Farmers on the frontline: Extreme weather events, mental health, preparedness and adaptation in an Australian sample

Farmers are on the frontline of extreme weather events and experience many farming and wellbeing impacts. While farmers are dependent on the land for their livelihood, wider society depends on farmers for food, fibres and employment opportunities. This exploratory pilot study provides a timely examination of the impacts of extreme weather events reported by participating Australian farmers. We investigated impacts on farming and wellbeing, preparedness for extreme weather events, current and ideal farm adaptation strategies, and barriers faced. The mixed-methods survey was completed by 79 farmers from predominantly New South Wales, Australia. On average, participants reported negative impacts from 3.2 ± 1.4 different types of extreme weather events, including drought, bushfire and extreme precipitation or flooding. There was no statistically significant relationship between the type of extreme weather event reported as impactful and mental health outcomes. Among participating farmers, 39.2% reported high or very high psychological distress, 31.7% reported elevated PTSD symptoms, and 22.9% reported suicidal ideation. Psychological distress was higher among participants who reported impacts from a broader range of extreme weather event types. Greater reported impacts of extreme weather events and poorer levels of psychological preparedness were reported among participants with high/very high psychological distress. Participants rated the most important adaptation strategies as storing water, grain or fodder, establishing financial strategies, and developing farm management tools and strategies. The most common barriers to adaptation were time, finances and competing priorities. As an exploratory pilot study, these findings provide early insight into the farming and wellbeing impacts of extreme weather events and highlight important associations that warrant further investigation. Larger and more representative samples are needed to understand how extreme weather events affect farmer wellbeing, preparedness and adaptation.