Human Factors Can Assist Developing Countries

This past weekend I took the opportunity to read the first annual letter from Bill Gates regarding his work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  In it he states:

“Our optimism about technology is a fundamental part of the foundation’s approach.  Advances in science have played a huge role in improving the living conditions in the rich world over the past century.  Technology is also a personal passion of Melinda’s and mine.  So we try to point scientific research toward the problems of the poor, like agriculture.” (p. 9)

and

“Technology is only useful if it helps people improve their lives, not as an end in itself.” (p. 9)

These comments are reflected in two of their Guiding Principles:

#3 – Science and technology have great potential to improve lives around the world.

#6 – We identify a specific point of intervention and apply our efforts against a theory of change.

What I was unable to determine from their website, including their Agricultural Development Fact Sheet (330 KB, .pdf), is whether the foundation is making use of human factors and ergonomics principles to facilitate in “…providing small farmers with the tools and opportunities to boost their productivity, increase their incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their families” (Agricultural Development Fact Sheet, May 2008, p. 1)?

While most of the work of human factors and ergonomics has focused on developed countries, over the past 10 years, several publications have addressed how principles can be applied to assist the needs of developing countries (see the example references listed below).  One such topic area is agricultural work – something the majority of people in developing countries participate in to one degree or another.  Some of the recommendations and insights that have been put forth include:

• Ergonomic interventions must be easy to introduce and inexpensive;
• Design manual material handling jobs (i.e., water hauling, harvesting, crop transport, etc.) to minimize energy expenditures;
• Make use of appropriate anthropometric data (i.e., women, small-stature adults, etc.) when designing tools and equipment;
• The need to minimize illnesses, injuries, and accidents is even more important in developing countries because they often don’t have the necessary medical facilities for treatment;
• Use participatory ergonomics methods to capitalize on workers knowledge when identifying potential problems and solutions;
• Provide appropriate education and training for fertilizer and pesticide applications to protect farmers, their families, and the environment; and
• Fit the job to the culture – not just the person.

The discipline of human factors and ergonomics can assist with reducing poverty in developing countries by designing tools, equipments, and jobs that facilitate food security, which in turn, can increase economic security.  It is my hope that organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will make use of human factors and ergonomics professionals to help them attain their worthwhile goals.

References

Jafry, T., & O’Neill, D.H. (2000).  The application of ergonomics in rural development: A review.  Applied Ergonomics, 31, 263-268.

O’Neill, D.H. (2000).  Ergonomics in industrially developing countries: Does its application differ from that in industrially advanced countries?  Applied Ergonomics, 31, 631-640.

Scott, P.A. (2008).  Global inequality, and the challenge for ergonomics to take a more dynamic role to redress the situation.  Applied Ergonomics, 39, 495-499.

Shahnavaz, H. (2000).  Role of ergonomics in the transfer of technology to industrially developing countries.  Ergonomic, 43, 903-907.

Zalk, D.M. (2001).  Grassroots ergonomics: Initiating an ergonomics program utilizing participatory techniques.  Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 45, 283-289.

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