New Study Explores Farmer Suicide Risk Factors

Nov 01, 2023

A new University of Alberta study exploring the risk factors that make farmers vulnerable to suicide could help them build better resilience.

The comprehensive review is the first to combine and analyze interview data gathered from several studies on farmers and suicide, and gives insight into the unique stressors they face, says lead researcher Rebecca Purc-Stephenson, a psychology professor at the U of A’s Augustana Campus.

In their review, Purc-Stephenson and her research team focused on 14 scientific studies from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and India, containing insight from farmers’ partners, relatives and others who worked closely with them leading up to their deaths.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?