When the coffee cherries ripen, farmers and workers around the world get busy harvesting. Unfortunately, this work can literally be “back-breaking.” The baskets used for coffee picking can cause debilitating harm to the backs and shoulders of the harvesters.

To address this problem, the International Ergonomics Association (IEA), in collaboration with the National University of Nicaragua (UNAN-León) initiated the project “Redesign of Coffee Harvesting Baskets to Reduce Risk of Injury.”

The project partners aim to create a safer, more productive work environment by reducing the risk of back and shoulder injuries among coffee harvesters.

The 4C Association supported the development of a new, user-friendly harvesting bag by creating a collaborative structure with its regional office in Nicaragua and its members in the region, as well as a financial contribution to the first phase of the project.

For the first phase, farms affiliated to the 4C Member Pueblos en Accion Comunitaria (PAC) in Nicaragua were involved in the piloting of the prototype and field testing of the redesigned coffee bags.

A professional team from the University of Washington and UNAN-León visited different farms in the coffee-growing region around Jalapa, Nicaragua from 13-18 December 2010. PAC organised the contact to the farmers and dealt with the logistics of this phase.

The project team compared the newly designed bag to the existing sample (bamboo baskets) to determine the appropriate bag modifications. They interviewed 20 workers during this time and carried out tests with them using the old and the new harvesting bag methods.

In a second phase, the project partners will evaluate the improved bags and assess enhancements in productivity during harvesting season 2011/2012. Production on a larger scale can commence once the final testing of the prototype has been done.