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Mental health grant for Compass farmers

The Fleurieu App

Staff Reporters

14 August 2024, 8:43 PM

Mental health grant for Compass farmers

The Food Embassy is one of 18 community organisations to receive a Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) grant for its Healthy Minds, Healthy Farmers, Healthy Landscapes project in Mount Compass.


The project aims to enhance mental health literacy among farmers in the southern Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu region through a series of free events, codesigned workshops and mental health first aid training.


The FRRR grant of $19,980 is from the In a Good Place (IAGP) program to support mental health in rural communities across Australia.


It gives small remote, rural and regional communities the opportunity to access funds for a broad range of community-driven projects, services, activities or initiatives, which clearly and directly focus on strengthening mental health and wellbeing.


There are now two streams within the program:

  • Community wellbeing for projects focussing on mental health and wellbeing within remote, rural and regional communities.
  • Farmers and farming communities for project specifically supporting mental health and wellbeing of farmers and the communities they live in.


The IAGP grants awarded $286,992 to 18 not-for-profit organisations in remote, rural and regional communities for community-driven projects, services, activities or initiatives that help people at risk of, or currently experiencing, mental health challenges.


Jill Karena, FRRR’s People Programs Portfolio Lead, says there are a range of factors in agriculture-dependent communities that affect wellbeing.


“The new farmers and farming communities stream of the IAGP program has given us the chance to offer more funding and support to projects that are filling the gaps in mental health services in farming communities. 


“These places are often under a lot of pressure due to natural disasters, inflation and financial stress – all of which can lead to high levels of mental health struggles.”


Full details of the IAGP grants and other FRRR programs, visit the website.

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