The AGCO Agriculture Foundation, a private foundation with the vision to prevent and relieve hunger through sustainable agriculture development, donates a $450,000 AUD grant to Rural Aid to support farmers’ mental health and wellbeing across Australia.
Rural Aid helps farmers impacted by natural disasters by providing financial aid, support for mental health wellness and supply of fodder.
Farmers are increasingly facing challenges leading to mental health crises, including thoughts of self-harm, suicide and depression. In 2024, the Foundation is taking a bold step forward by enhancing its commitment to the health and wellbeing of farmers by launching initiatives in partnership with local organizations in Australia and the U.S. The goal is to support them in new ways, ensuring they remain at the heart of sustainable food production.
The Foundation’s initiative in Australia is a three-year commitment dedicated to providing expertise and resources to farmers and their families, fostering resilience and support within the agricultural community.
“Farmers are at high risk of mental health issues both on and off the farm,” said Roger Batkin, Chair of the AGCO Agriculture Foundation. “Factors such as adverse weather conditions, day-to-day workloads, regulation compliance, financial pressures and general market uncertainties bring high levels of stress on many farmers, frequently impacting their mental health and wellbeing. Supporting initiatives like this is another example of how we put Farmers First.”
The collaboration with Rural Aid will be enriched by contributions from AGCO Australia Limited through the Massey Ferguson brand, a leading AGCO brand. These contributions will greatly bolster on-the-ground advocacy support and relief assistance.
“We are deeply committed to supporting the farmers in our community who work hard every day to produce the world’s food supply,” said Tiffany Snyder, Vice President and General Manager of Massey Ferguson Asia, Pacific and Africa. “We understand the extreme challenges and stresses they face. We are proud to partner with Rural Aid in helping our farmers and their families continue to thrive.”
The partnership with Rural Aid will cover key partner activities, including offering counselling services, providing fodder support, cash-based transfer and water security interventions for farmers, facilitating community resilience programs focused on nurturing mental health in next-gen agricultural leaders and engaging in on-the ground volunteering support.
“Rural Aid welcomes the generous donation from AGCO Agriculture Foundation and the passionate support from the team at Massey Ferguson, who live and breathe agriculture and rural life,” said John Warlters, Rural Aid CEO. “We applaud the Foundation and Massey Ferguson for putting farmers’ mental wellbeing and Rural Aid’s work in support of farming families and their communities at the forefront through this new partnership. We are looking forward to working closely with this well-respected Foundation and giants of agriculture, Massey Ferguson, to further improve farmers’ lives.”
