2
A distinctive feature of WP2 is focusing not only on the clinical approach but also on prevention and support measures. Through training appropriate staff, the AgriMental partnership seeks to achieve results that would allow for wider dissemination of wellbeing practices.
Perspectives
WP2 results are expected to serve other activities of the AgriMental partnership, namely, the creation of MOOC and wellbeing checklists for agriculture companies. The combined efforts of the AgriMental partners should result in making agricultural sector more sustainable from the perspective of mental health of its employees.
