• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.17-38
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• 1999

Rural extension work in Korea has been carried out as a national government project by the Rural Development Administration since 1962. But almost all of the extension workers transferred to local government employ in 1997 and the 7,480 extension workers in 1997 decreased to 5,082 by the end of 1999 through restructuring of the government system. Traditionally, the extension worker has carried out educational jobs but many extension workers was to carry out the administrative responsibility in addition to the educational job as the rural extension system was changed. This study was to evaluate the rural extension system under the localization, extension activities, methods, extension worker's morale, and so forth. Most of extension workers are embarrassed about the changing of the extension system and their duty.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.71-81
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• 2020

Enclosed pig house are creating an environment with high concentrations of gas and dust. Poor conditions in pig farms reduce pig weight and increase disease and accidents for livestock workers. In the pig house, the high concentration of harmful gas may cause asphyxiation accidents to workers and chronic respiratory disease by long-term exposure. As pig farm workers have been aging and feminized, the damage to the health of the harsh environment is getting serious, and real-time monitoring is needed to prevent the damage. However, most of the measuring devices related to humidity, harmful gas, and fine dust except temperature sensors are exposed to high concentrations of gas and dust inside pig house and are difficult to withstand for a long time. The purpose of this study is to develop an wearable based device to monitor the hazardous environment exposed to workers working in pig farms. Based on the field monitoring and previous researches, the measurement range and basic specifications of the equipment were selected, and wearable based device was designed in terms of utilization, economic efficiency, size and communication performance. Selected H₂S and NH₃ sensors showed the average error of 5.3% comparing to standard gas concentrations. The measured data can be used to manage the working environment according to the worker's location and to obtain basic data for work safety warning.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.105-115
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• 2020

With the decrease of the agricultural population in Korea, the workers who is vulnerable to labor are increasing in agricultural industry because of aging, feminization of population. They are exposed in poor working environment with higher temperature and concentrations of dust, gas. Higher concentration of harmful gas and dust can cause chronic and acute disease to workers depending on exposure intensity and frequency. In order to improve the working environment in the livestock facilities, It is important to secure monitoring data of the thermal environment and the concentration of harmful gases and fine dust. Multi-point measurement was performed to analyze the regional environmental conditions in the pig rooms. When analyzing the working environment, video monitoring was conducted to analyze the concentration changes of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and fine dust according to worker movement and work type. Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide monitoring result showed 1.5~2 times higher concentrations than other work when working in the pigs living zone, and 2~4 times higher than other work when working to increase the activity of pigs. In the case of fine dust, the result was 1.3 times higher than the worker's exposure standard in a specific work. The concentrations of gases and dusts from pig farms are not of concern for acute poisoning in normal work, but there is a risk of chronic respiratory disease if they are continuously exposed. Accordingly, there is a need for development of work environment monitoring device tailored to workers and preparation of alternatives.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2020

Background: Exploratory study to investigate whether co-exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals is associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in French male farmers and agricultural workers. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 711 men aged 30-65 years and working as either farmers or agricultural workers in 2009-2010 within a cohort covered by the French Agricultural Workers' and Farmers' Mutual Benefit Fund. CTS and exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Associations between CTS and personal/medical factors, exposure to physical wrist stressors, exposure to chemicals, and co-exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals were studied using multivariate logistic regression models. Results: Forty-four men {5.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.0-7.7]} reported that they had suffered from unilateral/bilateral CTS during the last 12 months. CTS was associated with age, current smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 2.1 (1.0-4.5)], and exposure to physical wrist stressors [OR = 2.6 (1.1-5.9)]. An association was found between CTS and co-exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals [OR = 3.3 (0.8-14.3), p = 0.044] in comparison with the no-exposure group. Conclusions: This exploratory study shows an association of CTS with exposure to biomechanical wrist stressors in male farmers and agricultural workers and suggests an association of CTS with co-exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals. Owing to the limitations of the study, this result must be confirmed by a prospective study with objective assessments of the outcome and exposure before drawing conclusions on the possible synergistic effects of mechanical stressors and chemicals on the impairment of the median nerve.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.107-118
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• 1994

Health effects of pesticide among vinylhouse workers in Sangjoo County, Kyungpook Province were assessed by measuring cholinesterase, glutathion reductase, and methemoglobin. Activities of cholinesterases among vinylhouse workers and general farmers were 3.89U and 3.98U in serum and 5.29U and 5.50U in red blood cells, respectively. While levels of methemoglobin between vinylhouse workers(0.16%) and general farmers(0.17%) were very similar, glutathione reductase among vinylhouse workers were 8% lower than that of general farmers. Inhibition of RBC cholinesterase among vinylhouse workers was two times greater than general farmers, suggesting a greater exposure of vinylhouse workers to the organophosphate pesticides. Methemoglobin level among vinylhouse workers with more than or equal to 10 vinylhouse units was 13% higher than that of the workers with less than 10 units. Vinylhouse workers using protective gears during pesticide spray showed higher level of reduced glutathione and lower level of methemoglobin, as compared to the non-users. This indicates that protective gears play an important role against pesticide exposure. Vinylhouse workers practicing good personal hygiene showed a higher level of reduced glutathione, as compared to those with poor personal hygiene, indicating that personal hygiene is also an important factor in reducing pesticide exposure. The present study represents a first attempt to analyze cholinesterase, methemoglobin and glutathione reductase activities among the vinylhouse workers. While neither vinylhouse workers nor general farmers showed abnormal findings among biochemical parameters used in the present study, increased level of methemoglobin and decrease of glutathione reductase activity among vinylhouse workers suggest that these workers have been subject to a higher exposure of pesticide than general farmers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.73-79
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• 2013

As facilities performing the production, processing, preservation, and shipment of agricultural products; agricultural facilities are categorized into planting facilities and livestock facilities based on the management target. Agricultural facilities are set in farmlands, and facility users mainly complain about the legal or institutional restrictions on farm rather than their own facilities itself. From 2009 to 2012, the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) published the "Casebook of farmer Complaints on Farmlands" in order to help answer farmers' questions and support public workers' workloads. However, contents related to agricultural facility installed in farmland are currently not dealt with in particular. Among agricultural facilities, demands of property rights with livestock facilities have risen due to construction permissions, operational restrictions, and high initial investment costs; and relevant laws were revised and are now being executed. However, for planting facilities such as mushroom facilities, ginseng facilities, and greenhouses; farmer complaints related to property rights are constantly increasing because revisions to relevant laws are not being made despite the rising diversity of construction materials through technical developments as well as the rising scale of assets-i.e. mechanization, automation, and the application of New Regeneration Energies according to capital influx. In this study, the current state of relevant agricultural facility legislation were organized and their drawbacks deduced in order to propose improvements of Agricultural Facility Legislation. The result of interviewing with public workers and farmers show that agricultural facilities should be regarded as extensions of farmlands rather than as facilities built in land where development actions were being taken. Alternatives able to reflect these opinions were suggested through expert consultation.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2005

Economic animal husbandry workers exposed to organic dust can be suffered from immunologic disorders. Our study was to determine immunological parameters related with occurrence of respiratory allergic diseases to animal husbandry workers in Korea for the first time. Peripheral blood were obtained from twenty-five pig barn workers, forty-nine chicken farming workers and fifty-one non-agricultural control workers. Significantly upregulated plasma IgE level was observed with pig-barn workers than that of chicken farming workers or healthy community control subjects. Furthermore, level of histamine, a hallmark of allergy induction, was upregulated in the pig and chicken farming workers in comparison with that of the control subjects. Downregulation of $IFN_\gamma$ and $TNF_{\alpha}$ production from T cells was apparent in the animal husbandry workers compared with the control subjects. Meanwhile, T cells collected from the pig barn workers demonstrated significantly higher production of IL-4 and IL-10 than the other groups. There were also alterations in IgG subclass distribution. In conclusion, immunological modulation probably leading to occupational allergic diseases can be occurred in the economic animal husbandry workers and the pig barn workers could be the most risky group to the work-related allergic disease.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.111-120
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• 2018

This study aims to identify the factors influencing the perofrmance of agricultural projects for small farmers in Malawi. This cross-sectional study was conducted to discover the factors behind the slow performance of agricultural projects in alleviating poverty. The research was conducted in the Karonga and Phalombe Districts in the northern and southern parts of Malawi, respectively. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire survey administered to 82 agriculture extension workers, and a multiple regression analysis was conducted. The results indicated that farmers' socioeconomic factors, including high illiteracy and poverty rates, poor participation regarding project implementation, and high dependency syndrome, significantly affected the performance of agricultural projects. Within the projects them selves, this study discovered that there was no consistent flow of funds. This greatly affected the schedule of project activities, thereby compromising performance. The study recommends that the government and all relevant stakeholders work jointly to alleviate poverty. It is especially important to ensure that smallholder farmers are equipped with self-help capabilities. In addition, it is critical to examine the issues of funding disbursement.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.264-270
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• 2010

Agricultural workers are often exposed to high levels of dust during field operations. A systematic exposure assessment of annual task-weighted exposure has not been thoroughly examined. The occupational dust exposure in two wine grape vineyards was measured. Exposure levels to total and respirable dust were determined for a 1-year cycle of work. An operation profile including the frequency of tasks was established. The means of total and respirable dust exposure were $1.08\;mg/m^3$ and $0.07\;mg/m^3$, respectively. Based on the exposure for each task and the task frequency, task-weighted mean exposures to total and respirable dust were estimated as $1.115\;mg/m^3$ and $0.079\;mg/m^3$, respectively. The task-weighted exposure was significantly represented by three operations and could be attributed to the exposure frequency rather than the exposure intensity of operations. The measurement of a few of the most frequent tasks may be an alternative method of estimating task-weighted exposure. Agricultural dust exposure can be significantly reduced by targeting those tasks most important to task-weighted dust exposure.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.83-93
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• 2021

The 52-hour workweek policy in Korea is a system that limits the maximum working hours per week to 52 hours including holiday work, which has been treated separately from overtime work during a week. Although this policy is designed to improve the quality of life and create jobs, it may also reduce the income of some workers. In general, it can be assumed that reduced working hours increase consumption at home. This study analyzed the effect of the 52-hour work policy on meat consumption patterns with the ordered logit model. Major factors considered in this study include working hours, income, and consumption frequency. It distinguished domestic and workplace consumption. The results show that the policy has had an impact on meat consumption patterns both at home and at work. If there is no change in income and only the working hours decrease, meat consumption in households increases. On the other hand, if both income and working hours decrease, household meat consumption decreases. Moreover, reduced working hours decrease the frequency of office happy hour and meat consumption in the workplace. However, the 52-hour workweek policy applies only to workers working more than 52 hours per week; thus, it is difficult to determine the overall effect of the policy on national meat consumption patterns.