The National Forum on Mental Health and Wellbeing in Agriculture, hosted by the National Farmers Federation, was held in Melbourne on 13 March 2024.
The Alliance Chief Executive Susi Tegen gave an overview of recent reports and trends in mental health across the sector.
“Rates of self-harm and suicide increase with remoteness and people who experience suicidality are more likely than the general population to have a mental health disorder or condition,” she said.
“We need to see investment and innovation come down into local communities. We know that place-based solutions work best for many of our rural communities and the funding needs to be flexible to allow these grassroots solutions to flourish,” she added.
Industries that work across the agricultural value chain and key rural community stakeholders attended the forum. The group deliberated on the key data, what works on the ground, success stories and challenges, and the way ahead for the next year.