2023, Vol. 8, Special Issue 3

Vegetable production is a labour intensive and women play vital role and performs ninety per cent of activities in vegetable production system viz., seedling / transplanting, weeding, fertilizer application, harvesting and post harvesting activities with use of traditional/ conventional tools, which adds drudgery and postural discomfort to workers. Hence to address the reduction of drudgery, postural discomfort and labour problem. All India Coordinated Research Project on Home Science, (Family Resource Management) component of Dharwad center introduced drudgery reducing technologies in vegetable production system. The study was conducted during the year 2018-19, four villages of Dharwad taluk. The sample for the study was 10 farm women. Ergonomic assessment was done. The vegetable trolley, staking method of vegetable and protective kit was introduced in harvesting activity of vegetable production system. The results revealed that the mean age of farm women was 42 years with mean height of farm women was 150.90 cms and mean weight 50.60 kgs. Majority of the respondents had mesomorph body types and belonged to normal body mass index and the physiological work load was light with use of improved method. Significance difference was observed with respect to heart rate, energy expenditure and rate of perceived exertion between improved and conventional method of harvesting. REBA scores for existing method was higher (12) which involves high risk as compared to improved method (04). The farm women experience less drudgery (13.79) after performing harvesting of vegetable (tomato) with the use of improved technology/ method as compared to traditional method (21.38).