As climate change-fueled extreme weather events such as storms and droughts become more frequent and intense, farmers and others in the agriculture community across the country are increasingly feeling the brunt and contemplating a dark future. Beyond the inherent stress of farming, they face anxiety, depression, and grief linked to a fast-changing natural environment on which they’ve staked their livelihoods—at a time when few mental health-related resources are available to them.
“The weather has become a more dominant factor in farmers’ stress than it was in times past,” said Mike Rosmann, an Iowa farmer and agricultural psychologist. “We’re seeing more concern. Even the farmers who are climate deniers say spring is coming earlier than it used to or are seeing longer periods without rainfall.”
These ongoing, often long-term disasters are impacting farmers’ well-being, experts say. The farmer crisis hotline run by Farm Aid (1-800-FARM-AID or through an online form) has seen a significant increase in calls related to “national disasters that are exacerbated if not caused by climate change,” said Jennifer Fahy, the group’s communications director.
…
“How do we raise public awareness and ask for support when the disasters are a constant, ongoing extreme situation?” Fahy said.
