On March 8, leaders in the agricultural sector from across Canada will convene for the first National Symposium on Agricultural Mental Health.
The free virtual symposium will be hosted by the Canadian Center for Agricultural Wellbeing and the Guardian Network, an Agriculture Wellness Ontario program run by the Canadian Mental Health Association and funded by the federal and provincial governments through the Canadian Agriculture Partnership.
The symposium starts at 8:45 am
Keynote speaker is Andria Jones-Bitton. She is a veterinarian, epidemiologist and associate professor in the department of population medicine, and director of well-being programming for the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.
Registration for the event is open at NSAMH.ca
The symposium will connect mental-health groups, researchers, government officials and policy makers, members of Canada’s agricultural community, including agricultural associations and producer groups, individual advocates and farmers to address the challenges and opportunities of the farmer mental-health movement across the country .
Session presentation and panelists include: Briana Hagen, of the Canadian Center for Agricultural Wellbeing, Rebecca Purc-Stephenson of AgKnow, the Alberta Farm Mental Health Network; Deborah Vanberkel of the Farmer Wellness Program; Megz Reynolds of the Do More Agriculture Foundation Association Quebecoise de prevention du suicide; Agriculture Wellness Ontario; Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program; and New Brunswick Farmer Wellness.
The Canadian Center for Agricultural Wellbeing is a national not-for-profit organization for research, program development, policy, extension and engagement around mental health and farming. It works with established and developing grassroots, community-based organizations to provide critical, evidence-based programming to the agricultural community.
The Guardian Network is a volunteer suicide prevention program that supports Ontario’s farming community and is a social enterprise of CMHA Ontario. It aims to bring mental health education, counseling services and enhanced community support to rural and agricultural communities across the province.