Four friends from Pretoria are jet skiing along South Africa’s coastline to shine a spotlight on the pressures farmers face and the toll on their mental health, through the Coast 2 Coast 4 Farmers initiative.
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Farmer’s Weekly caught up with Carlo Smuts, marketing manager at Design Biologix and spearhead of the initiative, shortly after he and his friends, Henry Lubbe, Ruan Jordaan, and Louren Mahoney, refuelled near Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape.
Smuts said they had been ‘blessed with beautiful weather’ on day five of the journey, allowing them to cover 50km to 60km from Port St Johns earlier that morning before stopping to refuel. They hoped to reach the Transkei coast by evening, from where they planned to relaunch the following morning.
With the team eager to get back on the water, Smuts had only a few moments to stress that the trip’s goal is to highlight the challenges many farmers face. For this reason, the group deliberately chose not to have a support crew.
“There is no roadside assistance. We must do everything ourselves, from checking and repairing the Jet Skis to arranging transport for fuel and organising food,” he explained.
“It has been an incredible journey so far, but our hands are blistered and sore. The trip has been made easier by the amazing support and friendliness we’ve encountered along the way.”
The team started their journey on 13 March at Sodwana Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, travelling up to Kosi Bay before heading down the coastline. They plan to circumnavigate South Africa’s coast, finishing at Alexander Bay in the Northern Cape. If conditions allow, they hope to complete the nearly 3 000km journey in about 16 days.
Karen Nel, CEO of Design Biologix, one of several sponsors, said the initiative aims to shine a light on an often-overlooked issue.
“People don’t really talk about the mental health challenges farmers face. [Smuts] works closely with farmers and has seen first-hand the need to highlight this, as pressures such as animal diseases, financial strain, unfavourable climatic conditions, and market uncertainty continue to mount,” she said.
Nel added that the goal is not only to raise awareness but also to mobilise support. “With this initiative, these four friends, together with sponsors like us, want to tell farmers: we know we’re not in your shoes and can’t fully understand what you’re going through, but we see you, we appreciate you, and you are not alone.”
Research supports these concerns. A study titled ‘Suicide among farmers: a scoping review of trends across countries and cultures’, published in Current Psychology in December 2025, found that the agriculture sector has one of the highest suicide rates globally, despite the common perception of farming as a peaceful, healthy lifestyle.
Factors linked to increased suicide risk among farmers include drought, financial pressure and debt, administrative burdens, relationship difficulties, the isolation of rural life, underlying mental health conditions, substance use, coping challenges, and access to firearms.
As the team continues its journey along the coastline, battling fatigue and rough conditions without a support crew, their message remains clear: farmers should not have to face their struggles alone.
They urge the public and the agricultural community to start conversations around mental health, support one another, and back initiatives that aid farmers and their families.
Follow the Coast to Coast 4 Farmers journey on Facebook.
