International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Tanushree Lohani and Dr. Shivani Rana

abstract
In India, post harvest agricultural activities are predominantly performed by farm women. Maize shelling is a crucial post-harvest operation involving separation of maize kernels from cobs. It is an important step in processing maize into a finished product majorly performed with traditional tools. But since these tools are not ergonomically designed they results in drudgery and low output. Thus, study was conducted in Hoshiarpur district to analyze these traditional practices and assess the ergonomics of conventional, improved and modified tools to alleviate the physical strain experienced by farmwomen. The study aimed to address the drudgery faced by farmwomen engaged in maize shelling activities. Results revealed that the modified tool had a substantial impact in reducing cardiovascular, physiological and musculoskeletal stress experienced by the farmwomen. Further the output was also enhanced with modified tool with 50 kg/hr of maize kernels, to that of the improved tool (26 kg/hr) and the conventional tool (14 kg/hr). Objective ergonomic scales like OWAS, RULA and HARM scales were utilized for analysis of working postures which further revealed significant improvement in postures while utilizing Modified tool. Thus, it was evident that modified tool had shown significant improvement in productivity and improvement in postures which had reduced the drudgery significantly.