# Health and well-being for farmers - Savonia AMK

> SafeHabitus is an EU-funded initiative led by Teagasc, involving 20 partners across 12 member states, aimed at improving the health, safety, and social sustainability of farmers and farm workers.

## Project Overview
An international team of 45 farm safety experts, researchers, and representative organisations met in Dublin on January 25th and 26th, 2023, to launch the SafeHabitus project. Funded by the EU Horizon Europe programme with 4.8 million euros, the initiative will run for four years.

The project brings together a network of researchers, farm advisory services, and educators to collaborate with farmers and policy makers. The goal is to design, develop, and test practical initiatives that improve the safety, health, and wellbeing of those working in the agricultural sector, contributing to the EU's transition to social sustainability in farming.

## Addressing Farm Safety
Project leader David Meredith highlighted that farming remains one of the most dangerous professions in Europe. European statistics indicate that the farming fatality rate is 233% higher than in other industries, while the accident rate is 18% higher. Dr. Meredith noted that these figures likely underestimate the true scale of the problem, as many workplace fatalities, injuries, and health issues go unreported or un-investigated. 

Improving safety requires a multi-stakeholder approach to empower farmers and workers to adopt safer, healthier working practices.

## Project Partners
SafeHabitus is led by Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Organisation. It involves 20 partners across 12 EU member states:
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Poland
* Lithuania
* Estonia
* Finland
* Germany
* Belgium
* France
* Spain

## Aims of the Communities of Practice (COPs)
* To foster cross-fertilisation of knowledge and learning through dedicated events for actors and stakeholders across sectoral and national boundaries, supporting innovation uptake.
* To strengthen the Farm Health and Safety Knowledge and Innovation System (FHS KIS) by deepening knowledge exchange, learning, and networking within the COPs and engaging national stakeholders in multi-actor policy dialogues.
* To identify priority farm safety and health research needs and assess regional/national policy and governance frameworks.
* To implement the SafeHabitus multi-actor approach by establishing ten COPs and providing them with the necessary training and resources to participate in co-design processes.

## Contact Information
**Ardita Hoxha-Jahja**  
Research Manager  
Savonia University of Applied Sciences  
+358447856600