With drought, wildfire and other extreme weather events, climate change is bringing stress and a feeling of uncertainty for many farmers and ranchers. It’s also bringing along a new hurdle for many in the agricultural world – climate grief.

Seeing the effects of climate change firsthand can invoke fear, sadness, hopelessness and despair for many farmers and ranchers. A new project from Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center aims to help people understand their climate change related emotions, along with ways to work through them. Maud Powell is an associate professor at Oregon State University. She, along with her colleagues, launched the Climate Stress and Grief: Building Resilience in Farmers and Ranchers project last year and joins us to share more.

Metal health resources

• The Oregon Agristress Helpline — (833) 897-2474, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by call or text.
• Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — 988 or 1-800-273-8255
• 211, a free service that provides information and referrals to local social services.
• Climate Stress and Grief: Building Resilience in Farmers and Ranchers

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2024/08/13/think-out-loud-climate-grief-ranchers-farmers/