Occupational health hazard among farm women in kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh Singh Poonam1, Scientist (H.Sc.), Dubey Shantanu K.2, Principle Scientist, Pandey Sadhna3, Director 1KVK Kannauj, C.S.A.U.A.&T. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 2ICAR-ATARI, Zone III, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 3ICAR-ATARI, Zone III, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh Abstract Most tedious and back breaking farming, livestock and post harvest tasks are performed by farm women. Many of these operations are traditionally done sitting long hours in varying body posture which cause inconvenience and body pain and become source of drudgery for farm women. However, the drudgery of farm women is not yet precisely been identified and quantified. The present study was an effort to assess the occupational health hazards among farm women due to the tools they use and work they do at farm. Investigation was carried in two villages Digsara and Bahelianpurva of Jalalabad block in district Kannauj U.P Twenty farm women/village from each enterprise i.e. crop production, live stock and post harvest were selected comprising total sample of 120 respondents. The results indicate major farm activities performed by women were transplanting 89.16 per cent, weeding 88.33 per cent, cutting/uprooting and picking/diffing 84.16 per cent, bundling and heaping 87.50 per cent, winnowing 85.00 per cent and inter culturing and dusting pesticide 44.16 per cent. Cent percent farm women were involved in crushing, beetling, sieving, cleaning, grading, storage of grains, feeding animal and cleaning of shed. Majority were having very few traditional tools like sickle, hoe and hand ridger. Farm tools were not comfortable for 37.50 per cent farm women, 60.83 per cent need change in design of farm tool and 45.00 per cent found them heavy. Majority 65.00 per cent reported injury while harvesting followed by 33.33 per cent while weeding and 25.00 per cent while cleaning land. Joint problem was reported by 89.16 per cent farm women in wrist, 88.33 per cent in knee, back bone and shoulder, 75.00 per cent in neck and 73.33 per cent in elbow. Majority of farm women reported physical problems like body pain (95.83 per cent), tiredness (92.50 per cent) and physical stress (90.83 per cent) while transplanting. Farm women also reported impact of skin disease during farm activities i.e. heat stroke (84.16 per cent), heat exhaustion (68.33 per cent) and fungal infection and allergic reaction (23.33 per cent). Top Keywords Drudgery, Farm women, Crop production, Post harvest, Livestock. Top |