The National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) is dedicated to improving the health, wellbeing, and safety of Australian farmers, agricultural workers and their communities.

There are many individual stories outlining the difference NCFH has made to individual and families lives.

Health Checks: A Proactive Approach to Wellbeing

One of the NCFH’s key initiatives is providing farmer-focused health checks at field days and agricultural events. These health checks are not just about physical health; they encompass wellbeing, lifestyle behaviours, and farm safety practices. Simon Green, a farmer at Elmhurst, shared his firsthand experience with health checks, highlighting the importance of these assessments in gaining knowledge to enhance health, wellbeing, and safety outcomes. Similarly, the Farmer Health Assessment Tool (Farmer HAT), a free online platform created by the NCFH, empowers farmers to increase personal awareness of their health. Farmer HAT gives practical tips for improving the personal health, wellbeing and safety of the user and can be completed from the comfort of their own home.
 

Campfire: Connecting and Sharing Knowledge

Recognizing the isolation often experienced in farming and agricultural work, the NCFH co-designed Campfire, an online interactive platform, to improve the mental health, safety, and wellbeing of farmers. Campfire offers a space for connection, learning, and developing an understanding of various topics related to life on the farm. The format offers attendees the anonymity to ask questions and discuss topics they may not feel confident discussing otherwise. The Campfire platform serves farmers and fishers through interaction with experts and peer networks, practical tools and resources, and solution focused stories that address work-related challenges. Topics covered range from preparing for the fire season, succession planning, working effectively in a family business and child safety on the farm. The Campfire platform also has podcasts, blogs and hard copy resources available on the landing page.
 

Digital Storytelling: Sharing Experiences and Building Empathy

The NCFH utilizes digital storytelling workshops as a powerful tool for rural communities to share their experiences and build empathy. These workshops involve combining narrative with digital content to create short, compelling movies that tell personal stories about life-changing events. The NCFH has led several Digital Storytelling workshops across different topics including stories about the lived experience of rural suicide and stories from rural women, young adults and rural young people who have navigated a range of tough times. These stories have been shared to educate community members, students and health professionals about the experiences of rural people.

 Addressing Farm Safety and Preventing Injuries

Farm-related injuries are a significant concern, and the NCFH is actively involved in research and initiatives to improve farm safety. Following all-terrain vehicle (ATV) incidents in 2018, Aurora Dairies made major changes to their use of ATVs. By incorporating low-cost technology and working alongside their farm managers and farm teams, they geo-fenced their properties and later removed quad bikes altogether. Furthermore, research from the National Centre for Farmer Health found that the use of quad bikes to spray continues to be widespread on Victorian farms, despite the inherent and known risk to farmer’s health and safety.
 

Community Resilience and Support

The NCFH recognizes the importance of community resilience in agriculture-dependent areas. The centre are involved in projects to promote communication, collaboration and shared learning between 11 resilience projects by establishing, coordinating and evaluating a Communities of Practice. Rural Aid is dedicated to improving the mental health outcomes of rural Australia by offering free, confidential support to farmers and their families.