By Ruvimbo Jeche

Talk of my best childhood moments? Definitely life at my aunt’s farm, the space, the air and the variety of food was everything for me. Farm life for me is just the engine that runs all faculties of this life. Generally, farming provides us with a wide variety of benefits: from the food on our tables, and raw materials for manufacturing, to oxygen for our environment and livelihoods for those who work in the sector. But do you know there are also numerous health benefits associated with working on a farm? Here are the top reasons why farm work can benefit your health.

 

Farm work keeps you fit

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars for a gym membership. You can get all your cardiovascular exercise and strength training done as part of a day’s work. Farmworkers can get a healthy dose of cardio every day walking in wide-open fields tending crops. Yes, it’s true that farm work can be laborious, but you can get in your strength training just by lifting, bending, pulling, and pushing as you perform various farm tasks.

 

Working outdoors improves physical well-being

Working outdoors gives you essential vitamin D as you soak up the sun while tilling the fields. Absorbing enough of this natural “sunshine vitamin” will help your body better absorb calcium and phosphorus to develop strong bones and teeth, and to build a more robust immune system.

 

Being outdoors improves mental health

Instead of working in cubicles and under the glare of artificial lights, choose working on the farm. Farm work offers picturesque views, open fields underneath the vast blue sky, fresh air, and the sun, a huge mood booster. Getting enough sunshine reduces depression. Research has shown that vitamin D plays a role in regulating mood which contributes to mental healing. Working with plants and participating in farming activities can trigger healing responses in people. In fact, some health professionals prescribe horticulture therapy to help encourage relaxation and to reduce stress, blood pressure, and muscle tension.
Working the land gives you a deeper appreciation for nature and farmers

I bet farming is everything and tending the fields does so much more for the body and soul