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Nowadays, more and more tractor and farm machines have been introduced in all sectors of agriculture. However, manual labour as a source of power continues to dominate, primarily among the small landholdings. This chapter focuses on describing two significant types of work stressors in manual labour, namely, those related to the cardiovascular and respiratory system, and the musculoskeletal system. Traditional farming activities are high energy demanding as an integral part of human behaviour. Stresses of overwork culminate in multiple health risks among the farm workers. The chapter briefly describes the physiological mechanism of energy production, liberation, and utilization. For the benefit of readers of other branches of agricultural sciences, some necessary definitions related to the energy cost of work are elucidated herewith. The description covers the accounting of energy intake, anaerobic glycogenolysis, and kinetics of oxygen demand of the body during physical activities and recovery. The energy expenditure data have utility from the epidemiological, physiological, and pathophysiological viewpoints. The description covers measurement and conventions of expressing energy expenditure and the determination of maximal working capacity in terms of a person's aerobic capacity. The literature evidence on the heart rates as a predictor of energy expenditure and indicator of work severity are included. Particular emphasis has been given about the energy cost of work in farming, gender differences and effects of ageing, and work severity classification of different farming activities. It emphasizes the relationship of body status and working capacities of the farming population to improvement in work performance and productivity. Since the severity of many farm activities is predominantly heavy, severe health problems may result from the slightest epidemic and endemic outbursts, which are common in rural sectors in Asia and Africa. |
