Researchers from the University of Sheffield, University of Reading and Exeter University will work with farmers and the organisations involved in supporting them to understand how the spread of Covid-19 has affected agricultural workers and their mental ill health.
The new study has received £190,000 in funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19, and will investigate the experiences of farmers, the challenges that farming-help charities have faced in providing support and the to meet farmers’ needs.
The team will also explore how the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and other bodies can better target support for farmers and rural communities in times of crisis.
Dr Ruth Little, Lecturer in Human Geography is a Co-Investigator on the project. She specialises in agricultural and food-related research, and is also the Principal Investigator on the ESRC-funded Agri-Environmental Governance Post-Brexit project.
Dr Ruth Little said: "As geographers, it is important that we understand what can happen to both landscapes and livelihoods when there are moments of substantial societal change. For our farming communities, Covid - in addition to the biggest changes facing the industry in a generation as a result of Brexit - are causing considerable uncertainty, stress and anxiety.
"The mental health crisis already affecting the industry means that we need to understand the support mechanisms needed to underpin the resilience of these 'key workers' both now and in the future. Our food security and their safety depends upon it."