Back on Track: Q&A with NCFH’s Anna Greene

Back on Track is a peer-guided program where trusted community members provide practical and targeted support to farmers to support their mental health.

In 2025, a feasibility trial of the Back on Track program was conducted in three regions of Victoria to gain a clearer understanding of the benefits and areas of improvement in the delivery of the program, and potential options for expansion.

NCFH Project Officer Anna Greene (pictured right) manages the Back on Track program and is driven by a passion for improving the mental health and wellbeing of farmers and their families. Anna is a sheep farmer and accredited Mental Health First Aid instructor with over 25 years of experience in rural and agricultural health and wellbeing.

What led to the development of Back on Track?

Research shows farmers die by suicide at up to twice the rate of the general Australian population, yet do not have higher rates of diagnosed mental illness.

Farmers are geographically isolated while managing a myriad of stressors, many uncontrollable. They are less likely to seek professional mental health services, have less access and often report feeling misunderstood when they do reach out.

Integrating lived experience into mental health provision in farming communities has been identified as one way of addressing these challenges.

Following five years of co-design – drawing strongly on the lived experience of farming community members and service providers – the NCFH is leading the Back on Track feasibility research trial. Funded by the Gardiner Foundation, Back on Track is being trialled across three Victorian farming communities.

How is the Back on Track model underpinned by research and what impact does this have on the delivery of the program to farmers? 

Back on Track explores the effectiveness of a new mental health support model that includes training and mentoring trusted local farming community members as Back on Track coaches to lead delivery of a practical, farmer-focused approach to address low mood or depression. Coaches are trained in Behavioural Activation (BA); a proven safe and effective treatment for depression focused on improving mood by increasing behaviours that people enjoy and reducing avoidance behaviours.

Unlike other psychological therapies, evidence shows that non-clinicians without specialist health qualifications can learn to deliver BA with appropriate training. With shared understanding of farming life and work, the integration of trusted and trained local peers delivering the Back on Track program has the potential to overcome many well-established barriers to mental health help-seeking and support in farming communities.

This new model underpinned by a strong training, governance and support framework will be supported by an experienced team of researchers and clinicians from Deakin University, Western District Health Service, La Trobe University, the University of South Australia and Edith Cowan University. 

What feedback have you received from farmers who have participated in Back on Track?    

Feedback from farmers who participated in the NCFH  Back on Track program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Participants highlighted the program’s unique approach – delivered by coaches with both lived farming experience and mental health training – as particularly valuable. This combination made the sessions feel relevant, relatable and grounded in real-life understanding of farming challenges. 

Over the 10-week coaching period, many farmers reported:

• Significant improvements in their mood
• Reductions in symptoms of depression
• Practical skills to support ongoing behavioural changes beyond the program.

Encouragingly, several participants continue to apply these learnings months after completing Back on Track, reflecting its lasting impact within farming communities. 

What do you enjoy about delivering this program to farmers?

Coordinating the Back on Track program and working alongside the coaches was an incredibly rewarding experience. It was inspiring to see how their genuine connection to farming life and their compassion for peers translated into meaningful support for participants.

Watching the coaches grow in confidence and skill throughout the program, while seeing farmers respond so positively, was a highlight of this project. 

More information

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