Wu, Qi, Pierre Mérel and Richard Sexton

from ARE Update Vol. 26, No. 5, May/Jun, 2023

View Article PDF: Economic and Climatic Determinants of U.S. Farmer Suicide

Abstract

Farmers around the world commit suicide at high rates relative to the general population, but factors causing farmers to commit suicide are not well understood. We study the role of economic and climatic factors in farmer suicide in the United States from 1999–2017 based on a panel of county-level data. We find that extreme heat is positively associated with farmer suicide. Chronic unfavorable economic conditions are also associated with an increase in farmer suicide.

Keywords

Climate change, depression, extreme heat, farmer suicide, farm economy.

Citation

Wu, Qi, Pierre Mérel and Richard Sexton. 2023. "Economic and Climatic Determinants of U.S. Farmer Suicide." ARE Update 26(5): 9-11. University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics.
https://giannini.ucop.edu/filer/file/1688422501/20720/