Writing – Le Courrier Sud
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Three lovers of the earth and the people of the earth come together to develop a digital application to promote agricultural mental health and thus prevent problems of overwork, acute stress, psychological distress and even suicide.
Behind the La Bêche project hides Marc Séguin, painter, novelist and farmer, Étienne Gosselin, agronomist and wine grower, as well as Hélen Bourgoin, agricultural psychosocial worker. The latter was, until very recently, a frontline worker for the Center-du-Québec.
The psychological self-assessment tool is a first-line, reactive application, anchored in the ups and downs of agriculture and which allows you to know your mood in real time, to intervene on-the-spot. field and, ultimately, to seek advice from specialized resources.
For the development of the 1.0 application which includes computer programming, scientific validation and legal advice, the instigators of the application are currently soliciting donations via the crowdfunding platform. La Ruche Quebec. Their goal is $ 35,000.
According to the project’s instigators, the 42,000 farmers in Quebec suffer from stress and anxiety, are often uncomfortable with the idea of asking for help and have little knowledge of specialized resources, hence the relevance of a application. Suicide on the farm is two to three times higher than elsewhere in Quebec. The campaign hides a situation that is not always rosy.
The mobile application will have three main features, namely the Doser tool, the Solutionner tool and the Chat tool. The Doser tool allows you to quantify and qualify your emotional state by means of notifications, at a predetermined frequency. The Solutionner tool makes it possible to return concrete solutions to the problems identified, this via written testimonies, photos and videos of farmers who have faced adversity. Finally, the Chat tool makes it possible to network farmers, duly trained agricultural sentries, row workers and stakeholders who have indicated their availability.
“They take care of animals, plants and soils, but it’s time they took care of them, because they and they are our most precious assets!” Affirm the three instigators.
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