Assessing Stress levels of Farmers in Telangana state

Farming is more challenging than ever before. Farm families are facing social and financial problems
and these pressures can cause a high level of stress within many farm families. The purpose of this study was to
identify and explore factors associated with stress among farmers. Exploratory research design and Edinburgh
Farming Stress Inventory were used to study farmers' stress levels. A total of 135 samples were selected; 65
male and 70 female samples were selected from two different villages. The study results revealed that nearly
half (48%) of the men scored severe stress, while only 21% of women assesses as having severe stress. This
means that the men sample had scored slightly more stress compared to women. This might be because
socioeconomic conditions, uncontrolled weather, and the marketing conditions of farmers led to high scores of
stress. It is said that money and mental health are often linked.Major purchase for farming activities and
farming-related activities like new technology and policies leads to debt and worrying about money can worsen
mental health, causing depression and stress. The present study concluded that financial and farm-related factors
make them more vulnerable to stress, hence study recommends stress management techniques for farmers to
overcome the stress.