How to reduce the strain of farm work: Ergonomic tools and advice

In 2015, by a stroke of luck, I found myself in an intentional community in southern Germany, where I was first introduced to organic farming. Since then, I have worked on three different organic farms, first as a volunteer and later as an agricultural apprentice with Demeter im Norden. In total, I spent three years working on farms in Germany.

Upon returning to China, curious about how organic farms operated locally, I spent a month at a farm not far from home. I discovered that while the tasks themselves were largely the same, the approach to the work differed significantly from what I had learned in Germany.

Some of the young people working on the farm had no prior experience with cultivation. They often arrived full of enthusiasm, only to find themselves aching all over after a short while, concluding that farming was simply too arduous. In reality, this was primarily due to a lack of experience; poor posture and unsuitable tools made the work both exhausting and physically taxing.

Interestingly, the older women who had spent half their lives farming didn’t share the youths’ grievances. Observing them closely, I realised this wasn’t because they were physically fitter, but because they knew how to work in a way that was easier on the body, completing their tasks more quickly and with far less effort.

Physical labour requires not just muscle, but thought. Upon returning to China, I revisited the study of ergonomics and realised that much of the hardship associated with farming is avoidable. By adopting the right mindset toward manual work, one can achieve twice the result with half the effort, making the process both easier and more efficient.

I. I. Why do farmers get injured while working?

While I was undergoing vocational training for farmers in Germany, my instructor gave an example to explain why we need to study ergonomics: if you bend over a low sink to brush your teeth, even for just three minutes a day, it can cause strain to your lower back. Therefore, you should find a way to adjust your posture—for instance, by adopting a low, wide stance to lower your centre of gravity, removing the need to bend.

I had studied ergonomics at university, but I always assumed it was only necessary for design professionals. In reality, the goal of ergonomics is to find the optimal fit between the human body and the working environment. While designers provide the appropriate facilities, workers must also learn how to actively adapt their surroundings to their specific needs. This allows them to complete their tasks more efficiently and with less effort, while preventing injury.

Specialised ergonomic research for agricultural workers has long been established abroad. The US Department of Health and Human Services, for instance, produced a booklet titled Simple Solutions: Ergonomics For Farmworkers. The booklet notes that prolonged activities such as forceful gripping, kneeling, lifting, squatting, bending, and twisting during work can lead to sprains, strains, and back pain [1].

[1] In medical terms, these are referred to as ‘Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders’ (WMSD).

Furthermore, even seemingly harmless, simple movements—such as reaching for an object or applying pressure to a tool—can lead to injury over time if the posture is incorrect. This is why the teacher used the example of brushing one’s teeth to illustrate the point.

So, how can one work efficiently while avoiding injury? I believe there are at least two key lessons to be learned: be mindful of your working methods, and learn how to choose and use the right tools.

II. Pay attention to your working methods

The aunties on the farm are able to save effort because of the decades of experience they have accumulated. Although they have never studied ergonomics, they have learned the art of labour. From my own few years of working on the farm, I have gained some insights of my own.

1. Aim to maintain a comfortable posture as much as possible.

If your posture feels uncomfortable, try to adjust it; unless absolutely necessary, do not remain in an uncomfortable position for long. Whether you are sitting or standing, your workstation should be at a height that suits you. Try to avoid bending over while working.

For example, to avoid bending while weeding, try to work standing up using a hoe, as this puts less strain on the lower back. If the weeds are particularly stubborn and difficult to remove this way, I choose to kneel and pull them by hand or use a small hand-hoe. It is also important to protect yourself when kneeling; if doing so for long periods causes knee pain, you can place cardboard underneath your knees or use professional knee pads.

Sometimes you have to create the right conditions for yourself. When harvesting kale on the farm, we used to stack two plastic crates on the ground to serve as a makeshift workbench, placing the picking crate on top. This way, we avoided bending over during the packing process.

2.Alternate repetitive tasks with less repetitive ones wherever possible.

When planning your work, try to diversify your tasks so that you spend some time sitting, some standing, and some walking. If repetitive work is unavoidable, take regular breaks to rest and stretch, giving your body sufficient time to recover. For example, weeding often involves repeating the same motion for several hours; you could break this up every half hour by collecting the weeds and carrying them to the composting area, thereby moving your body and resting while still getting the job done.

3. Use external assistance.

In my ergonomics class, the teacher taught us a very simple principle: if an object is too heavy—over 25kg or 30kg—you should find someone to help you lift it, even if you could just about manage it alone. Besides human strength, you can also leverage tools. Where conditions allow, use hand carts or mechanical transport. Common farm equipment, such as wheelbarrows, two-wheeled trolleys, forklifts, and even tractors or plant machinery, can make the actual work much less strenuous.

4. Find a method that works for you.

While working on the farm, one of my tasks was to fill a large steamer with potatoes, which were then steamed to feed the pigs. A colleague showed me how to use a large shovel to scoop potatoes from the ground and lift them into the steamer, which stood over a metre high, but I found this movement particularly strenuous. Instead, I started putting the potatoes into plastic crates first, then lifting the crates to tip the potatoes into the pot. It might seem like a clumsy way of doing things, but it was the method that best suited my own strength.

III. The Right Tools: An Arsenal for the Farm

Beyond the methods of working, choosing the right tools is equally vital. Using an unsuitable shovel can ultimately result in double the physical exertion and a higher risk of injury.

Everyone differs in height, strength, and working habits, so I recommend that each person finds the tools that work best for them. Before starting a new task, I consider which tool would be most appropriate, or I try them all to see which one feels right.

For instance, the forks I used on farms in Germany come in several varieties, each with slight structural differences depending on their purpose. Straighter forks are generally used for gardening, such as digging up root vegetables or small trees. Those with a slight curve are further divided: the three-pronged variety is a hay fork, used for clean materials like fodder for cattle and sheep, while the four-pronged version is a muck fork, used for cleaning out cowsheds and spreading straw.

On farms back home, I found that the hoe is the most widely used tool. In the field, the hoe is like the chef’s knife of the kitchen—it can do almost anything. One hoe is all you need for everything: preparing the soil, digging trenches, weeding, and harvesting vegetables. I had never used a hoe in Germany, so when I first used one on a farm in China, I found it very unnatural and felt it was incredibly hard on my back. As you chop the hoe forcefully into the ground, the jarring impact inevitably travels up your spine. In all the farm work I did in Germany, I could find almost no similar movements, unless I was driving stakes or nails into the ground. This made me wonder: could other tools replace the hoe to reduce the physical strain on the body?

Recalling the tools I used in Germany, there are a few that can replace some of the hoe’s functions. For instance, this large fork for tilling and loosening the soil is typically used on farms to prepare seedbeds before planting. Loosening the soil with it is less strenuous than using a hoe, less destructive than using machinery, and it rarely harms the earthworms in the soil. This fork is very wide; you can stand on it and use your entire body weight to step the fork into the earth, then press down the handles to naturally pry the soil up. This sequence of movements requires no bending; most of the effort comes from the legs and the entire torso.

Beyond loosening the soil, it is actually incredibly versatile—for instance, when harvesting summer carrots. Carrots are quite brittle, and if the ground is dry, they often snap if you try to pull them out by hand. By using this large fork to loosen the earth first (without needing to actually turn it over) before pulling, you save effort and ensure the carrots remain intact. The same applies to harvesting various other root vegetables. It is also useful for lifting seedlings before transplanting; loosening the soil first makes it effortless to lift the plants.

Then there is the small hoe for weeding. Since weeding on the farm is a frequent task and there are rarely any thick, stubborn roots, this tool is perfectly sufficient. My mentor once gave me a specific lesson on how to weed with a small hoe. You should keep your back and waist largely straight, standing diagonally to the planting bed to ensure every inch you pass is cleared. The blade should slice through the weeds almost parallel to the ground. Someone skilled with a hoe can remove the weeds entirely while leaving the surface soil undisturbed.

Weeding can also be done with a palm-sized tool that fits easily in a pocket, making it incredibly convenient. Despite its small size, I actually find it more useful for tackling larger weeds. Whenever my neck is bothering me, I’ll lie on the ground and use it to weed, as this puts far less strain on my neck.

In Germany, there is another tool called a row marker. Once the planting beds are prepared, it is used to mark out the exact positions for planting. No vegetable farm is complete without one; I suspect the Germans wouldn’t even know how to grow vegetables without it.

The tines on the marker can be shifted to suit different row spacings, or added and removed as needed. The wooden handle pivots, as the operator usually stands to the side of the bed and pulls the tool forward at an angle; the angled handle ensures the planting line remains straight. The row marker is invaluable because it defines the transplanting positions, removes the need to dig individual planting holes, and allows the user to work while standing, significantly speeding up the transplanting process.

IV. The Joy of Farming

The profession of farming requires both professional skill and possesses a unique joy of its own; the two are inextricably linked. There is a particular pleasure in studying the weather and the soil, understanding plants and animals, and learning how to work in harmony with nature to receive its bounty.

For me, as long as my body allows, physical labour—even the seemingly tedious, repetitive tasks—is a source of happiness. This joy comes with its own set of skills: learning how to work both efficiently and comfortably. Selecting the right tools, adopting flexible methods, and testing them in the field is, for me, part of the pleasure of physical work.

The tools and methods introduced in this article are merely a starting point; my ultimate hope is that fellow farmers will continue to experiment and innovate based on their own circumstances. I also hope that more young people aspiring to enter agriculture are not deterred by the rigours of the labour, but instead find the genuine joy of farming.

Foodthink says 

In previous articles, Foodthink has featured many talented individuals who specialise in modifying farm tools, such as Da Hei from Green Me Farm and Brother Liu from Little Willow Garden. Everyone has their own unique way of working the land. Do you have any tips for making the work easier and more efficient? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

The black and white images in this article are from Simple Solutions: Ergonomics For Farmworkers

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2001-111/pdfs/2001-111.pdf

Unless otherwise stated, all other images and videos are sourced from the web

Edited by Wang Hao