Anthropometric characteristics of female smallholder farmers of Uganda--Toward design of labor-saving tools.

Sub-Saharan African women on small-acreage farms carry a disproportionately higher labor burden, which is one of the main reasons they are unable to produce for both home and the market and realize higher incomes. Labor-saving interventions such as hand-tools are needed to save time and/or increase productivity in, for example, land preparation for crop and animal agriculture, post-harvest processing, and meeting daily energy and water needs. Development of such tools requires comprehensive and content-specific anthropometric data or body dimensions and existing databases based on Western women may be less relevant.

Cultural Influences in Women-Friendly Labor-Saving Hand Tool Designs: The Milk Churner Case.

Objective: The aim of this study was to highlight the importance of culture in sustainable, labor-saving solutions design for women in low-resource settings.

Background: One of the reasons behind the gender asset gap among Sub-Saharan African women is the higher labor burden these women face, making it difficult for them to produce for the home and markets. Hand tools are the simplest form and therefore the best first step to address this problem.