Comparative Performance Analysis of CRIDA Wheel Hoe and Traditional Hand Hoe in Vegetable Crops Inter-cultivation

Abstract

In agriculture, women are typically employed in labor-intensive, mostly mechanized processes that require a lot of drudgery.As part of KVK, Darsi's Front Line Demonstration (FLD) programme, farm women in adopted villages in the Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh participated in an inter-cultivation study on vegetable crops (Chilli, Tomato and Okra) using CRIDA wheel hoes during the years 2019-20 and 2020-21 in comparison with the traditional weeding using hand hoe.It was clearly depicted that CRIDA wheel hoe hasproved efficient on time and output as compared with traditional hand hoe.CRIDA wheel hoe resulted in a higher output capacity of 116.3 m2/hr as opposed to only 62.6 m2/hr with a regular hoe.For CRIDA wheel hoe, the percentage increase in output was 85.78 %.In comparison to the traditional hand hoe method, labour wages per acre were reduced to Rs. 1700, weeding time per acre was shortened from 8.5 hours to 5.5 hours, overall pain rate decreased from 8.1 to 3.1, and musculoskeletal problems (MSP) decreased from high to low. CRIDA wheel hoe recorded drudgery index score of 56. Whereas, in traditional practice (hand hoe) maximum drudgery with drudgery index scoreof 81 was observed.