Presenters: Maria Pippidis – University of Delaware Cooperative Extension; Bonnie Braun – University of Maryland Extension; Jesse Ketterman – University of Maryland Extension
This Q&A document was created from the chat box questions during the webinar.
Farm and farm family stress, more accurately, distress, is brought on by pressures experienced by the farming population, farming systems and the farm as a business. Stress is a response to change in either, or both, internal and external conditions. It is a response to environmental demands and changes within an individual, family or farm or outside in economic, social, environmental, policy or physical environments. Stress becomes distress when there is a pile-up of stressors that can overwhelm the ability to process without some negative impact. How individuals, families and farm operations manage stress and change can impact their wellbeing at each of those levels.
Extension professionals have supported farming operations by providing risk management and stress management programming. Resiliency literature shows that helping individuals and farm families build skills regarding organization, social connectedness, problem solving, communication, adaptability and having a strong belief system can assist them in adjusting effectively when change disrupts functioning. In addition, resiliency frameworks put the farm or farm family within the context of community and acknowledge that it takes resources and capacity from outside the farm and farm family to assist in creating thriving farms.
This session will introduce participants to the Farm and Farm Family Risk and Resiliency Framework and associated logic models that integrate risk management and resilience outcomes. Participant will also explore tools they can use with farm audiences as well as professionals and stakeholders. Participant’s confidence will be strengthened in using the tools to develop integrated programming approaches that support farmers ability to manage change and create community understanding and resources to aid them.
This webinar is sponsored and hosted by Extension Risk Management Education and will be recorded for future viewing.
