The research aims to develop practical tools, workshops and guidance for agricultural employers and workers
A new Harper Adams study will explore whether farming is doing enough to recognise and support the strengths of neurodivergent people working across the industry.
Agronomist and soil adviser Karen Fisher, from Ludlow, hopes to begin a multi-year PhD examining neurodiversity in agriculture, drawing on both her professional experience and her own ADHD diagnosis.
The research will look at the experiences of neurodivergent people working in farming and land-based sectors, including the barriers they face, the strengths they bring and what employers could do differently.
Fisher believes the work could be particularly valuable at a time when agriculture is already struggling to attract and retain workers.
“There are lots of those strengths we need in farming and agriculture for innovation and transitioning the way we’re farming,” she said.
“I think we struggle to attract and retain individuals in the industry anyway so I want the PhD to be able to get people’s experiences of that.”
Fisher has more than 20 years of experience in agriculture, including roles with AGRII as an environmental specialist and agronomist and with the Soil Association’s Farm and Land Use team.
She was diagnosed with ADHD during lockdown at the age of 39, an experience which prompted her to look more closely at neurodivergence in rural industries.
“I was diagnosed as having ADHD in lockdown, aged 39,” she said.
“Like a lot of people, I had a fairly narrow idea of how it presented at first, but I had some coaching, did a lot of research into it and realised how much there was to discover.”
She went on to establish Harvesting Potentials, providing coaching, training and advocacy for neurodivergent people alongside her agricultural advisory and agronomy work.
Fisher said the two areas of her work increasingly began to overlap.
“The two worlds collided really – and anecdotally, there are more individuals who identify as neurodivergent working within the land-based sectors than in many others.”
She also co-founded the Rural Neurodivergent Network, which was launched in January to connect neurodivergent people across rural industries and create a stronger support network.
Despite being relatively new, the group has grown through word-of-mouth connections.
Fisher now hopes her PhD will provide a clearer picture of the experiences of both formally diagnosed and self-diagnosed neurodivergent people working in agriculture.
She wants to explore what people find difficult, where their strengths lie and what practical changes could help them in the workplace.
“Hidden talent is a huge part of it, because historically the medical model meant that for neurotypes to be diagnosed, you look at the things people struggle with, the deficits: but actually, on the flipside of that, there’s different ways that people work, bringing different strengths.”
The research could also look at relatively simple workplace changes, such as clearer communication and instructions, which Fisher believes could make a significant difference.
“It could help people feel less worried about telling employers - or to advocate for things which would make doing their work easier for them, such as clearer communication and instructions.”
She also argues that some traits often associated with neurodivergence can be strengths in agricultural businesses.
“One of the positives I see in ADHD individuals like myself is that impulsiveness is a trait diagnosed with ADHD, but actually I have found that for myself and a lot of other individuals within farming, that impulsiveness hasn’t been a bad thing.”
Fisher has secured a bursary covering 75% of her PhD course fees through the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust Centenary Award.
She plans to become self-employed and complete the PhD alongside her consultancy work, although she is seeking additional financial support.
The project is intended to produce practical benefits for the sector, including workshops, materials and tools that could be tested with agricultural businesses.
Fisher also hopes it will help expand the Rural Neurodivergent Network and reduce isolation among people working in farming and other rural industries.
“If I can help people find that community, find ‘their tribe’ and likeminded people – if I can reduce that loneliness and let people know they aren’t the only person struggling with these issues - that’s a good thing.”