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Rural communities are having to endlessly adapt their farming practices to survive and thrive in varying climatic conditions and uncertainties, that nevertheless appears to be a “harbinger of things to come”. As a result, rural areas similarly need to adapt their approach to dealing with mental illness created by climate change, by engaging members within their communities, farmers, industry and government bodies to find solutions.

Barriers
Rural communities have a higher exposure and vulnerability to climate-driven hazards than communities in other areas. This can have a significant impact on the mental health of rural community members, as well as their behaviour and decision-making in adapting to these external shocks ). 28% of the Australian population live in rural areas, with approximately 7 million people living between inner regional and very remote regional areas . However, only 2% of the national workforce is directly involved in agriculture ILO. In rural communities, there is a growing incidence of mental illness, such as anxiety, emotional distress, frustration and anger as a direct result of climate change and the underlying uncertainties that come with it, such as: prevalence of frost and extreme heat episodes. found in a study they conducted that most of the deaths attributed to suicide in Australia were concentrated in rural and remote areas, with an over representation of men. This was due to financial insecurity, chronic health problems, as well as their work activities being so vulnerable to natural disasters. Natural hazards such as bushfires not only have a material and financial impact on communities, but they also create long-lasting psychological effects. For instance, 5 years after the 2009 Black Saturday fires in Victoria, 22% of the high impact communities (with an over-representation of rural communities) were still experiencing symptoms of mental illness such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and/or severe distress. Among the reasons is people’s loss of attachment and connection to their land and territory, termed by Albrecht as ‘solastalgia’. This refers to a state of ‘distress or dissolution caused by the gradual removal of solace from the present state of one’s home environment’ . First Nations communities are the most prone to mental health distress as a result of natural and climatic hazards, such as bushfires, as highlighted by the NSW Bushfire Independent Inquiry at the aftermath of the 2009 bushfires. Added to that is a loss of trust towards political leaders and public authorities to prompt any proactive initiatives leading to community-led actions . Young men living in rural and remote areas experience loneliness at higher levels than in urban areas, which can nurture the sentiment of being powerless to adapt to climatic events. This calls for action in increasing their awareness of environmental impacts and its consequences through shared knowledge by creating networks that provide both informal and formal community-led support, activities and climate actions. Subsequently, this will likely increase the sense of shared experience, resilience and pooled capacities. Despite the dominance of mental health issues related to climate change adaptation, rural communities are faced with many barriers. These include poor access to specialised psychological, psychiatric and support services, due to lack of transport, having to travel long distances and overwhelming demand. Furthermore, social stigma, cognitive dissonance towards psychological assistance and lack of community-led support groups can also lead to inaction. There has been an increase in multi-channel approaches to mental health services, to include both physical and digital options, to adjust to the time and distance constraints faced by rural communities, notably those directly involved in farming. Despite a growth in digital initiatives, the outcomes have not been those expected because of a lack of digital literacy, reliability of the internet and phone connection, and concerns regarding the trustworthiness of online consultation. A lack of financial resources presents another major constraint for local public authorities to effectively bolster people’s climate resilience. Furthermore, communities' climate adaptation resilience is further impeded by a one-size-fits-all approach, neglecting the heterogeneity of individuals’ capacities and their relationship with their land, environment and communities. For instance, a regulatory adaptation measure can consist of relocating communities, either as a response to natural disaster or as a strategy to restore severely endangered ecosystems , which can lead to different degrees of responsiveness across communities depending on the strength of their identity in relation to the place. A negative correlation was depicted by implying that the less a person is attached to their land, the more likely they will accept a move, instead of changing their adaptive practices. On the other hand, because of the deep multidimensional and interdependent relations that First Nations peoples have with their land and Country, relocation for climate adaptation considerably affects their health, understood as ‘social and emotional wellbeing’. In light of the versatility of experiences and exposures among rural communities, not only is the coverage of support services falling short, but also the availability of specific skills and facilities to address a range of complexities.

On farm, farmers and rural communities
There is evidence that long-term climate change and extreme weather and natural disasters can lead to the development and exacerbation of mental health issues for farmers. Typically, farmers have been characterised by a 'powerlessness' or a more negative attitude towards the impacts of climate change, however, the way in which they respond to these impacts and how they adapt to them can be transformed into a more positive and proactive adaptation to reduce the negative consequences. Despite ample research demonstrating that farmers' psychological distance and understanding of climate change affects their adaptation processes, studies suggest that farmers' own adaptive practice behaviour is still largely driven by the occurrence of climate events. Thus, predictive management of the climate in response to reducing losses can be used to prevent economic losses, as well as psychological problems. Some farmers in Northern Ghana have chosen to sow drought and heat-resistant varieties of crops to combat weather changes, or have opted to shift their occupation from mono-farming to diversified work, to increase their resistance to climate impacts. Further adaptation would be to reduce the negative impacts of agricultural production on climate change in order to reduce the potential for severe challenges in the future. Rennylea property owners in New South Wales have implemented more flexible and sustainable management of their farms over the past three decades and plan to reach a carbon neutral target by 2023, using methods such as afforestation, conservation and protection of water resources, and feed mix feeding. Ian McColl, Farmers' Executive member for New South Wales, for example, uses guaranteed vegetation cover on his farm to combat drought and grows mixed feed crops to prevent drought-induced feed shortages. Some of the more common approaches include modifying and upgrading energy systems on farms, opting for more environmentally friendly alternatives such as wind or solar power, reducing animal emissions by changing feed mixes and reducing water usage through more accurate irrigation systems.

Industry
Rural-based industries are more dependent on the environment for survival, and subsequently the mental health of workers is associated with climate change and the economic costs of climate change to the industry. Research has shown that poor mental health resulting from a poor economic situation can lead to increased stress, lowered self-perception, and social disconnection. For example, extreme weather and high temperatures due to climate change have a direct impact on the physical and psychological well-being of forestry and construction workers, reducing efficiency and increasing costs. To alleviate stress to prevent mental illness, some businesses are turning to more sustainable and environmentally friendly production methods to reduce their contribution to climate change. For example:

·Renewable energy: power generation in the hospitality industry can be accomplished using renewable energy technologies, such as solar wind power.

·Sustainable sourcing: the Australian restaurant industry needs to consider ethical labour practices and biodiversity conservation and sustainably source raw materials and ingredients.

·Innovation and Research: in the Australian wine industry, the impacts of climate change can lead to variable quality of grapes and large regional temperature differences, calling for the possibility of moving vineyards to the south of Australia or adapting to climate change losses.

Role of government
The role of government in assisting rural areas with mental health is to make policy decisions to reduce the impact of climate change, as well as to create systems and fund programs to reduce the impact of mental illness. Such policy decisions include short and longer term solutions like reducing carbon emissions to net-zero, supporting disaster affected communities and preparing them for the future, elevating traditional land care practices and creating opportunities to upskill health care professionals to recognise and respond to climate related anxiety. The mental health care service system in Australia is complex, with national, state and territory governments providing the largest amount of funding. National and state governments not only run their own department programs, but provide funding to non-government organisations offering mental health services in rural areas. Some of these organisations have been created directly because of climate change, and others are adapting their services to assist communities with the impacts of climate change on rural areas. As outline, a system that fosters support and care by boosting optimism and increasing a sense of belonging is required in rural areas and agricultural communities. There is no end in sight to the impact of climate change, and thus the concept of a recovery is problematic and there is a need to shift to more sustained and ongoing adaptation.

On farm, farmers and rural communities
Possible solutions for farmers who have developed mental illness include understanding and assessing their own and their family's situation, seeking professional help from their family and community, and undergoing psychological therapy or psychotherapy. The National Farmers' Federation of Australia provides various services, including free psychological counseling services, child and older people's mental health assistance and self-assessment toolkits. The 'train the trainer' model developed by the Western District Health Services Centre requires farmers to participate in the training of health professionals, increasing the health worker's knowledge of farm operations and background to increase communication and therapeutic effectiveness. found that working directly with farm animals was effective in reducing levels of depression and anxiety.

Industry
Enterprises also need to protect the welfare and psychological well-being of their employees. Some common approaches are, for example, to provide a comfortable environment in the workplace, to provide physical and psychological medical assistance to employees, to pay appropriate heat or drought allowances, and to organise information campaigns to inform employees about ways to cope with climate change and possible psychological responses. Some companies support the care of mental health issues in remote areas by donating to or sponsoring related institutions. For example, Johnson & Johnson, News Corp and AstraZeneca's contribution to Rural & Remote Mental Health, which supports the training of communities to care for each other in remote areas, and the training of people working in the mining industry in resource sustainability and conservation.

Role of government
As the demand for rural mental health services increases, government is clearly prioritising programs and organisations that will assist in ongoing adaptation with timely interventions and providing the treatment required. Some government and government funded organisations providing mental health care services for people in rural areas are The Black Dog Institute, Suicide Call Back Service, SANE, Live4Life, This Way Up, Rural Aid, IFarmwell, Beyond Blue, Rural Financial Counselling Service, CWA, Head to Health. Organisations providing care specifically to First Nations groups are 13YARN, WellMob and Thirril.