Strengthening farmer health, wellbeing and safety at the NCFH
Written by National Centre for Farmer Health Director Alison Kennedy
As I reflect on the past 12 months at the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH), I am filled with pride, gratitude, and renewed commitment to improving the health, wellbeing and safety of farming communities across Australia.
This year has been one of connection, innovation, and impact.
Farmer health goes to Canberra
The 2024-25 year kicked off with an amazing visit to Canberra. Our team hosted an event at Parliament House, bringing together politicians, senior public servants and industry representatives to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of farmer health, wellbeing and safety.
This was followed by a Farmer Health Symposium with more than 60 attendees from across Australia – including farmers, researchers, service providers and policy makers – who came together to connect, share knowledge and build the foundations for long-term collaboration.
Not long after, our new ‘community friendly’ location in Hamilton was officially opened with great fanfare and celebration, complete with a live broadcast by the ABC Country Hour.
Scaling what works
This year we have focused on testing, refining and scaling up initiatives with the aim of reaching more farmers than ever. This includes our farmer health checks which now have new digital features to help farmers take action (including follow-up text message reminders) without compromising the face-to-face interaction with our skilled farmer health nurses. Our health checks have reached farmers from across five states in 2024-25.
We’ve also been testing a new model of mental health support this year via our Back on Track program – recruiting, training and supporting peer coaches to deliver a 10-session behavioural activation program to members of the farming community experiencing depression. We are grateful to the farming communities who have trusted us to walk alongside them in this work.
Safe Spaces model continues to build
In 2025 we continued the development and deep community engagement around the Safe Spaces Model of Primary Healthcare, a five-year Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) project aiming to transform how primary care services respond to and welcome queer rural youth.
The energy, creativity, and leadership of young people, their allies and those who support them have been inspiring, and their voices continue to shape change from the ground up.
Training, outreach and advocacy
Our education programs are reaching far and wide. They include:
- Calm the Farm workshops for farm owners/managers
- Mental health capacity building webinars for trusted advisers
- Postgraduate Agricultural Health and Medicine training for rural health professionals
- Shifting Gears teaching resources in secondary schools across five states, targeting the next farming generation.
Throughout the year, the NCFH team has also ensured that farmer voices are front and centre in national discussions around mental health, drought resilience and workforce sustainability by delivering many keynote presentations, media interviews and policy briefings.
Research that reflects reality
The NCFH research team has published and presented on a wide range of issues:
- On-farm electrical hazards
- Heat stress
- Farm safety culture
- Regenerative agriculture
- Mental health
- Climate modelling informing risk of zoonotic disease
- Innovative models of care for supporting farmer health and wellbeing.
This year, our research has increasingly focused on co-design, implementation science and systems change –ensuring that what we learn is directly translatable to community benefit.
We have also played an advisory role in shaping national and state-level rural health policy, advocating for evidence-based, community-driven and farmer-informed approaches to rural health, wellbeing and safety.
A growing and energised team
The last 12 months have seen the expansion of our team with passionate new staff members across research, peer work, project and admin support, and clinical services – bringing new skills and expertise, farming experience and fresh energy to the NCFH.
We’ve also welcomed three new junior members to our team this year (congratulations to our NCFH Mums Matilda, Jo and Tahlia).
Looking ahead
While we celebrate what has been achieved, we know the challenges facing rural communities remain complex and deeply interconnected. Climate pressures, economic uncertainty, social isolation and service shortages all continue to affect farmer wellbeing. But, with the support of our collaborators and the trust of farming communities, we are confident in our path forward.
Over the next 12 months, we will deepen our focus on systems-level change, grow our health service and training programs, and continue advocating for health equity in the bush – ensuring all of our farmers, farm workers, farming families and agriculture-dependent communities have the opportunity and resources to improve their health, wellbeing and safety.
Our partnerships – with rural organisations, farming families, universities, government and health services –continue to grow in strength and impact. Thank you to everyone who has walked alongside us this past year.
We look forward to the road ahead, with hope, humility, and a deep respect for the people who feed and care for our nation. If you would like to walk alongside us in this new financial year, please reach out to chat about how we can work together.
For more information, please contact:
Alison Kennedy – Director, National Centre for Farmer Health
P: 03 5551 8533 | M: 0407 549 970 | E: alison.kennedy@wdhs.net
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