Health and Wellbeing of Women in Farming
Health and Wellbeing of Women in Farming
The Health and Wellbeing of Women in Farming research project is a collaboration between the Centre for Rural Policy Research (CRPR) at the University of Exeter and the Farming Community Network (FCN). More details about CRPR and FCN can be found on the About page.
The research team brings together a wide range of skills and expertise from both organisations, including extensive experience in research, policy and practice around farming, health & wellbeing, and farm support.
Dr Becca Wheeler is a rural social scientist at the CRPR specialising in issues concerning the health and sustainability of agriculture, the environment and rural communities. She has carried out extensive research on the theme of health and well-being within UK farming in recent years. This has included a focus on loneliness and social isolation (with FCN); the role of ‘accidental counsellors’ in providing informal support to farmers; and conducting the largest ever survey of agricultural wellbeing in England & Wales (for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution). Becca is proud to be Project Lead for this research.
Linda Jones is National Manager Wales with The Farming Community Network. She has worked in the farming charity sector for over 12 years and is vastly experienced in the field of the health and wellbeing of farming people. Linda has qualifications in team leading, managing volunteers, mediation, mental health first aid, and is also an accredited trainer for The Farming Community Network’s accredited Wellbeing Support for the Agricultural Community training course. Linda lives on a sheep and beef farm in West Wales and is well aware of the challenges facing women in farming.
Alex Phillimore is Head of Communications and Development with The Farming Community Network. He is a research communications specialist whose work promoting research has seen thousands of items of media coverage across print, broadcast, and online press. Alex is an accredited PR Practitioner with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR); Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE); and Member of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists (BGAJ), European Network of Agricultural Journalists (ENAJ) and International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ).
Dr Catherine Broomfield is a social scientist working at CRPR University of Exeter. Her main research interest is in understanding the factors that influence farming’s relationship with wider society, particularly focusing on in-person communication between farming and nonfarming people. Before turning to academic research, she farmed beef and sheep as part of an integrated nature-friendly farming system on her farm in Devon. She has worked with many farming organisations and institutions, and is currently serving on the Board of Pasture for Life.
Sarah Nyczaj Kyle is a researcher exploring how social connectedness and loneliness affect the mental wellbeing of people in farming communities. Her work focuses on how farm-related stress impacts psychological health, and how being connected to others can act as a protective factor. Alongside her academic work, Sarah brings over 20 years of hands-on experience as part of a multigenerational farming family. She lives on a beef and sheep farm in Cumbria, where her husband farms with his father and sister – and now their eldest son has also joined the business. Her close connection to farming life, with all the rewards and challenges it brings, continues to shape her passion for improving the wellbeing of rural communities.
Dr Caroline Nye is a Senior Research Fellow and social scientist at the CRPR. Her research interests include farmer health and wellbeing and the social issues surrounding uptake of technologies in agriculture. She also has expertise in agricultural labour, farmer collaboration and landscape-scale farmer groups (Farmer Clusters), livestock marts and social responsibility, and the social drivers of antimicrobial resistance in rural communities. As well as her work in the UK farming sector, Caroline is currently also researching climate adaptation projects in South America as an independent consultant.
Matt Lobley is Professor of Rural Resource Management and Co-Director of the CRPR. He is a rural social scientist drawing primarily on the disciplines of Geography and Rural Sociology and has spent the last 35 years conducting research for a variety of government, private sector and third sector clients. Matt’s research broadly addresses three key themes: i) agri-environmental management; ii) historical and contemporary agricultural change and restructuring; iii) the farm as a family business. His expertise include the mental health and wellbeing of farm households and family life-cycle and succession issues. He co-directs a collaborative international project (FARMTRANSFERS) exploring farm succession and retirement in a range of different social, economic and political contexts.
