Jólléti gazdálkodás – új nézőpontok az agrárgazdaságban

The well-being of farmers and agricultural workers receives relatively little attention in domestic public discourse and scientific discourses. The aim of the article is to examine the well-being of farmers, including the evaluation of their characteristics related to health, mental well-being, personal relationships, and trust. During the research work that underpinned the study, in addition to scientific sources, we analyzed various statistical data from Eurostat and the Central Statistical Office. We used the data on mental well-being, health, and trust in institutions from the 2016 Microcensus subjective well-being survey, preliminary data from the 2020 Agricultural Census, the results of the FLINT project assessing test farms, and we conducted semi-structured interviews. The most important results of the study can be summarized below. Working in the agricultural sector is more physically and mentally demanding than in other sectors, which can be partly explained by the fact that farmers are exposed to higher levels of stress. Farmers have the most positive opinions about the content of their activities, the quality of their living environment and their current job, while they are the most dissatisfied with their own and their household income and the time they can spend doing things they like. Among the factors that positively influence the well-being of those working in agriculture, the following can be highlighted: a secure and calm family background, relaxation and free time, as well as the existence of personal relationships and cooperation. Among the factors that negatively affect their well-being, the following were mentioned: political public sentiment, unpredictable economic environment, labor shortage, excessive administration, isolation and loneliness, a feeling of uncertainty about the future, lack of time for relaxation and rest, monotonous work, lack of recognition and appreciation, and stress caused by market, livelihood, and weather risks. It can be said that trust in people is low for the entire population, but even lower among those who earn their living from agriculture. A similar trend characterizes trust in institutions. The range of factors that adversely affect the well-being of farmers is apparently quite wide, but systemic solutions that fit the specificities of the sector have not yet been developed to remedy them. As a result, the health, mental well-being, and self-esteem of farmers could improve significantly, which could also result in benefits that can be interpreted at the macroeconomic level.