1 min
In the agricultural sector, we are witnessing unprecedented situations; little or no rainfall (early or late dry spell), increase in pest infestations, high cost of food production, high food inflation, insecurity amongst others. These events are becoming so frequent that they contribute negatively to the mental health of the average farmers. This is because the process of managing these situations are mentally draining, thus contributing to farmers' inefficiency.
Worse still, farmers hardly have social safety nets especially in developing countries that should protect them from the effects of ill- events, thus making the recovery process nearly impossible. Sadly, the more a farmer experiences these ill-events in his or her lifetime, the less productive they become and the more they struggle with life in general, especially as their livelihood is often impacted the most, leading to depression and sometimes, death. Over the years, there have been records of suicide attempts by farmers due to overburdening and depression, leading to total mental breakdown and deaths of farmers. The situation has been exasperated due to the current reality. Therefore, this is a call for help to salvage the lives of our farmers.
We need to critically look into our social system for long term support for the vulnerable group (where the majority of farmers in the developing countries fall within this category). Also, we need to set up psychosocial support centres for farmers to have access to in order to provide social and psychological support in their recovery process and also build more resilience in them. We all know that our farmers are strong but we shouldn't allow them to burn out their strength on mental stress that they are unable to handle alone. We need this support system to help them recover faster and smoother. We need more mentally strong farmers to achieve food security. As we clamour for zero hunger, let us also clamour for the mental well-being of the farmers.
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
Let us clamour for the mental well-being of the farmers
We need to critically look into our social system for long term support for the vulnerable group (where the majority of farmers in the developing countries fall within this category). Also, we need to set up psychosocial support centres for farmers to have access to in order to provide social and psychological support in their recovery process and also build more resilience in them. We all know that our farmers are strong but we shouldn't allow them to burn out their strength on mental stress that they are unable to handle alone. We need this support system to help them recover faster and smoother. We need more mentally strong farmers to achieve food security. As we clamour for zero hunger, let us also clamour for the mental well-being of the farmers.
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
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