Alleviation: An International Journal of Nutrition, Gender & Social Development, ISSN 2348-9340
Volume 3, Number 3 (2016) : 32-36
©Arya PG College, Panipat & Business Press India Publication, Delhi
www.aryapgcollege.com, www.apcjournals.com

Characterization of Drudgery and Drudgery Load in Wheat Production System of Hill Region

1. Deepa Vinay *,2. Seema Kwatra,3. Suneeta Sharma & 4 Kumkum Pandey
1 Professor, 2 Professor, 3 Junior Scientist & 4 Senior research Fellow>
Department of Family Resource Management, College of Home Science,
GBPUA & T, Pantnagar, U.S. Nagar
(Uttarakhand), India
*Email: deepasharma1416@rediffmail.com

Introduction

With rice, wheat is the world's most favored staple food. It is a major diet component because of the wheat plant’s agronomic adaptability with the ability to grow from near arctic regions to equator, from sea level to plains of Tibet. Wheat is the most important source of carbohydrate in majority of regions in the country. Wheat protein is easily digested by majority of human population. Wheat also contains a diversity of minerals, vitamins and fats (Lipids). Soil preparation and seed placement technological advances and advances in harvesting methods have all combined to promote wheat as a viable crop. The average wheat production of the country is more 1, 200 kg per hectare. The yield is higher on irrigated lands. So it became necessary to study the major workforce, gender participation, technology satisfaction and the extent of drudgery involved in wheat production system so that efforts can be made to enhance the productivity by reducing stress and strain of the worker.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in five villages of Hill and Tarai agroclimatic zone of Uttarakhand State. Descriptive and experimental research designs were planned in order to achieve the objectives of the study. Thirty respondents (Males and females) from the above said locale were selected by using random sampling method. Interview schedule and experimental tables were developed and tested to record the general information about crop calendar, level of gender participation, technology usage satisfaction, physical workload, intensity of strain load, musculoskeletal discomfort and physiological workload in weeding, bird watching/scaring, cutting, picking and bunding activities of wheat production system. Further, collected data were statistically analyzed by using the descriptive statistics i.e. frequency, percentage and mean score.

Results and Discussion

Crop Calendar

The Crop Calendar provides timely information about seeds to promote local crop production. It contains information on, sowing and harvesting periods in specific agro-ecological zones. In Uttarakhand sowing of wheat crop is done starting from first week of November to last week of November in early sowing varieties whereas late varieties of wheat are sown from first week of December till the end of December or in some cases of very late varieties sown in first week of January. From the period of sowing to harvesting which is done in the month of April, irrigation and fertilizer application is also done as per the requirement of the crop from time to time.

Weeding of Wheat Crop

Gender participation and technology usage: It can be seen from the data on weeding activity of wheat crop that there was women dominance as far as the gender participation of farm workers concerned (Table 1). The entire percentage of respondent engaged in weeding performed the activity manually with the use of sickle/khurpi. In this concern, Mishra et al. (2013) also stated that improved sickle resulted in higher field capacity than simple sickle because of less pushing force required operating the sickle, which resulted in higher cutting speed and also found increased output with better harvesting efficiency and reduced drudgery.

The mean calculated value of satisfaction as per the technology usage was recorded as 1.3. It indicates that majority of the respondents were fully satisfied except few. The average weight of load which was carried by all the workers was recorded as 0.25 kg and covered a distance of 2.29 kms (Table 2).

Activity and factor wise drudgery load: The findings of physical load rating and the average load rating were recorded as 3.1 and 0.53 respectively with an average physical load of 1.66 (Table 2). On the basis of physical load rating scores, the weeding activity could be categorized as moderately heavy. Squatting posture was adopted while performing the activity by all the respondents

Results related to the body parts involved along with discomfort rating scores indicate that the maximum discomfort was found in lower back (4.43), followed by upper back (4.36), lower leg and upper legs (4.36) respectively as reported by the respondents (Table 3). Few of the respondents also reported pain/discomfort in lower arm (3.23), followed by neck (3.3), upper arm (3.2) and shoulder (3.2) respectively but the intensity of discomfort in later case was of medium degree. Based on the above observations, it can be concluded that the respondents faced severe level of discomfort in performing weeding activity.

Postural load factor was calculated as 3 and posture load of weeding activity was found to be 11.46 out of 15 maximum attainable scores (Table 3). The entire population performing weeding perceived repetitive strain. The average repetitive rating strain was tabulated as 4.06 with repetitive strain load factor of 12.2 (Table 4).

Tabulating the responses with respect to physiological load among the respondents, the average physiological load rating was found to be 3.53, whereas, physiological load factor and physiological load were found to be 2, and 7.06 respectively (Table 5).

Data regarding the duration of the activity reveal that on an average, the respondent had to work for 6.06 hours/ day for an average of 3.5 days /acre/ season by employing 3.8 no. of labor and no. of men days/season were 10.4 (Table 6).
Data related to average work load as per time recorded to be 3.7, followed by time factor of 3.46 and time load of 12.86 respectively.

Table 6: Duration/Time Spent by the Respondents in Performing Major Wheat Production Activities N=30

Total no. of body parts involved in performing weeding was 11.2 along with sum of discomfort rating of 111.3, followed by average pain rating of 9.93. MSD load factor score was recorded as 3 with MSD load of 6 (Table 7). The overall drudgery load mean value was found to 51.26. (Table 8).

Table 8: Drudgery Load under Major Activities in Wheat Production
N=30

Bird Watching/Scaring

Gender participation and technology usage: The data pertaining to watching/bird scaring of weeding activity shows an equal participation of men and women (Table 1). No technology was required for bird watching. Similar findings were also reported by Sharma et al (2001). The respondents were found satisfied. The physical load factor was recorded as 2, categorizing the activity as somewhat light. Standing and bending posture was maintained during the course of activity (Table 2).

Activity and factor wise drudgery load: The results related to the body part involved along with discomfort rating revealed that the maximum mean value was found 3 for lower back, upper back, lower leg, upper leg, lower arm, upper arm and discomfort rating of 2 was recorded in neck, shoulder so it can be concluded that the activity can be of mild to moderate category (Table 3).
As per the findings, the sum of discomfort rating was found to be 22 and overall average discomfort rating classified the activity as mild to moderate category. The posture load factor was calculated as 3 out of 15 maximum attainable scores, whereas the average posture load was calculated as 7.9.

Repetitive strain was observed as far as the nature of strain was concerned. The respondents were mild exhausted while bird watching with average repetitive strain load factor of 3 and repetitive strain load of 6 out of 15 scores (Table 4).
The physiological load during the execution of the activity was found to be low as the activity was observed light (Table 5).
Tabulating the responses with respect to hour/day in bird watching activity, it was found that the activity is of less duration with an average of 1.4 hour/day for 5.3 days in an acre. Only 1.2 no. of labor were employed with 1.05 no. of men days/season (Table 6).
The mean value of work load as per time was calculated as 1.63, thus required less duration of time engagement. The time load factor was found to be 2 and time load was observed as 3.26.
The total no. of body parts involved as per discomfort rating was 7 with the average pain rating of 4.53. Based on the above observation MSD load factor and MSD load was found to be 3 (Table 7). The average drudgery load was recorded as 28.84 (Table 8).

Cutting of Wheat Crop

Gender participation and technology usage: The data on the gender participation showed an equal participation of men and women for cutting of wheat (Table 1). The activity was performed using sickle/ darati with satisfaction score of 1.64 which indicates that nearly 75 per cent of the respondents were found satisfied with the use of technology/tool they were using. On an average 250 g of weight was carried by them and the average distance covered during crop cutting was up to 2.21 kms up to the height of 1.47 meters.
Activity and factor wise drudgery load: As per the values recorded for physical load rating, the activity of crop cutting can be classified as moderately heavy task (Table 2).
In crop cutting, standing and bending posture were adopted by all the respondents. The data regarding body parts involved along with discomfort rating revealed that the maximum discomfort was found in lower back (4.7) and lower leg (4.4), followed by shoulder and lower arm (4.3), upper back (3.83), upper leg (3.61), upper arm (3.8), and hip (1) respectively (Table 3).
The mean value of discomfort rating was found to 12.8 whereas the average discomfort rating was calculated as 3.90. The posture load was also calculated as 3 out of 15 maximum attainable scores with posture load of 10.42.
Repetitive strain was observed as far as the nature of strain was concerned. The overall repetitive strain rating was calculated as 4, thus making the respondents exhausted. The repetitive strain load factor was found to be 3 and repetitive strain load was of 4.2 (Table 4). The physiological load during the execution of the activity was of moderately heavy category with physiological load rating values of 3 and physiological load of 6.9 (Table 5).
The average duration of the time required for cutting of wheat recorded as 7 hours for 7 days with 6.86 no. of labors per acre. The total men days per season were found around 12.66.
As per the findings of work load as per time, the work of cutting wheat crop was found to be of high duration. The time load factor and time load values were calculated as 3 and 4.29 respectively (Table 6).
The mean value of total no. of body parts involved in crop cutting was found to be 8.8 whereas average pain rating was 15.90, followed by MSD load factor of 3 and MSD loads of 12 (Table 7). The overall drudgery load while crop cutting was calculated as 38.83 (Table 8).

Picking/Bundling

Gender participation and technology usage: In picking/bundling of the wheat crop, an equal participation of men and women was observed. This activity was performed manually with the overall satisfaction score of 1.69, which indicated that respondents were facing problem in doing the activity (Table 1). The respondent had to handle the weight of about 8-10 Kg. and on an average a distance of 0.25 kms was covered while picking/bundling of wheat crop. After bundling, the harvested crop bundles were lifted up to the height of 1.5 meters (Table 2).
Activity and factor wise drudgery load: The average physical load rating during picking/bundling was recorded as 3.5 and was perceived moderately heavy by the respondent whereas physical load factor was found to be 2 with physical load of 6.96. The activity was performed in standing and bending postures by the respondents.
The data pertaining to body parts involved along with discomfort rating revealed that the maximum discomfort was reported in lower back (5), followed by waist (4.9), upper back (4) and lower and upper leg (4), upper arm (3.7) and in shoulders (3.2). The total body parts involved while doing picking/bundling was recorded as 8.11 whereas average discomfort rating score was recorded as 3.79, followed by posture load factor and posture load of 3 and 11.38 respectively (Table 3).
Repetitive strain was recorded during the course of picking/bundling with mean repetitive strain load factor value of 4.46 and the respondent felt very exhausted after performing the activity (Table 4).
Results related to the responses of physiological load reveal that the activity perceived to be heavy with the physiological load value of 4 and physiological load rating of 3.44 along with physiological load of 6.82 (Table 5).
It can be seen from the data on total duration/ time required to perform the activity per acre area that an average of 2.1 hours/day were spent in bundling of harvest. The activity was found to be performed for 7 days / acre per season and 6.5 labors were employed in this activity. The total number of men days per season were recorded to be 3.76 (Table 6). Mrunalini and Snehalatha (2010) obtained and analyzed the gender prioritized drudgery experiences in crop production activities through a sample survey of two hundred farmers distributed equally by gender and highlighted that drudgery in crop activities were differently prioritized by men and women. The main factors contributing to the set priorities are found as work demand on time and posture at work for men and work demand on time, posture, work exertion, perceived difficulty and work load for women. The results guide in selection of suitable technology that can reduce the factors of drudgery.
The mean value of total no. of body parts involved in picking/bundling was found to be 10.9 whereas average pain rating was 10.54, followed by MSD load factor of 0.9 and MSD loads of 1.8 (Table 7).
The overall drudgery load while crop bundling was calculated as 34.02 (Table 8).
Mrunalini et al (1999) observed the correlations between the factors viz. time and perceived difficulty influencing drudgery index. A high positive correlation was observed between difficulty score and drudgery index in household routine tasks (0.88) compared to temporal cost and drudgery index. This lead to an inference that difficulty score experienced can be taken as an indicator of drudgery.
Conclusions The study sheds light on the importance of drudgery reducing technologies for hill women with the aim to empower gender. In this study, it was found that men and women both are performing backbreaking task particularly in the activities of wheat production system. They are suffering from heavy physiological and psycho-physical workload because they are performing all the wheat production system activities with traditionally designed tools and equipments, which are not designed as per the anthropometry of the farmers. So it is necessary to design and develop gender specific or gender neutral technologies that will help them to alleviate such hazards.

References

Chauhan MK and Saha DN (1999) Acceptable Limits of Physiological Workload for Physically Active Indian Women. Mumbai: SNDT Women's University.
Mishra R, Singh YP, Mishra YD, Singh S and Singh H (2013) Dissemination of Improved Sickles for Female Agriculture Workers for Crop Harvesting. Technofame 2(1): 118-123.
Mrunalini A and Snehalatha C (2010) Drudgery Experiences of Gender in Crop Production Activities. Journal of Agricultural Science 1(1): 49-51.