ST. AGATHA — The Ontario government has announced funding for a mental health literacy program designed to support the well-being of the farming community.
In the Know will receive more than $385,000 to expand its program to more communities across the province. Officials state expanding the program will improve the quality and access to mental health services available to Ontario’s agricultural sector to ensure farmers, their families, and their employees have additional places to turn to when help is needed.
“I know first-hand how stressful owning and running a farm can be, and this has been a particularly difficult year and a half for farmers. In addition to normal stressors — including the changing weather, commodity prices, pests and diseases — farmers have had to deal with the added complexities of COVID-19,” said Lisa Thompson, Ontario’s minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs. “Our investment to expand the In the Know program will help more people in the province’s farming community access the supports they need to when they need it.”
In the Know is offered at 16 Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) branches in rural and agricultural communities by approximately 30 facilitators.
Provincial officials say farmers have indicated in previous roundtables and conversations that they are more likely to open up about their mental health if they feel their counsellor or other mental health support understands the agricultural sector and the realities of farming. CMHA Ontario will use the funds announced to also train and educate more mental health specialists on how they can better support farmers and the unique challenges they face.
In the Know was originally developed by Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton and her team at University of Guelph with funding from OMAFRA to help farmers learn more about mental health issues including how to detect them in themselves and others, ways to cope with stress and how to seek support and direct others towards support.
The current curriculum and workshop materials were developed by a partnership with the University of Guelph, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Trillium Mutual Insurance.
On Aug. 12, 2021, OMAFRA also announced $430,000 in funding for surveys and research to help ensure mental health supports for rural and agricultural communities are able to meet their unique needs.
