A new mental health pilot program from Agricultural Wellness Ontario (AgWO) and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) aims to support mental wellbeing among international agricultural workers.
The International Agricultural Worker Wellness Program (IAWWP) focuses on supporting foreign workers like those employed through the temporary foreign worker (TFW) or Seasonal Agriculture Worker Programs (SAWP).
WHY IT MATTERS: Temporary foreign workers, including those in agriculture, have to manage through challenges like stress, homesickness and isolation which can weigh on their mental health.
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The program follows a 2022 report that identified the wellbeing of international agriculture workers as an area requiring urgent attention. Many international workers face unique challenges due to their isolation in a foreign country, including language barriers and demanding work, according to AgWO.
The program’s senior manager, Susana Gonzalez, said the intention of the pilot was to build initiatives specialized to international agricultural workers’ experiences.
IAWWP covers three main pillars:
- “One of them is to build workshops about managing stress, understanding long-distance, loneliness and building community,” Gonzalez said. These workshops are created in English, Spanish and Tagalog, and are currently active in the Windsor-Essex and Brant-Haldiman-Norfolk regions.
- The second point is the Farmer Wellness Initiative: “This is a mental health support line that covers all Ontario, and it was developed years before this program,” she said. “So, we are extending the service of this line to international agricultural workers.” This too involves services offered in different languages.
- The final pillar is a resource guide listing supports for the workers like legal help, English classes and community activities or meeting spaces like churches.
Gonzalez said she was satisfied with the results of the pilot, which began in July 2024.
“We delivered around 25 workshops with more than 500 participants,” she said. “I can say it was great.”
More telling than the numbers, she said, were the responses from participants.
“I like to read the testimonies,” Gonzalez said.
“They say, ‘thank you for bringing these workshops. Before that, I was feeling alone, and in this workshop, I met new people. I know how to communicate well with others.’ … We are providing practical tools for the workers.”
International workers don’t always have the opportunity to socialize or find community outside of work hours.
“We intend that the learning experience must contain the work, the opportunity to meet people, socialize and express their feelings,” Gonzalez said. “These workshops must be the opportunity to not just to have practical tools. It’s a recreational opportunity, it is an opportunity to clear your mind and disconnect a little bit from work.”
Creating the IAWWP had many differences from other agricultural mental health programs.
“We have a study made talking about the real differences that the international workers face here,” she said.
“First of all, the language. The language is — wow. It’s a great barrier here.”
Also important to consider are the living conditions outside of work.
“They need to leave their families back home. So, they miss them. They suffer of isolation, homesickness. They live together with others, co-workers. Imagine (living) with your co-workers all day. It’s a huge difference.”
“That’s the reason that it’s very important to them let know that the farmer wellness initiative exists,” Gonzalez continued. “They can reach support any time all year, and it’s free and confidential.”
As she explained, keeping international workers happy and mentally well is also a benefit to the employer, the farmer.
“The farmers have a business,” she said, “and every business needs to be profitable, and you are going to get that goal if you attend to your people.” Gonzalez said she has seen some farmers get involved with the workers and attend events like soccer games with them.
Like with farmers, there is the hurdle of cultural taboos to overcome when creating mental health programming for international workers.
“We have workers coming from Mexico, Jamaica, Thailand, Philippines, Guatemala,” she said. “For Latin American cultures, there is a stigma to express your feelings.”
“You are the man. You are strong. Men don’t cry.”
She added it can be a challenge to convince the workers it is ok for them to access these supports, though hearing from peers who have benefited from the program can help them to open up.
With over one year now passed since the pilot launched, Gonzalez said there is still more work ahead. She said the workshops in Windsor can be delivered for one hour, but in the remote areas of Brant-Haldiman, there is less time for workshops. CMHA is now trying to adapt programming around this small available amount of time.
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