Perceived Implications of Manual Farming on the Health of Farmers in the Rural Areas of Ekiti State
CHAPTER ONE
The objectives of the study are;
- To determine the implications of manual farming on the health of farmers in rural area of Ekiti state
- To identify farming practices performed manually by the rural area in Ekiti state
- To determine the attitude of rural farmers towards manual farming
- To ascertain health problems posed by manual farming
- To determine access of farmers to agricultural extension services.
Research hypotheses
For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher;
H0: there are no implications of manual farming on the health of farmers in rural area of Ekiti state.
H1: there are implications of manual farming on the health of farmers in rural area of Ekiti state.
H02: there are no health problems posed by manual farming
H2: there are health problems posed by manual farming
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Farmers’ knowledge and attitudes towards OHS and perceived risks
Most farms do not have a documented health and safety policy, including arrangements for managing safety effectively since they do not operate in an organisational context. Due to a lack of organisational structure, compliance with OHS is difficult to monitor in all farms, regardless of its operational span. Therefore, it can be argued that farmers do not take health and safety seriously. This is evident by research conducted in the United Kingdom, which showed that farmers in general had unfavourable attitudes to safety, despite being aware of the potential risks associated with their jobs (Cooper, 2012). In addition, Cooper (2012) reported that the majority of farm owners never provided health and safety training for their hired labourers, nor did they ever discuss health and safety issues with them. Moreover, farmers have an informal perspective of health and safety, in particular, the role that their job plays on their health and safety (Amshoff and Reed, 2005). However, there is an agreement that agricultural practices and the industry as a whole is more likely to be unsafe if assessed under OHS guidelines (Cooper, 2012). With regards to knowledge, many farmers lack knowledge about health and safety issues and thus, fail to comply with health and safety legislation and standards (Elkind, 1993). Studies have shown that farmers who were not provided with, or shown how to use, personal protective equipment, suffered from higher rates of occupational accidents, injuries and diseases (Lekei et al., 2014). Thus, farmers believe that if they are provided with more up-to-date information and advice regarding health and safety on farms, not only would it make their job less hazardous but also, it will also positively change their attitudes towards safety. However, Elkind (1993) disagrees and argues that the provision of information about farm hazards does not always correspond with changes in attitudes and behaviours and thus, do not ensure safer practices. Elkind (1993) went on to suggest that the presence of a multitude of farm hazards, as well as farmers’ willingness to change their attitudes, behaviours and cognitive perceptions may be socially, politically or economically influenced. Furthermore, in terms of risk perception, farmers’ attention to and processing of information relating to hazards in their work environment is influenced by scientific communications, farmers’ peers or trusted figures in society, as well as the mass media. As such, Pidgeon and Beattie (1997) argues that, ‘external information on hazards and their effects are selected for attention and interpreted on the basis of individual cognitive processes, which are shaped by external information sources’.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to Perceived implications of manual farming on the health of farmers in the rural areas of Ekiti state.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain Perceived implications of manual farming on the health of farmers in the rural areas of Ekiti state.
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of Perceived manual farming on the health of farmers in the rural areas.
Summary
This study was on Perceived implications of manual farming on the health of farmers in the rural areas of Ekiti state. Five objectives were raised which included; To determine the implications of manual farming on the health of farmers in rural area of Ekiti state, to identify farming practices performed manually by the rural area in Ekiti state, to determine the attitude of rural farmers towards manual farming, to ascertain health problems posed by manual farming and to determine access of farmers to agricultural extension services. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 residents of Ikere, Ekiti State was selected randomly. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up married men, married women, youths and farmers were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies.
Conclusion
The study assessed manual farming and its perceived implications on the health of the farmers in rural area of Ekiti state and concluded that manual farming is perceived to have implications on the health of the farmers mostly causing waist pain. The greatest challenge faced mostly by the respondents was inadequate finance to acquire improved technologies that will limit the drudgery faced by farmers.
Recommendation
Based on the findings of the study, the following is recommended: Non-governmental agencies should collaborate with government in providing funding and machines that would help in mechanized farming at highly subsidized rates. Agricultural extension services should be strengthened by recruiting more committed staff that is highly motivated to visit the farmers regularly. what of the provision of tractor hiring units and the farmers working together as themes to access the machineries.
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