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By Alice McFarlane

Mental Health

Helping farmers cope with stress

Mar 5, 2020 | 10:15 AM

Calls to the farm stress line in 2018-2019 doubled from the previous year.

That’s the motivation behind a new project looking for technical solutions to assist farmers dealing with stress.

Innovation Saskatchewan is asking technology entrepreneurs to develop a way for farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers to monitor their mental health.

Innovation Saskatchewan Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor said this challenge hopes to address a growing concern surrounding farm stress.

“Mental health is a concern within every industry but particularly acute in agriculture,” Beaudry-Mellor said in a news release. “Our government believes technology can provide help to farm families dealing with this complex and demanding issue.”

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The Innovation Challenge wants Saskatchewan-based companies and entrepreneurs to look at technological solutions to assist farmers in actively monitoring their mental health.

A survey of Canadian farmers released in 2016 found over half the respondents met the classifications for anxiety and one-third met the classifications for depression, which is significantly higher than most Canadians.

Agriculture Minister David Marit said the project is a way government can support producers and agribusinesses.

“There’s a lot you can’t control on a farming operation and you’re usually working in an isolated environment—both can take a toll on the mental health of farmers and ranchers,” Marit said. “Mental health in the agriculture industry is incredibly important, and I’m looking forward to seeing the innovative ideas that come from this process.”

Some solutions could include a mobile phone app, website program, artificial intelligence interface or offline sensor linking to the internet. Selected submissions will be shortlisted, and a pitch competition will determine a winner. Winners will receive $10,000 in funding and a 16-week collaboration with government to develop their concept. The deadline for submissions is April 30.

Public information sessions will be held in Saskatoon and Regina, on March 17 and 19 respectively, as well as online on March 24. Further information on times and locations will be posted on Innovation Saskatchewan’s website.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF