Farming support and wellbeing

Farming can be rewarding, but it can also bring challenges. Long hours, financial pressures, isolation, poor weather, uncertainty and the responsibility of running a farm can all take their toll.

Through our work with farmers and farming families across North Yorkshire, we've heard that it is not always easy to know where to turn for support or advice. Busy workloads, travel distances and the demands of farming life can make it harder to seek help early or talk about how things are really going.

Whether you're looking for practical advice, financial support or someone to talk to, there are organisations that understand farming life and are here to help.

This page brings together support available for farmers, agricultural workers, farming families and others living and working in rural communities.

About this work

This page forms part of Healthwatch North Yorkshire's work to raise awareness of support available to farming communities across North Yorkshire.

Through our report Ploughing Through Barriers, farmers and farming families told us about the pressures they face, including long working hours, travel distances, isolation, uncertainty and the challenges of accessing support.

What we heard is already helping shape practical changes across North Yorkshire, including healthcare teams visiting livestock markets, training for general practice staff and wider work to make support more accessible for rural communities.

This new project includes a particular focus on men working in farming, who can face barriers to seeking support and may be less likely to talk about difficulties they are experiencing. It also aims to raise awareness among farming families, friends, colleagues and others who may be well placed to recognise when someone needs support, including through RABI's mental health awareness training, which helps people recognise the signs someone may be struggling and understand how to help them access support.

It builds on that work by sharing information, opening conversations and helping people understand what support is available.

As part of this work, we are visiting places farmers already go, including auction marts and agricultural shows, sharing information about support and promoting mental health awareness training designed specifically for farming communities.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire does not provide mental health support directly. Our role is to help people understand what support is available and where to find it.

Our work (so far) with farming communuties

Report

• Read our report: Ploughing Through Barriers: Farming and Healthcare
• View our report infographic summary

Impact so far

• Read: When healthcare meets the farm gate (shorter version)
• Read: Fielding better healthcare for North Yorkshire's farmers (longer version)
• View our farming impact infographic