Abstract
In the chapter, there are dual main contributions. In the first phase, based on the extensive review of literature on the application of cuckoo search (CS) methodology, its application for the optimization of agricultural pesticide sprayers for maximum efficiency was suggested. In the second phase of study, 75 farmers of Odisha in India were considered to assess their musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) during seeding, fertilizing, and weeding of crops using a Standardized Nordic Questionnaire with a five point rating scale (i.e., 1 = Very less, 2 =Less, 3 = Nil, 4 = Strong, 5 = Very Strong). Factor analysis was performed for “seeding, fertilizing, and weeding characteristics,” “economical characteristics,” and “tools and equipment characteristics of farmers.” Then Pearson correlation coefficient matrix was generated for the seeding, fertilizing, and weeding characteristics of farmers, followed by regression analysis for the economic characteristics of farmers.
TopIntroduction
Agriculture has been considered as the source of livelihood for most of the Indian families. Its contribution is about 18% of the gross domestic product in India (Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Statistics, 2014). Similarly agricultural sectors in India also largely contribute to 49% of the total labor force. Most of the Indian spends more than half of their income in food-preservation & security (NSSO, 2013). However, the growth rate of the agricultural sectors in India has been fluctuating and it depends primarily on the rainfall, as most of the cultivating area in India depends on rainfall (Dev, 2013). Farming is also greatly influenced by the techniques and tools used in various stages and activities involved. Though with the development of machinery and equipments, the farming process has become easier, more efficient and productive; still most of the farming activities are carried out by the conventional tools and techniques.
As most of the engineering problems are solved by optimization techniques where the goal is to determine either a maximum or a minimum value of the problem being solved generally known as the objective function. However, for solving the global optimization problems, the Cuckoo Search (CS) method is considered as the most powerful nature-inspired algorithm. It is inspired by the breeding behavior of some cuckoo species, and because of the simplicity & more performing efficiency, the Cuckoo Search method has been applied to various optimization problems in the engineering problems including the agricultural sectors.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Agricultural Injury: It is the injury which occurs while doing some farm work or may occur while going to or from work.
Disorders: It is the disruption in the systematic functioning that retards the performance level.
Injury: Injury is the damage to the body caused by some external forces. Different causes of injuries include accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and other factors.
Musculoskeletal Disorders: These are the disorders or injuries which affects the human body’s movement and/or the musculoskeletal systems of body.
Farming: Farming is the process of growing of crops or keeping animals by people for food and raw materials.