Small, low-tech adaptations to conventional tools can make a large difference to people with a disability or elderly. These adapted tools often reduce the physical burden and allow these people to participate more actively in the cultivation process. Some examples of transforming regular tools are:
– Universal cuff with regular and enlarged pocket
– Padding or pvc handles on tools
– Hand form trowel
– Molded clip for small tools
– Glove grips
Source: http://www.hort.vt.edu/HUMAN/adapt
In addition, in irrigated agriculture there are various opportunities for people coping with a handicap. Water for irrigation can be extracted from ground water sources, using various techniques. Whatever the scale of this extraction or the techniques used, the needs and potentials of people with disabilities and the elderly are often forgotten. Micro-irrigation systems (like sprinklers or drip irrigation), for example, are more easy to use since they are less labor-intensive than many traditional systems. See the sidebar on the left for some videos on these irrigation systems.
Furthermore, there are also many employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the post-production of agriculture, for example transportation, selling crops at the local market or running local storages. Read more about this in the adaptation part of this theme [link].
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