Survey research to understand the psychological impact of agricultural crime

Dr Kreseda Smith, Rural Criminologist and Senior Researcher of the Rural Security Research Group at Harper Adams University, has launched a survey to explore how agricultural crime affects the psychological wellbeing of farmers in the UK.

Kreseda spoke about her research motivations, saying: “The reason behind the survey is because my PhD research highlighted the level of psychological impact that crime is having on farmers, to the point where some farmers discussed giving up farming altogether.

“At a time of political uncertainty and rising levels of farm crime, it is essential to understand how crime impacts farmer mental health and how this interacts with other farming stressors to ensure that the right help is provided at the right time.

"This survey will enable further research around this issue and identify best practice and alternative options for service providers to help farmers affected by crime on an individual level.”

Assisted by a range of rural organisations, the survey is the first piece of academic research to consider the psychological impact of farming crime on its victims, including family, friends, workers and the wider community.

The survey is anonymous, with the data used for research purposes only. The topics seek to gather a wealth of information ranging from crime victimisation to the impact of agricultural crime and the overall stress factors in agriculture.

The survey will be open until 11 March 2020 - click here to take part.