Alleviation of Farm Women's Drudgery Through Appropriate Technology

A sample of 80 women, performing agricultural activities regularly was selected for evaluation of their efficiency towards agricultural work. Average heart rate and energy expenditure was found to be reduced by 12.5 and 29 per cent respectively and the output was increased by 19 percent due to adoption of modern technology, as compared to traditional method of cotton picking. While in case of smokeless chulla, 40 per cent reduction in fuel, money and time was noticed over traditional method of cooking. The use of peg tooth weeder reduced energy expenditure, time, money with increased output. Similarly, the use of serrated sickles for harvesting sorghum crop reduced the energy expenditure by 14.2% over traditional method. The ergonomic assessment of selected agricultural technologies also revealed that these improved equipments were more efficient.