Farmers’ food literacy: A scoping review

Farming has often been identified as a way of life. According to the Census of Agriculture (2023), 299,725 persons are involved within the agricultural labour force in Ireland, of which 66% are males and 34% are females (Central Statistics Office (CSO), 2024). This represents a sizeable occupational group in Ireland representing just over 5% of the population. Increasing evidence in research suggests that Irish farmers are disproportionately affected by non- communicable diseases (NCDs) in comparison to the general public (Smyth et al., 2013). van Doorn et al. (2017) suggests that despite international findings suggesting that farmers have better health outcomes than other occupation groups, Irish farmers are found to be a high- risk group for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Male farmers in Ireland also experience adverse health outcomes related to cancer (Smyth et al., 2013). While extensive research has been executed in relation to health, particularly mental health and the farming community, to date there is a dearth of research pertaining to farmers’ food literacy (FL). By utilising a food literacy framework, this research serves to explain the interplay of food related skills, beliefs, knowledge and practices, all of which contribute to nutritional health and wellbeing of farmers.

A scoping review was chosen as the most appropriate method for conducting this investigation. This type of research synthesis allowed for mapping of existing literature of the topic aiming to identify key concepts, highlight gaps within this literature and collate evidence (of various types) (Munn et al., 2022). A review of papers assessing food literacy of farmers in Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Complete and PubMed was undertaken up to September 2024. Each paper met strict eligibility criteria for inclusion following the adoption of the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).

After reviewing titles and abstracts and applying the exclusion criteria, 38 articles were deemed eligible for inclusion. Results demonstrate a scarcity of articles from a European context. Studies reported on nutritional knowledge, dietary diversity and food intake. All 38 included studies displayed evidence of aspects of FL; however, during the time of the literature search, no study specifically explored all components and domains of FL included in the Vidgen and Gallegos framework (Vidgen and Gallegos, 2014). The scoping review mapped the existing literature pertaining to farmers and FL and, in turn, revealed critical gaps. The review established the need for further research to explore and address these gaps.