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Agriculture Stress and Suicide Prevention in the West - Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

Julie Jesmer and Don McMoran

Summary

The ramifications of long-term, complex stress on agricultural professionals have resulted in exceptionally high suicidality, reduced community cohesion, and more farmers leaving the profession while fewer enter the field. WRASAP (Western Region Agricultural Stress Assistance Program) was instituted through Farmer and Rancher Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) from the 2018 farm bill. In the past three years, WRASAP has collected valuable data about the stressors farmers and farm workers experience, gathered a regional network of partners, presented outreach and education at hundreds of events, and provided services directly to the agriculture community throughout the Western region. In this session, we will discuss what we have learned about implementing emergency measures in suicide prevention, while also building a coherent strategy for networking, outreach, education, and research. We will provide a look forward at our proposed strategy to build community connections within agricultural communities to provide deeper and more robust community cohesion. We aim to maintain WRASAP’s suicide prevention strategies, while working to increase the occupational resilience within the agricultural sector. Farmer centered intervention and community development are both critical contributions to the greater global food system.

Details

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