on eliminating, reducing, or minimizing risk through the use of best practices that are grounded in theory and practice.
Human risk includes risks to the physical, mental, and emotional, and social health and well-being of the farming population. The previous section outlined some of the statistics and stressors as they relate to a human risk area. Safety, stress management, wellness, and other risk management programs help mitigate some of the factors that create increased stress for farmers and their families, and will hopefully improve the vitality of the farm. In the human risk area, farm and family financial plans come together. Farm operators and family members need to invest resources (financial, time, mental, and other resources) in developing risk management plans that lessen the risks of illness (mental and physical) and injury on farming operations and the family. Risk management plans need to comprehensively address access to, and payment of, health care, perhaps by building a combination of savings and health insurance. An equally important human risk management strategy is to prepare for and develop strategies that address risks associated with other human or social factors such as 1) family dynamics, including multi-generational dynamics; 2) family and family member goals and aspirations; 3) family communications; 4) relationships with community members and professionals who can support farms and farm families; and 5) social cohesion of the community. Depending on the dynamics, these factors could be part of the ordinary or extraordinary stressors within the family or be resilience factors that help protect the family and farm against a crisis. If these human capital and social factors are at odds, the health and well-being of the family and the farm can be affected negatively. The following list summarizes the impacts of farm family stressors on farmers and families.
Inhibited decision-making and adoption of agricultural practices
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Physical and mental chronic health problems among family members
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Depression, anxiety, despair, and suicide
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Injuries
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Opioid and alcohol misuse, addiction and, overdose
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Loneliness and social isolation
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Lack of access to health care
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Postponement of preventive care
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Concern of inability to pay for medical care costs
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• Juggling on and off farm work to get and pay for health insurance
• Fear of losing their farm as a business, a home and a family legacy
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