AgTalk, a new peer-to-peer support platform was released Tuesday at Canada's Farm Show.
Megz Reynolds, Executive Director of the Do More Ag Foundation says it's designed to support individuals in the ag sector in their next steps towards improving their mental wellbeing.
"It is for anyone who is 16 years and older. It is bilingual and the other really fun thing about it that was really important to us at the foundation is that it is monitored 24/7 by mental health clinicians. So we know that it's a safe place to not only share and seek support but that individuals who are sharing on the platform are going to be assisted with their mental health journeys and supported along the way."
AgTalk is free and fully anonymous, available online, and accessible through your cellphone.
Reynolds points to the fact that research out of the University of Guelph from research done in 2016-2017 found that 35 per cent of farmers met the classification for depression, 58 per cent for anxiety, 45 per cent for high stress, 68 per cent more susceptible to chronic stress than the general population and 20 to 30 percent higher rates of suicide than any other industry in Canada.
She notes a follow-up survey done in 2021 was influenced by the pandemic but it showed that one in four farmers felt their life was not worth living, wished that they were dead, or thought about taking their own life in the last year.
AgTalk powered by Togetherall is a peer-to-peer support platform for anyone who lives, works or plays in the Canadian Agriculture Industry.
Togetherall's senior vice president Nicole Misura says it's totally anonymous and available 24-7.
"So regardless of the kind of issue that you're going through, there's somebody there who's in the community who's been where you're at. As a result, people feel less alone knowing that other people are going through what they've gone through."
AgTalk powered by Togetherall is supported by BASF, RBC and the McCain Foundation.
More information on Ag Talk is available here on the Do More Ag Foundation website.