How Rachel manages her mental health when farming alone
Rachel, a market gardener for 9 years based in the South East, spoke to us about the highs and lows of farming and the decisions she’s made to help herself cope with the isolation, financial stresses and workload that can come with it.
Rachel is the first in her family to get into farming. After switching careers from being an NHS physio, she was attracted to the freedom and empowerment that comes with tending the land and taking on food sovereignty.
After volunteering and working as an employee on commercial market gardens in Sussex and Scotland, she decided to set up her own Market Garden on tenanted land, where she grew fruit and vegetables for her local community. As we chatted with her over the phone while she worked, she told us that each day is different, and it’s hard to get bored! But there can be downsides to working alone, so far from other people.
Managing the isolation
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I'm all right on my own most of the time, but I need a few interactions — even just having a coffee with someone once a day, and then that's it, that's enough for me.
Rachel explains how having visitors really helps to break up the day, and for a little while a local volunteer would come once or twice a week. Rachel values the freedom of inviting people to come and experience the land with her, allowing them the chance to escape from their day to day activities and enjoy nature. The addition of her dog Bran now means she has a companion 24/7, even if he’s not always that helpful.
“Being here with the dog is making a big difference. Even though he digs up everything he can - right now he's destroying one of my plant pots!”
If seeing someone for a coffee isn’t possible, Rachel says calling friends while she’s working can really help. It often makes a task pass by faster when she has the distraction of a conversation. With most farming done in the countryside, seeing people in-person can be hard at times, but with the help of technology it’s much easier to stay connected with friends and family.
Rachel and two other local farmers built their own like-minded community, setting up a whatsapp group made up of female farmers in Sussex. They now also meet in person semi-regularly.
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It's like a support group for people in the same position as you. And it's nice for it to be women as well, because it's a different vibe.
Coping with financial stresses
Having a community of likeminded people can be really helpful to keep morale high, but sometimes speaking to friends isn’t enough when facing financial insecurities, anxiety, and external pressures. Particularly when just starting from scratch, it can be really difficult as it can take a while to see any financial gain.
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Many farmers are pressured, by the market, to produce more, to produce ‘perfectly’ and to lower their prices. One positive about being such a small scale grower is I can sell direct to my local customers through markets and box schemes and not lose money to a middle man. I think more direct sales, more local markets are one way of challenging the dominant system of supermarkets.
Rachel has another job which she works on an ad-hoc basis, but is also looking for something more consistent to give her a more sturdy financial cushion.
“A lot of farmers have to diversify [their work] when they just want to be producing food [...] it is quite anxiety-inducing: working so hard but maybe not making enough money to support yourself.”
A good work life balance
Now, her market garden is where she lives, making it easier to have a more balanced lifestyle. She can pop back into the house to get food or a coffee when it’s convenient, tend to her plants if something happens, and shelter from harsh weather without the commute. The freedom of working the land and turning up to the job without wearing a uniform or conforming to a certain standard relieves some of the stress of the job.
“I can be my mucky self as well! I don't have to wear a uniform or have clean hands and clean hair.”
An ongoing commitment
Similar to many of us, looking after her mental health is an ongoing commitment for Rachel. One thing Rachel has learnt in the process of growing her business, is the benefit of community.
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“Talk to people, or get people involved. There's something nice about working with people. It doesn't feel so isolating — for a lot of us who are introverted and drawn to this work, somehow we can chat away, like I'm probably doing now. I mean, I'm potting tomatoes right now, and maybe that's helping me talk because it's not so pressured, is it?”
