A critical evaluation of the potential of an online agricultural forum as a space for supporting farmer well-being

Farming is associated with low levels of individual well-being with recent research exploring influencing factors, resulting consequences and potential support opportunities. Exploration of how online peer-to-peer interactions may support farmer well-being is yet to be fully explored despite suggestions that many turn to the internet when facing farming challenges. This original research study examined the potential of an online agriculturally focused forum, The Farming Forum (TFF), as a space for supporting farmer well-being, exploring the more varied formats of peer support and building on existing landscapes of support literature. Forum posts were analyzed using methods of sentiment analysis, classification of forum participant behavior, and reflexive thematic analysis. TFF acts as an information repository for farmers, based heavily on the lived experiences of those farming within the UK and beyond. This study revealed the willingness of farmers to share experiential knowledge they felt would benefit others with likely positive impacts on the well-being of those involved. Although limited explicit reference to individual well-being was found outside of a specific ‘suicidal thoughts’ discussion thread, findings suggest TFF could enable and host conversations around farmer wellbeing. TFF offered a space for farmers to hold discussions with like-minded individuals and allowed them to seek advice or information anonymously. Whilst there appeared some limitations surrounding the forums’ ability to professionally support farmer well-being due to the potential for negative remarks and disclosure of identifying information, these could be overcome with a degree of forum management. TFF likely has an influence on the well-being of those farmers utilizing the forum and this paper offers a starting point for further research in this area.