Study presentation: Social and psychological stressors affecting Austrian farmers and foresters, and the importance of support services in improving the quality of life for rural communities

As part of the event ‘Focus on Mental Health in Agriculture’, organised by the Netzwerk Zukunftsraum Land (Network for the Future of Rural Areas), Nadja Bergmann presented our study on stress factors and support services in agriculture and forestry. The study results show that farmers, foresters and their families are affected by a variety of stress factors: rising prices, climate-related crop failures, bureaucracy, constant availability and lack of recovery time, but also public discussions, hostility and generational conflicts are particularly stressful for farmers and foresters.

Around 70 participants from the fields of counselling, agriculture and research took part. In addition to the presentation of our study, there were many other exciting presentations on mental health in agriculture, specific challenges, counselling practice, support services and initiatives. Further information on the event can be found here.

The study report and the presentation of the results are also available for download.