Regional women helping keep drought-affected communities together

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A warning, this story contains discussions of suicide.  Failed crops, windy conditions, and being forced to sell off livestock are some of the harsh realities farmers in South Australia's Riverland and Mallee regions continue to face.  Local women are stepping up in more ways than one, in the hope of keeping their communities together during some of the worst conditions seen in decades.

Transcript

00:00You try to hold yourself together, but sometimes you just can't.

00:11Sleepless nights agonising over decisions to sell more livestock have become the norm for Louise Smith.

00:17Her herd of 350 cattle has been reduced to just 24.

00:22We don't have a continuous cash flow coming in, like we'd probably be better off going on the dole

00:26and knowing you've got a cheque coming in every, well, money coming in every two weeks.

00:31Rainfall is below half the annual average. Crops have failed for three years.

00:36Just the perception of when it rains, oh, it rains everywhere, everyone's happy.

00:40No, it doesn't quite happen that way. And, yeah, that farmers are all rich, it's, yeah, no way.

00:46Most of us are struggling.

00:48I think we are going to see a lot more suicides.

00:53I think it's frightening how far it is with farming.

00:59Workshops are being offered to help farmers cope.

01:02We actually all have mental health, like we all have physical health.

01:07And so, you know, if you're not physically fit, it doesn't necessarily mean you're disabled.

01:12And again, if you're not mentally fit, it doesn't necessarily mean you've got a mental illness.

01:17Susie Evans knows how important it is to be supported after losing her son to suicide.

01:23It's not a competition. We're all in it together.

01:26It's for the betterment of our community and for our farming families and for moving forward.

01:31The drought is continuing to take a toll on farming communities.

01:35And it's often women who are stepping up to help.

01:37While some are offering mental health support, others are creating art to raise awareness.

01:42My other side of my photography, which is about families and motherhood,

01:45I love capturing all the emotions, not just the happy, wonderful parts.

01:49So I really like to share the real elements of what we're going through with the drought.

01:54Kyara Fisher is witnessing the burden of the drought from her fifth generation family farm

02:00and sharing the reality on social media.

02:02Most farmers will say that their neighbours have done more for them this season than the government ever will.

02:08And that just breaks my heart. And that's what we're trying to drive change for.

02:14The state government has promised $73 million in drought assistance.

02:18But many farmers say they'll continue to face heartbreaking choices.

02:22It's going to be a solid two to three years to try to recover.

02:26Just one step at a time, little bits, and yeah, pull through.

02:31A long road ahead come rain or shine.

02:34A long road ahead come rain or shine.

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