Ergonomics for sustainable agriculture and food security

Abstract

Agricultural development is essential to minimize poverty, enhance broader prosperity, and supply food to an increased population in the future. Labor-intensive agriculture is common in low and middle-income countries. Small and medium-scale farm operations are predominant in those countries and the diffusion of technologies is slower when compared to countries with higher income levels. Farmworks usually involve a higher level of physical activities and manual labor, which push farmworkers to a posture with a high risk of causing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The workforce is the most valuable asset of any production operation. Therefore, serious attention should be given to working conditions for improving productivity and output quality. The MSDs can cause severe long-term negative consequences such as reduced workers’ productivity, a decline in farm income, other health problems such as depression or stress, and poor quality of life. Such negative consequences lead to less productive farming activities, impacting food security. Several ergonomic interventions in the agriculture and livestock production sector indicate improvements in productivity and performance by sustaining workers’ health. Ergonomic interventions create a common environment wherein farmers and their employers collaborate; this would benefit employees from enhanced safety, health, comfort, improved user-friendliness of tools, equipment, and software, and improved quality of work life, whereas employers can benefit from reduced costs and improved productivity. Sustainable agriculture requires a healthy workforce with sustainable human well-being, which is a vital part of a profitable and sustainable agricultural industry. The sustainability of farm workers’ well-being requires significant input from ergonomics. Plenty of research is conducted on agriculture ergonomics to address the health, well-being, and effectiveness of farm workers. However, more research on the micro-ergonomics level may be needed when considering the workforce’s contribution to agriculture and agriculture’s contribution to the country’s economy and food security.