Mental health and wellbeing offerings in tertiary agriculturaleducation: a content analysis

Abstract

Purpose: Those working and living on-farm are facing wellbeingchallenges. Resilience can be built via education programmes at atertiary education level. However, it is unknown to what extentwellbeing education is integrated in the curriculum. This studyreports on a content analysis of current wellbeing education at fiveuniversities that provide agricultural degrees, located in AotearoaNew Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States.Design/Methodology/Approach: The content analysis focuses onevaluating current wellbeing education. We use a framework devel-oped from a comprehensive literature review on young rural peo-ple and mental health. The analysis involves examining coursenotes, learning materials, lecture recordings and related resourcesto identify key themes and content related to wellbeing.Findings: Wellbeing education is delivered at all universities inthis study. Most of the education has derived from a responseto managing risk, but steps are being taken to provide a morerounded offering. Key aspects to consider in the development ofwellbeing education are scaffolded learning and the inclusion ofexternal stakeholders.Practical implications: The findings offer actionable recommenda-tions for universities to enhance their wellbeing education,strengthening support systems and promoting mental health andwellbeing among students.Theoretical implications: The study enriches existing frameworkson youth mental health by providing insights into how wellbeing isintegrated into higher education curricula for agricultural students,identifying key areas of focus and opportunities for improvement.Originality/value: The study provides insight into wellbeingeducation in tertiary degrees in agriculture. It provides recommen-dations for future integration into the curriculum.