1. Background: a health challenge hidden in plain sight
Irish farmers are the backbone of rural life – but behind the strength, resilience and pride of this community lies an uncomfortable truth.
Many farmers work long hours, face financial uncertainty, and live in relative isolation. Research shows they are at higher risk of stress, depression, injury, and chronic health problems. Yet their own needs often come last.
“I’ve met countless hardworking farmers who keep going despite pain, fatigue, or worry – but rarely stop to look after themselves,” says Laura Tully, a nurse with over 25 years’ experience in rural health. “That’s what inspired me to start Fit Farmers – to make self-care part of everyday farm life.”
Launched in 2019, the Fit Farmers Programme offers a six-week lifestyle course combining practical health education, group exercise and peer connection. It quickly built a strong reputation, helping hundreds of farmers improve mental health, strength, and mobility.
However, one limitation remained: once a programme ended, there was no easy way for participants – or those who couldn’t attend – to keep accessing trusted guidance and support.
That’s where the Fit Farmers App comes in.
2. The evolution of the Fit Farmers App
In 2024, Laura Tully partnered with Expert Self Care Ltd, a UK-based digital health company led by GP Dr Knut Schroeder. Expert Self Care specialises in evidence-based, PIF TICK-certified mobile apps for underserved groups – from students with mental health issues and struggling young carers to people who self-harm, feel suicidal, or have an eating disorder.
Together, the partners set out to create a digital extension of the Fit Farmers programme – a free, accessible hub for health and wellbeing support, co-created with farmers, for farmers.
“We wanted to design something that felt familiar, local and trustworthy,” says Knut. “Farmers don’t need another app telling them what to do – they need clear, down-to-earth information that respects their reality.”
3. The gap we sought to fill
Before development began, informal interviews with farmers revealed recurring barriers:
- Time and access: Health information often assumes people can take time off or travel to appointments – unrealistic during lambing or harvest seasons.
- Lack of trust: Generic online health advice felt distant or unreliable.
- Connectivity: Patchy rural Wi-Fi limits access to online resources.
- Privacy: Some farmers wanted to learn about mental health or stress privately, without stigma.
The Fit Farmers App was designed to bridge those gaps – providing a credible, offline-ready resource that empowers farmers to take charge of their health anytime, anywhere – with a focus on mental health.
4. Development and Co-Creation
The app was built on Expert Self Care’s proven framework – already trusted by universities, NHS teams and charities – and adapted to fit rural Ireland’s context. Co-creation was central from the start.
Development stages:
- Content scoping: Mapping farmer-relevant health and lifestyle topics – mental health, general wellbeing, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress, pain, relationships, safety and farm life.
- Farmer consultation: Testing language, imagery and tone with farming groups in Roscommon, Ireland.
- Content creation: Translating clinical evidence into plain English, reviewed by health professionals and farmers alike.
- Design and build: Using Expert Self Care’s modular app framework for rapid, compliant development (PIF TICK, ORCHA and DTAC aligned).
- Testing: Pilot users checked readability, usability and relevance; feedback directly informed layout and navigation.
Co-creation insight:
Farmers strongly preferred ‘straight-talking’ content. Visual simplicity mattered more than animations or gamification. The tone needed to sound like ‘someone who understands farm life’.
5. Challenges and lessons learned
Every innovation journey brings lessons. For Fit Farmers, three stood out:
- Balancing clinical rigour with authenticity. Translating medical evidence into language farmers trust required collaboration between nurses, GPs and farmers themselves. Overly technical language alienated users. Too casual risked losing credibility.
- Designing for low-connectivity settings. Many rural users rely on a weak signal. Ensuring full offline functionality and fast loading became a top priority.
- Engaging male farmers in wellbeing conversations. Subtle framing – emphasising performance, energy and safety – helped make the content appeal to men. Phrasing like ‘keeping fit for farm work’ resonated far better than ‘looking after your mental health” alone.
“One farmer told us he downloaded it because he didn’t have time to read leaflets,” says Laura. “Now he checks it most mornings with his tea.”
6. Implementation and impact
The Fit Farmers App officially launched in September 2025 at the National Ploughing Championships, Ireland’s largest outdoor event, with support from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Within the first month:
- Downloads: 400+
- Coverage: Featured on Irish RTÉ Radio 1, Agriland Media, The Westmeath Independent, The Roscommon Herald and other publications, as well as having a reach of 25K+ views on social media
- Feedback survey: 19 out of 23 responders (86.4%) rated the app 5/5, the remaining 4 scored it 4 out of 5 (13.6%). 20 out of 23 (86.4%) scored 10/10 on the likelihood of recommending the app to family and friends. The topics users find most useful are:
- Healthy Living: 86.4%
- Body Health: 86.4%
- Mood & Mind: 81.8%
Users wrote:
- “Easy to navigate”
- “It is always available on the phone”
- “Very user friendly”
- “Easy to navigate. Informative”
- “Lots of important info at your fingertips”
- “Everything is good about it, as it is always there to fall back on when you need help with any problems that may arise in your life”
- “Helpful in all aspects of wellbeing”
7. Key insights for global peers
The Fit Farmers app project offers transferable insights for anyone designing digital health tools for hard-to-reach groups:
| Learning | Practical takeaway |
| Start from lived experience | Co-creation ensures cultural fit and language authenticity |
| Offline first | Build for low connectivity from the outset, not as an add-on |
| Keep tone local and human | Replace jargon with everyday phrasing. |
| Align with trusted brands | Endorsements from agricultural and health agencies drive adoption |
| Blend digital and community models | The app complements, not replaces, face-to-face programmes. |
8. Future plans: 2025 and beyond
The 2025-2026 roadmap focuses on growth, partnerships and evidence.
1. Expansion across Ireland.
Fit Farmers aims to reach all 26 counties by mid-2026, supported by regional partners.
2. New content sections.
In development:
- Resources to complement the Fit Farmers in-person programme
- Video content
- Interactive content
3. Evaluation and research.
Plans are in place to collaborate with university researchers on long-term impact evaluation, exploring links between digital engagement and health outcomes – with a focus on mental health.
4. Commercial and community sustainability.
Sponsorship opportunities are being opened to agricultural businesses and cooperatives keen to demonstrate their social commitment while reaching farming audiences responsibly.
9. Reflections
“What makes Fit Farmers special,” says Knut, “is that it’s rooted in trust. Farmers helped build it, so they recognise themselves in it. That’s the essence of successful digital health – people see their world reflected back at them.”
“This app gives farmers something they’ve never really had – a reliable, Irish, farming-focused source of wellbeing advice,” adds Laura.
10. Contact
Dr Knut Schroeder
GP and Founder & Director, Expert Self Care Ltd
Laura Tully
Registered Nurse and Founder & Lead, Fit Farmers Programme
