Healthy Farm Communities Resource Kit

The Canadian Centre on Disability Studies (CCDS) has broken new ground in rural Manitoba with a project concerning farmers with disabilities. In doing so, CCDS began to fill the gap in research around issues affecting farmers with disabilities and their families. With funding support from the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba and the support of several community stakeholders and faculty from the University of Manitoba’s Department of Occupational Therapy, the project, developed methods to inform and enable farm communities to navigate existing services and supports that assist farmers make healthy adjustments to life and work with a disability.

Why farmers?

Farmers are at high risk for injury, occupational disease and mental health challenges, but in general they have little knowledge of formal supports and resources available to help them adapt to life and work with a disability. Work environments, culture and life on the farm are in many ways unique. For example, distances between farms and service centres can be large. The farm family constitutes the workforce, and caregiving and emotional support adds to the load already shared – often increasing the responsibility of children and enhancing risks to farm youth. Historically, farmers have met these challenges with ingenuity, humour, spiritual faith, positivism and perseverance. However, the need for improved safety, risk management and planning for adaptations to aging or changes in physical, social or financial capacity over the course of life remains.

A community effort

In December 2006, the project team and its community advisory group began meeting regularly to plan research that would help understand:

- what facilitators or supports exist to help farmers and farm families whose lives and work are affected by disability
- what barriers stand in the way of gaining support
- what further supports are needed

Information was collected through interviews and focus groups with farmers, their spouses and rural service providers, as well as a review of published literature and relevant services and resources. The study identified social, legislative and economic facilitators and barriers to farmers returning to work, ranging from the level of the farm family, through the local farming community and regional health jurisdictions, to provincial and national strata. Analysis of this information helped the project team and its community advisors develop a resource kit.

The Healthy Farm Communities Resource Kit is available on the CCDS website (www.disabilitystudies.ca) and the Farmers with Disabilities of Manitoba website (www.fwdmanitoba.com). It provides practical information on the social, economic, workplace, work transition, healthcare and disability supports available to farmers. It is designed to help farmers, their families, community organizations, service agencies, government and non-governmental organizations to understand how normal life events—such as injury, illness, aging and disability—may affect farm work and life. The kit will assist in learning ways to prepare, respond and find help to cope with changes in health and ability. It will also help make connections with people and organizations that can help make farming healthier and more successful under these circumstances. The kit’s contents comprise:

- facts and myths on health and safety issues for farmers
- information required to build awareness for a wide range of issues affecting farmers with disabilities and their families
- advice from farmers and service providers on good practices for risk management and coping
- resources relevant to farmers with a disability or at risk of developing a disability

The kit will provide assistance in navigating the healthcare system, including mental health services, accessing information on financial and insurance services, finding suitable and affordable adaptive technologies and modified equipment, and accessing caregiver supports in ways that are confidential as well as sensitive to gender and the farm culture of privacy and independence.

Building new networks and strategies

Good information is only the first step. The less obvious accomplishment of this project—and the true impetus for change—is the expanded network of relationships, which create opportunities for information exchange, new co-operation and learning. Meetings and focus groups held as part of this project have brought the needs of farm families to the forefront in discussions among farm producers and members of diverse sectors and service areas, including health and occupational therapy, insurance and finance, disability specific services, agricultural services, rural women’s and seniors’ organizations, church leaders or clergy and others. Advisory Group members have committed to secondary distribution of the kit through various methods, such as website postings, personal distribution, display at agricultural fairs, meetings and conferences.

Thanks to our partners and advisors!

This project was supported by a grant from the Community Initiatives and Research Project of the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba. Working partners included the Farm Credit Canada, Community Initiatives, Farmers With Disabilities of Manitoba, Independent Living Resource Centre, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, Farm Safety, Manitoba Farm and Rural Stress Line, and Manitoba Women’s Institute.