GEKU, 10 Aug: In a step towards reducing drudgery among rural farmwomen and addressing the growing shortage of agricultural labour in remote hill areas, the Upper Siang Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)here distributed pedal-operated paddy threshers to farmwomen under the ICAR-IARI NEH programme on Monday.
The programme aimed to provide a simple and farmer-friendly farm implement suited to the difficult terrain and small, fragmented paddy fields of Upper Siang. The intervention is particularly relevant for farmers cultivating paddy in hill slopes and terraces, where mechanisation is often difficult due to steep terrain, narrow field boundaries and limited accessibility.
In the hill districts of Upper Siang, paddy cultivation is predominantly carried out in remote villages and terraced fields. Farmers often have to travel long distances to reach their fields, while the availability of agricultural labour during the peak harvesting season remains a major challenge. Farmwomen, who play a crucial role in harvesting, threshing and post-harvest operations, bear a considerable share of this physical workload.
Traditional threshing methods are time-consuming and physically demanding, requiring repeated beating and manual handling of harvested paddy. The pedal-operated thresher offers a practical alternative by using human pedal power to operate the threshing mechanism, thereby reducing the physical effort and time required for threshing.
The equipment is particularly suitable for small and marginal farmers, women farmers and farmers in remote hill and terrace farming areas, where access to tractors, power-operated threshers, and other heavy machinery is limited. Its simple design, ease of operation and suitability for small-scale farming make it a promising intervention for improving post-harvest efficiency.
Speaking on the occasion, KVK Head Dr Oyinti Megu Basar highlighted that agricultural mechanisation in hilly regions should not necessarily mean the introduction of large machines. Small, affordable and terrain-appropriate tools can often make a greater difference to farmers' lives, particularly where transportation, road connectivity, electricity and labour availability are major constraints.
The distribution of pedal-operated threshers is expected to reduce drudgery, save time and labour, improve threshing efficiency, and encourage greater participation of women in farm mechanisation. It also has the potential to reduce dependence on hired labour during the peak harvesting period and minimise post-harvest losses caused by delays in threshing.
The initiative reflects the KVK's continued efforts to promote need-based, location-specific, and women-friendly agricultural technologies for the challenging farming conditions of Upper Siang, the KVK stated in a release.
