A note on the effect of farmer mental health on adoption: The case of agri-environment schemes

Adoption rates of any new technology or policy are impacted by a wide range of factors including: farmer characteristics, household characteristics, farm structure, the wider social milieu, and the characteristics of the innovation to be adopted. The aim of this paper is to explore the possibility that the previously ignored issue of farmer health is an important variable in the adoption process. A survey of the physical and mental health of a representative sample of farmers was conducted across Wales, UK. Relationships between self-reported physical and mental health, age, marital status, language (English or Welsh), farm size, farm type, farm tenancy, financial situation and involvement in agri-environmental schemes were examined using logistic regression analysis. Variables relating to farmer health were identified as significantly affecting the odds of agri-environmental schemes being adopted by farmers. In particular, the self-reported mental health of farmers adopting agri-environmental schemes in Wales was significantly better than non-adopters. Although correlation was shown, rather than causation, interpretation of the results suggest that poor mental health of farmers may be one cause of non-adoption of agri-environment schemes. This would suggest that one way to improve biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes may be to target rural health services in order to enhance support of the physical and mental health of farmers.