Design and development of assistive products for harvesting of aquatic food-crop (water-chestnut): A user- centred design approach

Abstract

The evolution and wide adoption of mechanization in traditional land-based (terrestrial) agriculture is common all over the globe, but aquatic agriculture has not received due attention in terms of mechanization or in the design/development of tools/ devices for facilitating aquatic agricultural practices. Following the literature review, it has been found that there is a lack of research in the domain of design intervention for aquatic food-crop cultivation, specifically for harvesting. Hence, the current research is aimed at identifying challenges faced by aquatic farmers in harvesting aquatic food crops (water-chestnut) and providing appropriate/feasible solutions that can enhance productivity and reduce drudgery.