Health-related quality of life of small-scale farmers in southeastern Nigeria

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a crucial aspect of overall well-being. The study employed a cross-sectional design using the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) and EuroQol-Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) to evaluate the HRQOL of 280 randomly selected small-scale farmers in rural communities in southeastern Nigeria. Pearson’s correlations were used to examine the nature of associations between socio-demographic factors and the EQ-5D and EQ-VAS index scores. All statistical tests were considered significant at < 0.05. Results showed that the means of EQ5D index and EQVAS scores were 0.838 ± 0.091 and 81.88 ± 27.38 respectively. Findings revealed that the most prevalent problems reported were pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. The level and ways which these problems impact on the farmers and their livelihood were discussed. Understanding the impacts is important, especially as economic diversification agendas in emerging economies focus on sustainable agriculture. The study highlights the importance of mental health of the farmers and job satisfaction to food production and sustainability. Achieving sustainable agriculture in the fourth industrial revolution requires comprehensive policies focused beyond products to include farmer’s mental health.