Summary

In recent years, poor physical and psychological well-being, fatigue, and depression have become more common among farmers and their family members. The financial situation of a vast majority of farms has worsened while the workload has increased. Shame, fear and uncertainty about what help is out there, were some of the issues that needed to be addressed. The project seeks to ensure farmers receive adequate psychological support at a sufficiently early stage to prevent the situation from worsening. Potential problems are resolved by discussing solutions, sharing information and collaborating. The project team offers personal help and assistance to farmers, facilitates cooperation and communication on well-being issues and organises well-being events.

Results

In total, the project has provided personal assistance to more than 350 farms and more than 600 farmers and their family members (nearly 10% of farms). Operating in two out of fifteen regions, it covered one third of dairy farms, one third of other livestock farms and one third of arable farms.

The project organised nearly 350 events in 3 years, with over 9 000 participants.

There are now similar projects all across Finland. The Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) provincial projects cover two thirds of Finnish farmers and the “Take Care of the Farmer” project covers one third of Finnish farmers and is organised by the farmers´ Social Insurance Institution, MELA.