Alberta farmers and the organization dedicated to supporting farmers’ mental health are facing a crisis – one of anxiety, depression, and rising suicide rates and the other from lack of consistent funding.
AgKnow, an Alberta-based organization dedicated to providing access to mental health support aligned to the needs of Alberta’s farmers, is in urgent need of your help. Due to a gap in stable funding, AgKnow is being forced to scale back operations and cut key offerings. AgKnow’s programming and outreach in Alberta’s agricultural community is being disrupted at a time when mental health support for farmers are at their most critical.
The mental health crisis among Alberta farmers cannot be understated. More than 75% of farmers are facing anxiety, 66.7% of them are depressed, and suicide rates among farmers are at a staggering high.
“The mental health of our farmers is a top priority,” said Alan Hunt, executive director for ARECA, the parent organization to AgKnow. “AgKnow provides important services to support farmers during difficult times. We urge anyone interested in the continuation of these vital programs to reach out to contact us if you can assist.”
AgKnow’s services include barrier-free access to a network of farm-informed counsellors, training programs, and community engagement to increase the adoption and use of support services. Farm-informed counselling will continue, with reduced capacity and no promotion. The community engagement and training to increase access and awareness of mental health supports will continue at a reduced rate, with fees to access. These events were previously subsidized.
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