Prevalence and Exposure to Ergonomic Risk Factors among Crop Farmers in Nigeria

Toyin Samuel Olowogbon,Edward Asiedu,Aaron Moses Yoder,Raphael Olanrewaju Babatunde

doi:10.3390/app112411989

Toyin Samuel Olowogbon, Edward Asiedu + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app112411989

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Abstract

This study examined the prevalence and exposure to ergonomic risks factors among crop farmers in selected states in Nigeria. We used cross-sectional data to provide this evidence. Data were collected with the aid of a standardized questionnaire administered to farmers. A total of 480 smallholder cassava farmers selected across 24 farming communities in Kogi and Kwara states, Nigeria, were engaged in the study. Descriptive statistics and binary regression were used for analysis. About 96% of the respondents reported shoulder pain, 85% reported lower back pain, 82% reported upper back pain, 64% reported neck pain, and 53% reported elbow pain during farming operations. We found that the age of farmers (OR = 2.01) and daily duration of daily chemical spray (OR = 1.17) were risk factors, while previous training on the safe use and application of farm chemicals was found to be a protective factor (α = 0.05). The study identified affordability of farm safety measures and poor access to relevant safety information as top constraints to farmers’ adoption of safe farm practices. We concluded there is a high prevalence of ergonomic risks during cassava operations among respondents. A crop-specific co-designed ergonomic intervention targeted at Nigerian farmers to reduce exposure to ergonomic risks is recommended.

Highlights

Nigeria is estimated to have a population of over a 200 million people with about75 percent employed in agriculture [1,2]
Considering the enormous importance of cassava to Nigeria’s food security and economic development, and the implications of exposure to ergonomic hazards on farmer’s health, this study addressed the identified information gap and provided answers to the following research questions: (i) What are the ergonomic risk factors and their prevalence among crop farmers in Nigeria? (ii) What are the constraints faced by farmers in adopting safe farm practices?
We used surveyed data to provide empirical evidence on ergonomic risk factors among Nigerian crop farmers and insights into interventions based on the identified risk factors among the respondents

Summary

Introduction

Nigeria is estimated to have a population of over a 200 million people with about75 percent employed in agriculture [1,2]. Crop production remains the largest driver of the agricultural sector, accounting for 91.6 percent of the sector’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter of 2019 [3]. Cassava (Manihot spp.) is a food crop in many developing countries, including Nigeria [4]. Cassava production is vital to the economy of Nigeria as the country is the world’s largest producer of the commodity. Nigeria currently produces approximately 45 million tonnes, which is almost 19% of the world’s production. Cassava contributes substantially to household food security in Nigeria as about 75% consume Cassava products daily. These products include cassava flakes (Garri), fufu, chips, starch, flour, pellets, among others [5,6,7]. Cassava production in Nigeria has the following major stages; land preparation, planting, weed and pest control, and harvesting [10]

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