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Farm Transportation Engineering Overview

The document outlines the AEG 506 Farm Transportation course at Olabisi Onabanjo University, detailing its objectives, topics covered, and the importance of transportation in agricultural development. It discusses various transportation methods, including on-farm and off-farm transportation, and highlights the roles and requirements of farm transportation systems. Additionally, it covers the characteristics, stages, and vehicles used in farm transportation, emphasizing the significance of efficient transport in enhancing agricultural productivity.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
65 views60 pages

Farm Transportation Engineering Overview

The document outlines the AEG 506 Farm Transportation course at Olabisi Onabanjo University, detailing its objectives, topics covered, and the importance of transportation in agricultural development. It discusses various transportation methods, including on-farm and off-farm transportation, and highlights the roles and requirements of farm transportation systems. Additionally, it covers the characteristics, stages, and vehicles used in farm transportation, emphasizing the significance of efficient transport in enhancing agricultural productivity.

Uploaded by

raymondmat909
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Olabisi Onabanjo University

Agricultural Engineering Department

AEG 506: FARM TRANSPORTATION 2 Units


Course Lecturer Engr. Babalola Ayoola A.
Lecture Hours: 2 Hours
Lecture Room: AEL I
Email: aababalola@[Link]
Phone Number: +2347031310646
Office Room: Agricultural Engineering Building Room A2

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Course Outlines

• Farm transportation systems,


• Farm roads,
• Farm transportation Infrastructure development and
Maintenance
• Development and construction of farm transportation equipment.
• Farm Transportation System–Standards and specifications.
• Ergonomics.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Lecture 1: Farm Transportation
The ability to transport goods and equipment on public roads is essential for all farm
operations. Goods and equipment may be transported by trucks, trains, ships, or
airplanes. Overland transportation by truck is the most common.
Transportation activities associated with the business of farming are needed for the
movement of:
• materials and supplies such as feed, bedding, fertilizer, seed, plant materials, pest
control products, and fuel
• farm products such as fruit, vegetables, hay, feed, processed or unprocessed farm
goods, live animals, birds and plants
• wastes such as compost, manure, spent plant material and growing media,
mortalities, plastics, and spoiled feed
• people, including employees, contract workers, farm supply representatives, service
providers and customers
• equipment AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
What then is Farm Transportation ?
• Farm transportation is the art and science of conveying a material,
equipment, animals, or human beings from one location to another. The
transportation is done within and occasionally outside the farm
environment, and goods involved are agriculturally related.
• There are two major types of farm transportation: they are
• On farm Transportation; Refers to activities carried out within the farm
vicinity
• Off Farm Transportation: Activities from the farm gate to the
commercial centres.
• The difference between the two include: Activities requiring movement,
distances involved, transport means and frequency of travel.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Differences between on farm and Off farm
Transportation

Farm Transportation

On Farm Transport Off-Farm Transport

Eg. Cleaning of dairy Transport Activities


Activities carried out on sheds, collection of eggs, carried outside the farm
the farm Transport Activities
fuel and feeds, storage of carried outside the farm gate
harvests, seeds, etc gate Eg, Market, Social services
and functions etc.
Some activities requiring transportation

Examples of Farm activities requiring Transport


Source: [Link]
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Roles of Farm Transportation in Agricultural Development
• Agricultural production is very important to the economy of developing
nations as a whole and Nigeria in particular. It is the major occupation
of the inhabitants and people of the country while it provides
employment directly or indirectly for at least 60% of the population in
Ogun State according to Ajiboye and Afolayan (2009).
Transportation among other factors represents the most serious
constraint to agricultural product and. development in [Link],
the role of farm transportation in Sustainable Agricultural Development
are examined in the points below.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Roles of Farm Transportation in Agricultural Development
• Reduction of Drugdery in Produce Conveyance
• Reduced Travel Time
• Agricultural Mechanization
• Reduced Post Harvest Losses
• Timeliness of Agricultural Operations
• Ease of Technology Transfer
• Distribution of Agricultural Produce
• Market and Cottage Industrial Development
• Cheap Prices and Good Profit Margin
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Requirements of Farm Transportation System

Farm transport requirements include:


• Availability of vehicles

• Affordable transport cost

• Good condition of transport routes

• Reduction of Post-harvest losses

• All year round Accessibility


AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Characteristics of Farm Transportation

• Transport generally marks the passage from one stage of the post-
harvest system to the next. Transport, whether traditional or
mechanized, is needed to move the agricultural commodities. The
Characteristics of farm transportation include
• Items conveyed: Agricultural Items and inputs
• Travel distances: Shorter distances compared to the urban centres
• Volume of Traffic: The traffic in rural areas are lesser than those in the
urban centres
• Capacity of vehicles: Low capacity vehicles are a common feature of
rural farm transportation
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Farm Transport System
• The farm transport system can be viewed as comprising of three vital stages
• The take off Point is the origin of all farm transportation and this begins at the farm
gate
• Transit: Is the gap between the transit and the destination and it represents the point
where actual conveyance or transportation f the goods take place. It is the linkage
between centres of production to major areas of consumption

• Destination is the final point of agricultural produce before they are finally
distributed to the consumer. Could be temporary or permanent.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Farm transport system: Activities and Facilities
Parameter Take off Point Transit Destination
Activities a)Procurement of Conveyance a)Unloading
produce
b)Drying of produce b)Temporary Storage
c) Sorting and Grading
of produce c)Sales and
d)Bagging or Distribution
Packaging
e)Loading
Facilities a) Stores a)Road Networks a)Labour
b) Drying b) Vehicles b)Store (Optional)
platforms/Dryers c)Security
c)Moisture meters
d)Weighing machines
e)Screens
f)Security

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


The farm transport activities in pictures

Pictures sourced from [Link]


Farm Transportation Routes
• Transport routes are the various ways by which communication between two or more
settlements are accomplished.
• In Nigeria, about six transport routes are identified they are
• Highway,
• Railway
• Airway
• Water Way
• Pipelines and
• Conveyors
• The first four are often considered in farm transportation. Pipelines are used for moving
petroleum or liquid products while conveyors are used for short distance mobility as seen
in factories.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Transport Routes and their associated Technologies .
Facilities and Highways Railways Airways Water Ways Pipeline Conveyors
Technologies

Terminal Street, Parking Railway Station Aerodome, Ports, Harbours, Plants, Home Stockpile, baggage
garages Airport boat yeard, hold

Vehicle Motorized and Coaches and Aircraft Vessels, ships, Pipes and tubes Conveyor belt, trams,
Non motorized Wagons barge, boat, lift cab
canoes

Motive Power Gasoline Steam, gas, Pist jet, turbo Diesel and steam Pumps Electric motor
electric turbine, engine engine
traction,

Technology Tyred wheel on Flanged wheel Gas suction Propulsion Pressurized liquid Frictional propulsion
Roadway on rail Technology through Water flow
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Way Roads Paved and Rail Track Airspace Channels and Pipes and tubes Belts, Tramways,
5 Stages of Farm Transportation
• The Farm transportation system can be divided into three stages:
• Take off Point,
• transit and
• Destination.
• The three are distinct in the following ways

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


6. Farm Transport By Land
This is the most common method of farm transportation. The advantages are
greater than any other form of transportation. The advantages include
Production centres in every nook and cranny is accessible by land unlike air and
water transportation that need designated ports
Land Journeys can commence and terminate anywhere as long as the farm is
located along a route.
Minimal investment in parking spaces
Flexible road construction methods
Less capital outlay
Suitable for short distances
Services to rural areas.
Lesser risk of damage in transit

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Basic requirements of Land Transportation

In planning for land transportation, the following basic requirements must be
met
Efforts should be made on reducing time spent on travelling and the energy
expended
Obstructions should be avoided
All year round pass ability
Effective maintenance plan

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


7. Land transportation vehicles.
Over time a wide range of local transport solutions have been created, the main
reason for this has been entrepreneurial capacity in the private sector. The
various technologies developed offer combinations (and design compromises) of
cost, weight, carrying capacity, manoeuvrability, speed, durability and aesthetic
characteristics.
The major types of land transportation vehicles include
Human porterage-oldest form of land transportation
Animal pack
Hand carts, Bicycles,
Motorized vehicles

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


7.1 Land transport vehicles-Human Porterage
• The oldest and the most widespread traditional form of transporatation
in Nigeria and many parts of Africa is human porterage-the carriage of
goods by man at the same time as he transports himself while walking,
running or swimming. The goods can be supported on the head,
shoulder, or the back depending on the cultural practices of the
location of the farmer.
• The tasks of transport and traction are often very time and energy
consuming. At the same time it is very often women and young
people who carry out heavy transport tasks such as fetching water
and firewood, and carrying goods to and from markets

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


7.2 Different types of Human porterage

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


[Link] Pack
• Animals assist in eliminating poverty, reducing drudgery and creation of
wealth.
• Animal traction is particularly important for food security in smallholder
farming systems.
• Animals can assist directly with crop production (ploughing, planting, and
weeding). Food production, distribution and rural trade are also assisted
through animal-powered transport (on-farm, marketing, riding, pack transport).
• Animals save household (women and children) time and effort by carrying
water and fuel wood. Animal power can also be used for water-lifting, milling,
logging and land excavation and road construction.
• Many different types of animal are employed, particularly cattle (oxen, bulls
and cows), buffaloes, horses, mules, donkeys and camels.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Animal Pack Transportation

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Hand Carts and Bicycles
• Simple mechanical aids for transport comprise sledges, wheelbarrows,
two wheeled carts, bicycle trailers, four wheel wagons, powered by
humans and animals. Power transmission and control methods are also
required for transport and traction and include: head, horn, neck or
withers yokes, collar and breast band harnesses, hitches, reins, etc

• Humans and/or animals are used to power different vehicles, for


example a wheelbarrow is propelled by humans, while a four wheel
wagon can be pulled by two oxen. Normally such technology enables
human and animal power to increase the load they carry, making each
journey more efficient as less energy is consumed per kilogram-meter
travelled. AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Hand Carts and Bicycle
• Sledge This is a very basic technology: it is cheap, simple to make and easy to
maintain. It can increase transport loads and their design allows them to be
used on tracks too narrow or steep for carts.
• Carts are one wheeled or two wheeled vehicles that can be powered by
humans or animals. Wheelbarrows (the simplest of handcarts) are one
wheeled, need to be lifted and pushed and can be operated [Link] load
depends very much on the capacity of the wheelbarrow and the strength of the
person pushing it.
• Bicycle Bicycles can prove to be a very good enterprise on their own. They
have a low cost relative to other means of ‘movement’, are adaptable, can
usually run in nearly all weathers and can speed up transport operations, both
of people and agricultural produce
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Hand Carts and Bicycles

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


9 Motorized Vehicles
• Motor-powered options for transport and traction comprise vehicles
that use engines for power production. Human intervention is devoted
to control, maintenance, repair and fuelling. The main advantages of
motorized enterprises are that farm and transport operations can be
done in a relative short time, there is a greater relief of drudgery, and
there are inherent gains in productivity.
• Motorized vehicles can travel on many different types of terrain and at
high altitudes, with only minor effects on work and travel speed
• Examples include Motorcycles, Tricycles, Motor Vehicles and
Tractors.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Factors that influence the choice of a farm transport vehicle.

• The factors that influence the choice of a farm transport include:


• The location of farm and mode of transportation available
• Haulage Distance
• Quantity of produce versus the carrying capacity of vehicle
• Economic considerations

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Air Transportation
• The mobility of men and material by air is called air transport. It is the fastest means
of transport. It is very useful for long distances and saves time. The use of air
transport in agriculture is stated below
• Security Service
• Field Inspection
• Movement over difficult terrains
• Forest and Plantation fire fighting
• Aerial Survey
• Aerial Application of Agro-chemicals
• Transportation of Perishable crops
• Exhaustive discussion will be carried out in the class.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Advantages of Air Transport
• High Speed:
• It is the fast speed means of transport. Passengers and goods can be
transported easily from one place to the other.
• Easy transport of costly and light goods:
• It is quite convenient to send costly, light and perishable goods
through air transport.
• Useful in natural calamities:
• During earth quake, flood, accidents and famine air transport is used
for rescue operations.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Disadvantages of Air Transportation
• High Costs:
• Air transport is a costly service. Its operational costs are too high.
Middle class and poor people can not affect its cash.
• 2. More Risks:
• Air transport is prone to accidents. A small mistake can be very
dangerous for passengers.
• Huge Investments:
• For creating aviation facilities, huge investments are required. The cost
of aero planes, construction and maintenance of aerodromes and control
mechanism needs a capital expenditure.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
10 Water Transportation
• This is the most common form of transportation in the riverine areas
• This is an efficient way to move large volumes of product while using less
energy and reducing road and rail congestion.
• Water transport is the cheapest and the oldest mode of transport. It operates
on a natural track and hence does not require huge capital investment in the
construction and maintenance of its track except in case of canals. The cost
of operation of water transport is also very less. It has the largest carrying
capacity and is most suitable for carrying bulky goods over long distances.
It has played a very significant role in bringing different parts of the world
closer and is indispensable to foreign trade.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


• Water transport consists of
• Inland Transport: inland water transport consists of transport by rivers,
canals and lakes.
• Ocean Transport:Ocean transport is indispensable for foreign trade. It
has brought the different parts of the world closer and has knitted
together all the nations of the world into one big world market.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Water Transportation

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Advantages of Water transport
• Low Cost:
• Rivers are a natural highway which does not require any cost of construction and
maintenance.
• . Larger Capacity:
• It can carry much larger quantities of heavy and bulky goods such as coal, and, timber
etc.
• 3. Flexible Service:
• It provides much more flexible service than railways and can be adjusted to individual
requirements.
• 4. Safety:
• The risks of accidents and breakdowns, in this form of transport, are minimum as
compared to any other form of transport.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Disadvantages of Water Transport

1 Slow:
• Speed of Inland water transport is very slow and therefore this mode of transport is unsuitable where
time is an important factor.
• 2. Limited Area of Operation:
• It can be used only in a limited area which is served by deep canals and rivers.
• 3. Seasonal Character:
• Rivers and canals cannot be operated for transportation throughout the year as water may freeze during
winter or water level may go very much down during summer.
• 4. Unreliable:
• The inland water transport by rivers is unreliable. Sometimes the river changes its course which causes
dislocation in the normal route of the trade.
• 5. Unsuitable for Small Business:
• Inland water transport by rivers and canals is not suitable for small traders, as it takes normally a longer
time to carry goods from one place to another through this form of transport.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Factors affecting the use of Water transportation for Agricultural
produce

• Availability of water bodies of sufficient depth that can support the


floating of water transport vehicles.

• All year round support of movement of water vehicles

• Presence of water hyacinths

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Some water transport vehicles

• Human being as a swimmer


• Logs
• Canoe,
• boats,
• Ocean liners

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Some Water transport vehicles

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Classification of Roads in Nigeria
• According to the Federal Ministry of Works, the Nigerian road is classified under
the following headings:
• TRUNK A or Federal roads or Highways: These are roads that are constructed and
maintained by the federal government of Nigeria. Examples are interstate roads
and major roads in most states. E.g Lagos-Ibadan express, Benin-Sagamu-ore, etc.
• Trunk F roads are roads that are constructed by the state government but whose
maintenance is eventually taken over by the Federal government.
• Trunk B roads: That are constructed and maintained by the state governments.
• Trunk C roads: These are classified as local government roads. They are
constructed and maintained by the LGAs.
• link most rural areas-In fact most rural roads in Nigeria are classified as trunk C
roads.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
11 Steps involved in the Design and Construction of a simple farm
road
Farm road construction takes into account present and future uses of the transportation system to assure
maximum service with a minimum of financial and environmental cost.
The main objective of this initial phase of road development is to establish specific goals and
prescriptions for road network development along with the more general location needs.
Design Criteria
• Design criteria consist of a detailed list of considerations to be used in negotiating a set of road
standards. These include
• Resource management objectives: Why is the road being built; what is the purpose of the road (i.e.,
timber harvesting, access to grazing lands, access to communities, etc.)?
• Physical and environmental factors: What are the topographic, climatic, soil and vegetation
characteristics of the area?
• Environmental constraints: Are there environmental constraints; are there social-political constraints?
Examples of the former include erosiveness of soils, difficult geologic conditions, high rainfall
intensities. Examples of the latter include land ownership boundaries, state of the local economy, and
public opinion about a given project.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Design Criteria Contd
• Traffic requirements: Average daily traffic (ADT) should be estimated for
different user groups. For example, a road can have mixed traffic--log or
cattle trucks and community traffic.
• Traffic service level: This defines the type of traffic that will make use of the
road network and its characteristics.

• Vehicle characteristics: The resource management objectives, together with


traffic requirements and traffic service level criteria selected above, will
define the types of vehicles that are to use the proposed road.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Design Criteria Contd

• Safety: Traffic safety is an important requirement especially where multiple user


types will be utilizing the same road. Safety requirements such as stopping
distance, sight distance, and allowable design speed can determine the selected
road standards in combination with the other design criteria.

• Road uses: The users of the contemplated road should be defined by categories.

• Economics: The various road alternatives would undergo rigorous economic


evaluations.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Structural Terms of a road

FAO, 1998
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
12 Road Drainage
• Road drainage design has as its basic objective the reduction and/or
elimination of energy generated by flowing water. This is because the
destructive power of flowing water, increases exponentially as its
velocity increases.
• Therefore, water must not be allowed to develop sufficient volume or
velocity so as to cause excessive wear along ditches, below culverts, or
along exposed running surfaces, cuts, or fills.

• Provision for adequate drainage is of paramount importance in road


design and cannot be overemphasized. Furthermore, the presence of
excess water or moisture within the roadway will adversely affect the
engineering properties of the materials with which it was constructed
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Criteria for an effective Road
drainage system
A road drainage system must satisfy two main criteria if it is to be effective
throughout its design life:
• It must allow for a minimum of disturbance of the natural drainage
pattern.

• It must drain surface and subsurface water away from the roadway and
dissipate it in a way that prevents excessive collection of water in
unstable areas and subsequent downstream erosion.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


The construction of farm roads can be divided into:

• pegging,

• Stumping and clearing,

• construction of bridges, culverts and

• drainages.
• Other essential features of the road depending on the design.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Components of a Road Design
• Gradients
• A steep gradient not only slows down traffic and limits the load a
draught animal can pull, but it also complicates the road construction
and increases the cost since care must be taken to avoid erosion from
storm water flowing on and along the side of the road. A gradient can
be expressed in three ways:
• a units of rise relative to units of horizontal distance, (e.g. 1:40)
• b percentage, (e.g. 2.5%) and
• c angle to the horizontal (e.g. 1°26').

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


• Curves
• A straight road is the shortest distance between two points, but as noted earlier,
this may not be the most economical line for a durable, easily constructed road
which is passible throughout the year. Long gentle curves are preferred since there
is better visibility and less speed reduction necessary than on a sharp corner. The
minimum radius for a horizontal curve is 15m but 30m or more is preferable.
• Slopes
Only occasionally will an unimproved road require embankments or cuttings, but
where it cannot be avoided, the side slopes should not exceed 1 in 1 on well-drained
soils. In wet soil it should not exceed 1 in 3, i.e. one unit rise in three units of
horizontal distance.
• These are maximum values and should only be used where the depth of the cut or
fill is so large that to reduce the slope would be too expensive.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Types of Road Drainage
• Camber
The camber is the slope of the road surface to the sides designed to shed water into the side drains

• Side drains are more commonly known as ditches from which the water is led away in mitre drains.

• A mitre drain (also offshoot drain) is an open drain designed to divert runoff from a table drain or road shoulder
away from a road
Diversion Bank is connected to a mitre drain which feeds the water on to the adjacent land. Natural bumps in the
road can sometimes be used as diversion banks if they can be improved to a suitable shape. These banks 30cm high
and about 12m in length along the road should have a smooth contour allowing vehicles to pass easily at moderate
speeds
Catchwater Drains
• Where a road is constructed along the lower part of a slope or cut into a hillside, a catchwater drain will divert the
excessive flow of water down the hill and across the road line. Wherever possible, it should be constructed on the
upper side of and at least 3m from the edge of the road and be separate from the side drain. This construction
prevents the side drain from being overloaded with water from the slope.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Different types of Drainage Forgaty 2018 AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Road Categories in Nigeria
• The Federal Trunk A: These are the categories of roads that are owned and
maintained by the federal government of Nigeria.3mks
• ii) The State Trunk F: Are roads that originally belong to the state
governments who construct them but are later taken over by the federal
government in order to upgrade them to federal standards.3mks
• iii) The State Trunk “B’: Are roads that are under the ownership of the State
governments who are responsible for their construction and maintenance.
3mks
• iv)The Local Government Trunk C Are grassroots roads that primarily belong
to the Local government. Most farm roads in the rural areas fall into this
category. 3mks (Total = 12marks)
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
13 Egronomics in Farm
Transportation
Ergonomics is the study of efficiency in working environments; by
finding the best fit between workers and job conditions one can also
avoid injuries.
Farm workers get backaches and pains in the shoulders, arms, and
hands more than any other health problem. These are typically a
result of chronic exposure to physical stresses related to working in a
stooped position, carrying heavy weights in awkward positions,
kneeling often, working with arms above shoulder level, moving
hands and wrists repetitively, or vibration from farm equipment.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Some ergonomic guidelines for different types of farm work.
Guidelines for Hand Work
 Avoid placing needed tools or other items above shoulder height.

 Position items that are used often within 17 inches of the worker’s body.

 When movements are repeated over and over, as in picking or weeding, allow time for adequate recovery, by
having the worker alternate with a low-repetition task.

 Provide seated jobs. Sitting down while working reduces the strain on the lower back and legs. Standing causes
legs to swell, more than walking does. The best jobs are ones that allow workers to do different types of work,
changing from sitting to standing to walking and back again.

 Allow adequate clearances for feet and knees, for both standing and sitting workers, so they can get close to the
work and avoid reaching.
 Provide floor mats for standing work stations, to reduce fatigue.
 For standing work, use the proper work station height. For men this is typically 40” to 43” for light work and
36” to 39” for heavy work; for women thisAEG
is 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
typically 37” to 39” for light work and 33” to35” for heavy work.
Guidelines for Using Hand Tools:
• When tools require force, handle size should allow the worker to grip all
the way around the handle so that the forefinger and thumb overlap by 3/8”.
Handle diameter should range from 1-3/8” for small hands to 2-1/8” for large
hands, with an average of 1-3/4”.

• Handles should be covered with smooth, slip-resistant material (plastic or


rubber). Dual-handled tools (like shears or pliers) should have a handle
length of at least 4” and preferably 5”. They should have a spring return to
maintain an open position, and handles that are almost straight without finger
grooves. Handle diameter is large enough for small overlap of thumb and
fingers.
AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering
Guidelines for Lifting:
• Keep lifts between hand level and shoulder level. Avoid lifts from the floor or
over shoulder level.

• Provide handles on containers.

• Redesign loads so they can be lifted close to the body.

• Provide dollies, pallet trucks, or utility carts for objects that have to be carried
more than a few feet. Provide roller conveyors for bags or boxes of vegetables or
chemicals that are handled often. This will reduce the amount of lifting.

• Keep bag or box weight below 50 Kg.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


Guidelines for Stooped Work:

• Redesign the job to avoid stooped work: attach long handles to tools; provide stools.

• If stooped work is required, provide employees with other short tasks that require walking or sitting, to
break up the amount of time spent in stooped position.

Guidelines for Vehicle Use:

• •Reduce whole body vibration by equipping tractors and other vehicles with suspension seats that have
appropriate vibration-damping characteristics.
•Use motor vehicle seats with good seat positioning and lumbar support.

Making changes to improve the ergonomics of farm work can not only reduce injuries to workers but
also increase their productivity and morale. Taking the time to discuss this issue and get input on
possible improvements also makes employees feel valued because they know their employer is making
an effort to create a healthier workplace.

AEG 506 Farm Transportation Engineering


References
• Ajiboye and Afolayan 2009 The impact of transportation on
agricultural production in a developing country: a case of kolanut
production in Nigeria. Available from:
[Link]
of_transportation_on_agricultural_production_in_a_developing_cou
ntry_a_case_of_kolanut_production_in_Nigeria
[accessed May 04 2020].
• Water Transport: Kinds, Advantages and Disadvantages of Water
Transport [Link]
• FAO 2009: Rural Transport for improved livelihoods
• British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture: Farm Practice,
Transportation, Order No.AEG870.218-56 May 2014
506 Farm Transportation Engineering

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