WG25 – Living and working in agriculture
IAWA
ISWA2026
Working groups
WG25 – Living and working in agriculture

WG25 – Living and working in agriculture

This working group is about understanding farm populations’ lived realities in agriculture and identifying solutions that support decent and fair living conditions as a conduit to increasing social sustainability and the attractiveness of the agricultural sector. It conceives social sustainability as that farmers, farm workers, and their families can meet their households’ social and economic needs along their life course and are satisfied with their quality of life. The aim of this working group is 1) to further the scientific debates on social sustainability in agriculture with an eye towards understanding who works on the farm, under what conditions, and how to best support them and 2) to develop new networks of scholars to work towards transnational and transdisciplinary collaborations. The group invites theoretical, empirical, and discussion paper submissions along with interactive session proposals that explore aspects connected to the social sustainability of farming.

Convenors: Florence Becot (Pennsylvania State University, USA), David Meredith (Teagasc, Ireland), Sandra Contzen (Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland), Majda Černič Istenič (University of Ljubljana/The Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia), Duška Knežević Hočevar (The Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia), Julie Sorensen (Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety, USA)

Health and Healthcare Access Issues: Disturbing Trends in our Nation’s Producer Communities    
Julie Sorensen, John May    
 

“Psychological Support Only Puts Out Fires”: Farmers’ Accounts of Health, Responsibility, and Well-Being in Post-1991 Slovenia    
Duska Knezevic Hocevar    
 

The health and wellbeing of women in farming: Initial results from a survey in England and Wales    
Sarah Nyczaj Kyle, Rebecca Wheeler, Catherine Broomfield, Matt Lobley, Caroline Nye, Alex Phillimore, Linda Jones    
 

Enhancing farmers’ well-being and the social sustainability of farming through good practices: translating Agricall in Slovenia    
Majda Černič Istenič    
 

Farming under Pressure: A Scoping Review of Stress–Coping–Well-Being Pathways Among European Farmers Using the Stress Process Model (2000–2025)    
Elahe Vafaei, David Meredith, Sinéad Flannery1   
 

Conceptualising the burden of farm injury beyond individual occupational hazard    
Sherin Maria Saji, David Meredith, Sinéad Flannery    
 

The role of foreign workers in a segmented labour market, the case of Italian Agriculture and Fisheries    
Maria Carmela Macrì, Lucia Tudini    

 

Identifying Farmer Engagement Preferences for Occupational Safety and Health Information: A Cross-National Cluster Analysis of 1,078 European Farmers    
Joseph Firnhaber, David Meredith, John McNamara, Sharon Sweeney    
 

Living and Working with Volunteers on Alpine Farms: Moral Economies and Social Sustainability in Mountain Agriculture    
Maria Anna Bertolino, Viviane Cretton, Marie Eich    
 

Supporting the development of decent work on family farms    
Xavier COQUIL, Angèle SATCHE, Romain DIEULOT, Maÿlis CARRE    
 

Stress And Mental Wellbeing in International Farming Communities: Introducing A New Measurement Approach    
Emma Barkus, Sarah Kyle, Andria Jones, Stephen Dunne   
 

Impact of adopting agroecological practices on household food security around Lake Guiers in Senegal    
MOR NGOM, JEAN PIERRE ADIOUMA NDIAYE, Pape Bilal DIAKHATE, KABE GAYE, AHMADOU TANOU DIALLO   
 

Advancing living and working in agriculture by addressing psychological sustainability.    
Nicole McDonald, Amy Cosby, Chantal Corish, Rebecca Black, Jennifer Luke, Peter McIlveen    
 

Seasonal Debt, Cash-Flow Insecurity, and Social Sustainability in Rice Farming: Lived Realities and Support Pathways in Indonesia    
Fatjri Nur Tajuddin, Fatjri Nur Tajuddin    
 

How Farmers Perceive Their Work: Comparing Working Conditions at CSA-Farms with other Farming Contexts    
Kristina Steinmar, Katharina Beyerl    
 

Strategies used by farmers when facing financial and mental challenges    
Florence Becot, Sarah Ruszkowski, Akanimo Udoekong, Andrea Bjornestad, Carrie Henning-Smith    
 

Living and working through ecological transition in family farming    
Julie Hermesse, Corentin Hecquet, Nicolas Loodts, Gianni Malica
 

Modification date: 11 September 2026 | Publication date: 11 September 2026 | By: I Avelange