Design Science and Innovation

P. K. Nag

L. P. Gite

Human-Centered

Agriculture

Ergonomics and Human Factors Applied

Design Science and Innovation

Series Editor

Amaresh Chakrabarti, Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing, Indian

Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

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More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/15399

P. K. Nag

•

L. P. Gite

Human-Centered Agriculture

Ergonomics and Human Factors Applied

123

P. K. Nag

Environment and Disaster Management

Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda

Educational and Research Institute

(Deemed University)

Kolkata, West Bengal, India

L. P. Gite

AICRP, Ergonomics and Safety

in Agriculture

Central Institute of Agricultural

Engineering (ICAR)

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

ISSN 2509-5986 ISSN 2509-5994 (electronic)

Design Science and Innovation

ISBN 978-981-15-7268-5 ISBN 978-981-15-7269-2 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7269-2

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The book is dedica ted to the few who spend

their lives in feeding all of humanity

Preface

About 12 millennia ago, the humankind recognized that food and feed could be

produced from the cultivation of plants. This discovery of humankind is the highest

achievement in the history of time for subsistence and survival of eight billion

people today. Dr. Norman Borlaug, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, aptly expressed—

Civilization, as it is known today, could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without

an adequate food supply. About one billion people sweat in agriculture to pro-

duce nearly 3 billion tonnes of food grains and other food commodities. Whereas

corporatization and value-added commercial farming in the Western world witness

incorporation of gigantic farm machinery, automation, and robotic application, the

scenario is gloomy in Asia, Africa, and other developing countries. The predominant

farm workforce belongs to small and marginal farm holdi ngs, with their primary

dependence on the traditional farming methods, by using animal power or through

sectoral mechanization. Undoubtedly, improvement in lif e and living of the work-

force bears the fundamental focus towards sustainable food security and the liveli-

hood of the majority of the rural population.

The traditional farming practices are drudgery-prone. The newer farm machines,

if not correctly designed and operated, can lead to a higher number of accidents and

injuries. Besides, health hazards of the farmworkers arise from the exposure of

workplace stress agents such as vibration, noise, dust, climatic stress, and toxic

agrochemicals. The present book titled as Human-Centered Agriculture comes out

of the authors’ clear understanding that the farmers and farmworkers deserve a

decent living with reduced drudgery, better health and safety, and productivity at

the workplace. The sublime of the present contribution evolves from the prophetic

message of W. B. Jastrzebowski, the Polish professor who pioneered the discipline

of ergonomics and human factors, that made the proclamation Work is the mother of

all good ... Work enriches us, making us more like unto the divine. Man’s forces

and faculties evolve in the form of physical labour, aesthetic, rational, and moral

(expressing labour, entertainmen t, reasoning, and dedication).

An effort has gone into concept ualizing the content of the book, bringing an

assimilated convergence of the knowledge base of physiology, ergonomics and

human factors, agricultural engineering, and behavioural and health sciences.

vii

Literature source materials have been drawn from extensive electronic searching of

databases and manual searching of journals, proceedings, and standards in the

related domain. In-depth scrutiny of literature gives a perception of scatteredness

of the source materials in terms of the strength and consistency of evidence on the

speciﬁc subject matter. Field experiments, observational studies, and design inter-

ventions on farming tools and practices were considered persuasive in selecting the

source materials. Due to scatteredness, however, the selection of studies was par-

tially purposive. Potentially unfamiliar numerical and statistical derivations have

generally been avoided. Many national and international standards are quoted in

related chapters despite the usual brevity in the public domain.

With the view of the multi-disciplinary readership, the book is organized into six

major areas of importance, namely agriculture growth and development (Part I),

fundamentals of ergonomics and human factors (Part II), farm development (Part

III), health and safety (Part IV), ergonomics application in design (Part V), and

health services in agriculture (Part VI).

Part I, Agriculture growth and development, brings a brief overview of world

agriculture and workforce including women in farming (Chap. 1) and elaborates the

conventional farming work methods and practices in small landholding (Chap. 2).

Part II, Fundamentals of ergonomics and human factors, includes the conceptual

understanding of the subje ct matter about work and workplace design in farming.

The part embodies the historical emergence of the discipline of ergonomics and

human factors and its gradual penetration in agricultural practices (Chap. 3), the

workplace drudgery in farming activities (Chap. 4), the scope of work scheduling

and work–rest cycles to mitigating drudgery and fatigue (Chap. 5), and human

dimensional and strength compatibility requirements in the design of farm tools and

machinery (Chap. 6).

Part III, Farm development, brings an analysis of the disparities of farm

mechanization in different geographical regions. Di scussion emphasizes the quan-

titative approaches in estimating the mechanization index and evaluating farm

mechanization (Chap. 7). Part IV, Health and safety, covers an analysis of world

scenario of farm accidents and injuries and accident prevention interventions

(Chap. 8), and the gamut of health hazards prevailing in farming (Chap. 9). The

cumulative health hazards arise due to the exposure to noise and vibration, climatic

stress, and dust emanates from crop and cropping. A special section elucidates the

issues of pesticide and chemical toxicity, including guidance on safety and health

(Chap. 10).

Part V, Ergonomics application in design, covers a summary of ergo-design

criteria for farm tools and machine ry (Chap. 11). Chapter 12 deals wi th the speciﬁc

application of ergonomics in the design of selected farm tools and equipment. The

examples include hand tools and manual- and power-operated farm machines that

are used by both men and women. Chapter 13 e xtends the application of ergo-

nomics principles in the design of the tractor and power tiller operator’s workplace.

In summ ary, Part V provides illustrations of the application of the anthropometric

and muscle strength data in the ergo-design of the workplace, farm tools, and

machinery of representative interest. The professionals can use the concept and

viii Preface

population-speciﬁc data in order to make the design of the farming devices more

human-centred, safe, comfortable, productive, and user-friendly. Part VI, Health

services in agriculture, is a composite account of the systems approach in occu-

pational health and safety (OHS) services and management (Chap. 14). The con-

tribution elucidates national, international, and sectoral OHSMS schemes and

models, including the basic occupational health services, for development and

adoption of OHS system in informal agriculture. A national-level model framework

of OHS management in agriculture is suggested.

The professionals of allied agricultural sciences, ergonomics and safety, and the

manufacturers of farm tools and machinery are welcome to suitably adopt and

amend the ergo-design criteria to reﬂect conditions in particular farm machinery

design and development. Needless to reiterate, any modiﬁcation of criteria may

require a thorough understanding of the interacting factors. Some guidance points

have moved up and down from basic principles to practical hints, within a chapter

and across chapters. This approach was intended to allow the smooth ﬂow of

information for readers to comprehend the subject of study effectively and use in a

suitable intervention.

Communication among all concerned is a critical element in recognizing the

expectations and requirements of farmworkers and innovating farming practices.

A signiﬁcant body of emphasis on ergonomics and human factors application is

evident in sizeable mechanized farming in the West. The insights into

solution-oriented intervention, along with the objective assessment of farmworkers’

perspectives, call for systematic data, which is scanty or at most at the embryonic

stage in developing countries. The All India Coordinated Research Project

(AICRP) on Ergonomics and Safety in Agriculture of the Indian Council of

Agricultural Research (ICAR) is a landmark initiative that spreads over 12 coop-

erating centres to research on ergonomics in agriculture. Similar federative

endeavour in other geographic regions will form a strong foundation for effective

ergonomics application.

Growth in agriculture will depend in large part on getting effective technologies

into the hands of farmers. An obvious priority is to bring greater awareness among

farmers and farmworkers, society, and governments about safety and health issues

in agriculture. The vast majority of farmworkers in small landholdings are not well

privileged to understand the research implications of ergonomics in agriculture, due

to their lack of resources as well as knowledge constraints. Often a country imports

farm machinery and technologies that are manufactured for user compatibility of

another country. Due to country-wise differences in anthropometric and physio-

logical parameters of people, many times, the technologies manufactured and found

successful in one country become a reason for increased injuries and health hazards

in another country. The concept of anthropotechnology put forward by Prof. Alain

Wisner of CNAM (Paris) emphasized attention in manufacturing machines and

exporting technologies to other countries.

The book evolves as an overview of agricultural ergonomics, and several

examples have been drawn from the data of Indian farming scenario explaining the

man–machine compatibility of the user population. Hope that this book serves as a

Preface ix

handy reference to those engaged in research, health and safety, teaching and

extension, designing and manufacturing, and policymaking on farming practices.

The young students, professionals, and local support givers to the farming com-

munity may ﬁnd an inspiration to reinvigorate the zeal for innovating better con-

ditions of work at the farming scenario. Different stakeholders will ﬁnd the book

useful in adopting anthropotechnology concepts in the ergo-design of farm

machinery and equipment. Aspiring that if even a tiny portion of the present

contribution is found useful in creating sustainable agriculture, the authors will feel

gratiﬁed and well repaid of their labour.

Kolkata, India P. K. Nag, Ph.D., D.Sc.

Bhopal, India L. P. Gite, M.Tech., Ph.D.

x Preface