NCFH Partner Impact in Action: Gardiner Foundation
For more than 25 years, the Gardiner Foundation has focused on strengthening the Victorian dairy industry by investing in initiatives that support farmers, their businesses and their communities.
Today, the Gardiner Foundation brings together dairy farmers, researchers, industry bodies and dairy communities seeking to address shared challenges. It plays a key role as a strategic investor, backing programs that deliver long-term benefit across the sector.
Pictured: Gardiner Foundation CEO Allan Cameron.
“Over the years, we have seen first-hand what happens when farmers access the right health and wellbeing support at a critical time.”
Recognising the increasing pressures facing dairy farmers, including financial uncertainty, seasonal variability and social isolation, the Gardiner Foundation has partnered with the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) since the early 2000s to support practical, evidence-based wellbeing initiatives.
For the Gardiner Foundation, supporting farmer wellbeing is seen as critical to the future of the dairy industry.
“We cannot have a thriving dairy industry without healthy, resilient farm families. Farmers are the backbone of our rural communities and our supply chains, and the pressures they carry are often invisible. Wellbeing is not a soft issue – it is a productivity issue, a succession issue and a community survival issue,” CEO Allan Cameron says.
The partnership strongly aligns with Gardiner Foundation’s long-term focus on sustainable, community-led change.
“The NCFH’s work is grounded in the real experience of farm life, the seasonal rhythms, the financial volatility, the geographic isolation and the cultural norms that can make farmers reluctant to seek help. What resonates most with us is the NCFH’s commitment to meeting farmers where they are, and its dedication to building lasting capability within farming communities rather than delivering short-term fixes.”
Getting Victorian dairy farmers Back on Track
Through its $492,000 investment in Back on Track, the Gardiner Foundation is helping to strengthen early intervention and peer support, enabling farmers to access support before challenges reach a crisis point.
“We chose to fund the project because we could see that the NCFH was seeking to create an evidence-based, peer-supported intervention for farmers that could genuinely change lives. It is about addressing mental health in a way that is accessible to farmers – practical, non-clinical and delivered through trusted and familiar people,” Allan explains.
“Dairy farming is one of the most demanding vocations there is, and the challenges you face – financial, climatic, personal – are real and significant. But you are not alone. There are people that understand those challenges and are there to help. Programs like Back on Track are being developed because the industry recognises that your health and wellbeing matter, not just to you and your family, but to the whole community in which you live.
“We hope the results of the feasibility trial will unlock further investment, enabling more farmers to access peer support and creating stronger, more connected communities across our dairy regions.”
Looking ahead, the Gardiner Foundation sees opportunity to embed wellbeing as a core part of dairy industry practice.
“The evidence from projects like Back on Track needs to be gathered, shared and applied across the broader dairy industry. We are keen to work with the NCFH to understand what is working well, where the gaps remain and how projects like Back on Track might be modelled, adapted and scaled for different communities.
“Ultimately, we want to see a Victorian dairy sector where mental health and wellbeing support is as routine and accessible as agronomic or financial advice, and collaborations like this one are how we get there.”
The partnership between Gardiner Foundation and the NCFH highlights how long-term investment and collaboration can strengthen communities and support the health and resilience of the dairy sector.
“Farmer wellbeing programs take time to build trust, reach the people who need them most, and demonstrate lasting impact. NCFH has the credibility, the expertise and the reach to deliver outcomes.”