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voice
to
the
farmers,
machine
operators,
local
service
providers
and
small
scale
manufacturers
in
designing
scale-‐appropriate
agro-‐machinery
for
Rural
Bangladesh:
A
Case
study
By Sharmistha Banerjee
Assistant Professor, Department of Design, IIT Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India, 781039
sharmistha@iitg.ernet.in
This
case
study
describes
the
Human
Centered
Design
(HCD)
approach
adopted
to
re-‐design
a
two-‐wheeled
hand
held
and
operated
power
tiller
(2WT)
based
agro-‐machinery,
Bed
Planter
(BP),
suitable
for
low-‐income
farmers
possessing
small
farms,
which
are
typically
less
than
a
third
of
an
acre,
in
South
of
Bangladesh.
The
HCD
process
attempted
to
rope
in
the
voices
of
farmers,
machine
operators,
local
service
providers
(LSPs)
and
small-‐scale
manufacturers
in
not
only
ascertaining
their
current
difficulties,
needs
and
aspirations
but
also
in
the
design
of
the
machine.
The
HCD
process
also
took
into
account
local
small-‐scale
manufacturer’s
manufacturing
capabilities
and
ways
to
enhance
the
same
so
as
to
enable
local
manufacturing
of
the
product
and
create
employment
opportunities
thereby.
In
short,
it
describes
an
attempt
to
collaboratively
work
with
the
grassroots,
build
empathy
and
co-‐design.
The
case
study
describes
the
semi-‐structured
interviews,
contextual
inquiry,
co-‐creation
workshops
and
mock-‐training
sessions
conducted
with
all
the
involved
value
chain
actors
and
the
learning
made
in
the
process.
The
assignment
is
part
of
the
project
‘Cereal
Systems
Initiative
for
South
Asia
–
Mechanization
and
Irrigation’
(CSISA-‐MI).
[1]
CSISA
–
MI
is
a
project
partnered
between
International
Maize
and
Wheat
Improvement
Center
(CIMMYT)
Bangladesh
and
International
Development
Enterprise
Bangladesh
(iDE-‐B)
and
is
funded
by
the
USAID
Mission
in
Bangladesh
under
President
Obama’s
Feed
the
Future
(FtF)
Initiative.
The
assignment
used
the
BP
developed
by
Bangladesh
Agricultural
Research
Institute
(BARI)
and
its
reverse
engineered
version
by
a
local
workshop
owner
as
the
starting
base.
Keywords:
Scale-‐appropriate
agro-‐machinery,
Human
Centered
Design
of
agro-‐machinery,
Empathic
Design,
Co-‐
design
[2]
Bangladesh
has
adopted
scale-‐appropriate
agricultural
machinery
to
a
good
extent.
The
penetration
of
mechanization
has
occurred
mostly
due
to
farm
labor
shortage
in
the
country.
The
country
has
many
farm
equipment
based
on
2
Wheeled
Power
Tillers
(2WT).
A
2WT-‐based
BP
is
shown
in
figure
1.
The
cost
and
scale
of
operation
is
very
suitable
for
small
farms
in
the
country.
*
Figure
1:
Sifang
2WT
based
BP
Figure
2:
Beds
made
by
BP
BARI
has
done
pioneering
work
in
the
country
in
the
field
of
mechanization.
[3]
They
have
successfully
developed
a
Dongfang
make
2WT
based
BP
(D-‐BP).
BP
is
a
machine,
which
first
ploughs
the
field,
then
applies
seed
and
fertilizer
in
furrows
and
finally
creates
the
bed
(Figure
2).
Bed
planting
is
a
method
of
crop
establishment
in
which
long
elevated
beds
are
made
and
seeds
are
planted
in
them.
The
beds
alternate
with
furrows,
which
are
used
for
irrigation
and
for
improved
field
access.
Figure
3
shows
the
various
parts
of
the
BP
and
their
functions.
*
Center,
International
Maize
and
Wheat
Improvement.
2014.
Bed
Planter.
Photo.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cimmyt/14152202358/.
Figure
3:
BP
parts
and
their
functions
The
case
study
is
initiated
under
the
auspices
of
iDE-‐B
and
CIMMYT.
They
are
actively
working
in
the
field
of
mechanization
and
irrigation
in
South
Bangladesh
under
the
project
CSISA-‐MI.
In
this
part
of
the
country,
Sifang
make
of
2WT
are
the
most
common.
A
very
ingenious
local
workshop
owner,
Mr.
Oli
Hujjur,
reverse
engineered
the
BARI
BP
(D-‐BP)
and
converted
into
a
BP
for
the
Sifang
make
2WT
(S-‐BP).
50
S-‐BP
were
made
and
put
up
for
sale
through
distributors
by
iDE-‐B
and
CIMMYT.
But
unfortunately
sales
could
not
be
materialized.
The
interesting
point
to
be
noted
here
is
that
bed
planting
as
an
agronomic
process
is
popular
in
the
country.
In
the
absence
of
commercially
available
machinery
to
perform
the
operation,
farmers
were
doing
bed
planting
manually.
Hence
it
was
anticipated
that
when
a
machine
is
introduced
in
the
market,
it
would
sell
pretty
well.
Further,
iDE-‐B
and
CIMMYT
have
considerable
experience
in
this
field
in
the
country
and
have
been
quite
successful
in
their
endeavors.
Thus
the
aim
of
the
assignment
undertaken
was
to
understand
the
human
centered
aspects
as
well
as
technical
aspects
around
the
BP,
which
was
responsible
for
sales
failure.
[4]
The
study
was
based
on
principles
of
Empathic
Design,
ie.,
observing
customers
to
identify
their
latent
needs
so
as
to
be
able
to
create
products
and
services
that
they
don’t
even
know
they
desire
or,
in
some
cases,
solutions
that
customers
have
difficulty
envisioning
due
to
lack
of
familiarity
with
possibilities
offered
by
technology
or
because
they
are
locked
in
“business
as-‐usual”
mindset.
Empathetic
design
relies
heavily
on
keen
observation
of
real
people
under
real-‐life
usage
situation
to
identify
their
knowledge,
abilities,
needs,
aspirations,
desires,
frustrations
and
expectations.
Empathic
Design
approach,
in
this
project,
was
expected
to
be
able
to
capture
the
underlying
reasons
behind
the
failure
and
to
be
able
to
co-‐design
with
the
stakeholders
an
innovative
solution
out
of
the
existing
design
in
a
short
span
of
time.
2. Methodology
[5]
The
study
was
conducted
in
four
phases
as
per
empathic
design
framework
recommended
by
Kouprie
and
Visser
[2009].
The
phases
are:
1.
Discover:
entering
the
user’s
world
and
achieving
willingness;
2.
Immersion:
wandering
in
the
user’s
world
and
taking
on
user’s
point
of
reference;
3.
Connection:
Resonating
with
the
user;
4.
Detachment:
Leaving
the
user’s
world
and
designing
with
user’s
perspective.
The
investigation
was
initiated
with
two
pronged
focus:
one,
human
centered
aspects
covering
socio-‐economic
conditions,
aspirations,
ergonomics,
knowledge
and
abilities;
two,
engineering
aspects
of
machine
design
and
manufacturing.
This
case
study
talks
about
the
first
aspect
in
greater
detail.
The
second
aspect
is
touched
upon
lightly
only
in
the
context
of
training
and
manpower
development.
To
delve
into
the
scope
of
exploring
different
facets
of
the
human
centered
aspects
involved,
a
series
of
semi-‐
structured
interviews
were
conducted.
The
aim
of
the
semi-‐structured
interviews
was
to
understand
who
all
are
the
key
stakeholders,
their
strengths,
ambitions,
needs,
desires,
expectations,
pain
points
and
limitations.
The
role
of
the
researcher
was
to
act
as
patient
listener
and
encourage
the
stakeholders
to
speak
out.
All
the
interviews
were
conducted
in
the
native
language,
Bengali.
In
some
cases,
where
foreigners
were
involved,
the
conversation
was
conducted
in
English.
Whenever
the
conversations
involved
farmers,
LSPs,
operators,
workshop
workers
and
owners,
the
dialogues
were
conducted
in
Bengali
so
as
to
rule
out
any
hesitance
in
speaking
out.
From
the
semi-‐
structured
interviews,
a
stakeholder
picture
was
drawn
out
and
is
presented
below:
This
phase
identified
the
following
most
important
stakeholders,
their
roles,
interests
and
concerns.
†
1.
[1]
CSISA
-‐MI
aims
to
drive
conservation
agriculture
through
precision
equipment.
One
of
this
equipment
is
the
BP.
It
builds
on
lessons
learnt
and
opportunities
identified
by
the
existing
USAID-‐funded
CSISA
project
in
Bangladesh.
While
CSISA
focuses
on
adaptive
technology
testing,
deploying
new
crop
varieties,
training
farmers,
and
facilitating
output
markets,
CSISA-‐MI
goes
beyond
this
to
focus
on
upstream
market
interventions
to
ensure
that
technologies
needed
for
agricultural
intensification
are
sustainably
available
through
local
markets.
CSISA-‐MI
is
implemented
by
CIMMYT
and
iDE-‐B.
2.
[6]
IDE-‐B
works
in
the
creation
of
income
and
livelihood
opportunities
for
poor
rural
households.
It
co-‐ordinates
the
design,
development,
training,
manufacturing
and
marketing
of
the
BP
alongwith
CIMMYT.
It
is
concerned
about
the
low
quality
of
the
BP
and
its
lack
of
sales
in
the
market.
In
order
to
achieve
the
sales
target
in
collaboration
with
CIMMYT,
it
wants
to
quickly
develop
and
start
manufacturing
a
robust
BP.
3.
[7]
CIMMYT
is
a
non-‐profit
research
and
training
center,
which
strives
to
improve
agricultural
yield
of
maize
and
wheat.
[8]
A
new
CIMMYT
book,
Made
in
Bangladesh:
Scale-‐appropriate
machinery
for
agricultural
resource
conservation,
highlights
the
innovative
machinery
that
can
be
used
with
two-‐wheeled
tractors
(2WT)
for
sustainable
farming
and
gives
detailed
technical
designs
to
help
standardize
production
quality,
making
the
machines
more
accessible
to
farmers.
It
co-‐ordinates
the
design,
development,
training,
manufacturing
and
marketing
of
the
BP
alongwith
iDE-‐B.
It
is
also
concerned
about
the
low
quality
of
the
BP
and
the
fact
that
it
is
not
selling
in
the
market.
In
order
to
achieve
the
sales
target
with
iDE-‐B,
it
also
wants
to
quickly
develop
and
start
manufacturing
a
robust
BP.
4.
Janata
Engineering
(JE)
under
the
proprietorship
of
Mr.
Oli
Hujur
has
taken
the
initiative
to
replicate
the
BP
design
presented
to
them
with
the
help
of
CIMMYT
and
iDE
-‐B.
In
future
he
might
be
one
of
the
key
manufacturing
partners
for
not
only
the
BP
but
also
other
agricultural
machinery
being
promoted
by
CIMMYT,
CSISA
-‐MI
and
iDE
-‐
B.
The
main
concerns
of
JE
were
to
make
the
BP
more
sturdy,
earn
profits
through
sale
of
BP
and
its
spare
parts,
gain
repeat
business
orders
for
this
and
other
agro-‐machinery,
meeting
production
demands,
creating
dies
for
mass
manufacturing
and
ensuring
better
quality
of
production.
The
proprietor
is
strongly
motivated
towards
making
a
positive
impact
in
the
growth
of
his
motherland.
5.
The
farmers
are
being
encouraged
either
to
own
a
BP
themselves
(who
in
turn
can
offer
the
services
to
other
farmers)
or
to
hire
the
services
of
it
from
a
Local
Service
Provider
(LSP).
During
a
discussion
session
with
five
farmers
in
Chuadanga
and
five
in
Khulna,
it
was
noticed
that
overall
the
farmers
are
very
enthusiastic
about
the
method,
bed
plantation.
They
have
also
tried
making
beds
manually.
They
were
concerned
with
the
unreliable
seeding
happening
with
the
BP.
Thus
they
wanted
to
get
beds
made
but
plantation
was
being
done
manually.
They
were
happy
that
a
BP
can
make
their
entire
ploughing
and
plantation
activity
cheaper
and
independent
of
timely
availability
of
labor.
6.
The
operators
are
farmers,
LSPs
or
operators
employed
by
the
farmers
or
LSPs.
Three
operators
were
interviewed
in
Chuadanga
of
which
two
were
operators
only
while
one
was
a
farmer
as
well.
In
Khulna,
3
LSPs
who
were
operators
themselves
were
interviewed.
They
operate,
repair
and
maintain
the
BP.
Their
main
concern
was
the
heavy
weight
of
the
S-‐BP,
which
made
it
physically
strenuous
to
operate
it.
Many
of
them
reported
contracting
fever
the
day
after
operating
the
machine
while
others
complained
of
shoulder
and
hand
pain.
Many
would
operate
the
machine
only
on
alternate
days.
They
found
the
machine
very
difficult
to
understand
due
to
the
large
number
of
adjustment
possibilities.
They
were
unable
to
understand
which
was
the
best-‐suited
setting
combination.
They
were
also
unaware
of
agronomic
practices
and
hence
unable
to
make
out
relationships
between
soil
conditions,
seed
concerned
and
bed
planter
settings.
The
operators
were
also
not
very
extensively
trained
in
the
BP
usage
leading
to
operational
problems.
†
Conservation
agriculture
is
a
set
of
principles
that
build
on
systems
agronomy
research
developed
by
CIMMYT
and
partners
around
the
world,
particularly
on
cropping
methods
that
simultaneously
boost
productivity
and
reduce
resource
degradation
in
cropping
systems
that
include
maize
or
wheat.
7.
3
LSPs
were
interviewed
in
Khulna.
They
are
the
people
who
buy
the
machine
and
often
are
the
operators
too.
The
current
LSPs
have
not
bought
the
machine
but
have
been
provided
with
one
under
CSISA-‐MI
project.
LSP
pays
for
the
machine
maintenance
and
the
running
cost
of
the
machine
and
hence
is
looking
for
more
robust
equipment
whose
spare
parts
are
locally
available.
His
interest
is
that
the
machine
should
be
seen
as
one
suitable
for
making
only
beds
as
well
as
for
bed
planting.
The
machine
should
be
capable
of
handling
sunflower
as
well
due
to
the
big
market
for
the
same
in
the
region.
At
this
moment
the
machine
can’t
handle
sunflower
beds
and
has
no
seed
meter
for
it.
One
operator
had
designed
his
own
wooden
seed
meter
for
sunflower.
He
is
concerned
about
the
low
quality
of
the
machine,
constant
breakdowns,
no
local
spare
part
availability
and
lack
of
farmers’
trust
in
the
machine.
These
contribute
to
his
hesitance
in
buying
the
BP.
8.
One
dealer
was
interviewed
in
Chuadanga.
The
dealer
serves
as
the
link
between
the
manufacturer
and
the
LSPs
(buyer).
He
promotes
the
machine
in
his
region.
His
interest
lies
in
selling
good
quality
machine
and
thereby
earn
credibility
amongst
the
buyers
so
that
he/
she
can
sell
more
agro-‐machinery.
He
is
concerned
about
the
low
quality
and
reliability
of
the
current
machine
(2
S-‐BP
were
sold
but
returned
soon
after)
due
to
which
his
reputation
in
the
market
has
suffered
as
well.
He
also
mentioned
that
the
BP
looks
more
like
a
test
rig
and
less
like
a
desirable
product.
Another
interesting
aspect
that
came
out
during
this
phase
of
the
study
was
that
the
D-‐BP
was
more
robust
and
less
problematic
product
than
the
S-‐BP.
It
was
so
due
to
the
iterative
technical
design
process
already
undertaken
by
BARI.
The
S-‐BP
was
released
in
market
without
such
extensive
testing
and
design
iterations.
Also
the
operators
of
S-‐BP
were
much
less
trained
and
hence
struggled
with
the
machine
more
(both
S-‐BP
and
D-‐BP).
The
operators
of
D-‐BP
who
were
extensively
trained
by
BARI
and
had
considerable
years
of
experience
in
operating
the
D-‐BP
were
better
at
handling
the
machine.
Thus
they
reported
much
better
performance
of
the
machine.
Also
certain
issues
arose
due
to
the
make
of
the
2WT
on
which
the
BP
was
built
on.
The
difference
between
the
Sifang
and
Dongfang
make
2WT
was
in
their
weight
distribution.
The
Sifang
is
heavier
on
the
rear
due
to
the
engine
being
little
behind.
Thus
the
ergonomic
difficulties
of
operating
the
S-‐BP
are
much
higher.
Due
to
the
physical
difficulties
of
operating
the
BP,
which
even
made
the
male
operators
sick,
it
was
obvious
that
female
operators
would
hardly
turn
up
for
the
BP.
Thus
female
labor
that
dominates
the
manual
seed
sowing
market
will
be
out
of
job.
Various
researchers
have
reported
this
phenomenon
of
female
labor
disappearing
from
farms
due
to
mechanization
and
henceforth
causing
degradation
in
their
socio-‐economic
status
[9].
It
was
also
observed
that
agro-‐machine
ownership
was
seen
as
a
status
symbol.
The
farmers,
operators,
LSPs
and
the
dealers
all
aspired
for
tractors
and
the
performance
that
they
can
deliver.
The
2WT-‐based
BP
was
looked
down
upon
in
terms
of
status
and
performance.
The
economics
of
bed
planting
was
worked
out
at
400
Taka
(~5
USD)
for
1
Bigha
(0.1338
ha)
of
land.
From
the
farmer’s
point
of
view,
this
is
very
attractive,
as
manual
labor
would
have
cost
him
much
more.
The
operator
usually
takes
his
sister
or
wife
to
help
him
in
the
operation.
Thus
400
Taka
for
diesel
(transporting
the
machine
to
the
farm
and
operation),
two
operators,
machine
maintenance
and
LSPs
return
on
investment
does
not
appear
economically
attractive
enough
for
the
LSPs
and
operators.
This
was
currently
not
recognized
as
a
problem
by
the
LSPs
as
the
machine
is
not
bought
by
them.
But
once
the
machines
are
bought,
operated
and
solely
maintained
by
them,
this
can
become
a
concern.
Some
of
the
farmers
also
mentioned
that
they
had
decided
to
buy
the
BP
but
had
subsequently
heard
that
the
Government
is
planning
a
subsidy
on
the
machine
and
hence
decided
to
wait
for
it.
Some
farmers
also
felt
that
lot
of
free
demonstration
of
the
machine
had
been
done
and
this
trend
will
continue.
Hence
they
did
not
want
to
purchase
it.
The
stakeholders
also
mentioned
word–of–mouth
spread
regarding
low
quality
of
the
machine,
which
had
made
the
market
skeptical
about
the
BP.
4. Immersion: wandering in the user’s world and taking on user’s point of reference
Next,
on-‐field
tests
of
the
machine
operation,
manufacturing,
assembly
and
disassembly
were
conducted
to
identify
the
technical
and
ergonomic
issues
surrounding
the
BP
and
bed
planting
as
a
process.
On-‐field
structured
interviews
were
conducted
with
operators,
farmers
and
LSPs
while
the
machine
was
in
operation
to
understand
their
concerns
and
expectations.
4.1
Insights
from
on-‐field
BP
tests
An
initial
assessment
of
the
machine
shows
that
it
is
a
pretty
good
design
from
agronomic
requirement
fulfillment
point
of
view.
It
achieves
ploughing,
seeding
and
bed
making.
Some
manufacturing
and
material
specification
redesign
was
all
that
was
needed
to
set
right
the
few
technical
issues.
The
machine
also
allows
several
different
setting
possibilities
(figure
4
–
7),
which
are
very
essential
for
a
machine
to
be
used
by
agricultural
scientists.
Scientists
can
set
the
machine
at
multiple
parameters
and
test
its
performance.
But
the
same
machine
due
to
its
possibility
to
be
set
at
such
huge
number
of
variable
settings
becomes
confusing
and
difficult
for
an
illiterate
or
semi-‐literate
operator.
They
need
straight
–
forward
instructions
and
simple
interfaces.
During
the
on-‐field
tests,
it
was
observed
that
the
operator
kept
on
struggling
to
put
the
BP
on
the
right
combination
of
setting
(Figure
10).
Also
to
ease
lifting
of
the
machine
at
the
turns
(Figure
9),
one
would
tie
up
a
bag
full
of
sand
on
the
front
of
the
machine
(Figure
8).
The
visual
impact
of
these
aspects
on
the
on-‐lookers
was
a
less
reliable
and
machine
full
of
hassles.
There
were
other
technical
issues,
for
instance,
the
seed
dispensing
was
inconsistent,
which
led
to
the
seeds
not
falling
at
the
recommended
20
cm
±
5
cm
gap;
use
of
poor
quality
materials
and
inappropriate
manufacturing
techniques
led
to
the
frequent
breakdown
of
the
components,
parts
and
the
machine
itself.
These
further
reduced
the
sense
of
reliance
on
the
machine.
On-‐lookers
felt
it
might
be
‡
very
difficult
to
operate
the
machine
or
may
be
the
machine
is
broken
or
is
just
a
piece
of
local
Jugaad .
Thus
the
machine
was
perceived
inferior.
The
farmers
and
operators
kept
on
comparing
its
performance
to
those
of
tractors
and
wishing
for
one.
Figure
4:
The
difficult
to
comprehend
number
of
possible
combinations
for
setting
the
ploughing
depth
of
the
rotary
blades
and
on
the
basis
of
that
adjusting
the
seed
box
inclination.
Then
the
chain
tensions
need
to
be
adjusted
appropriately.
Figure
5:
The
bed
shaper
cone
Figure
6:
The
furrow
opener
can
Figure
7:
Depending
on
ploughing
depth,
can
be
set
for
different
bed
sizes
be
set
anywhere
in
the
given
slot
the
furrow
opener
depth
hole
needs
to
be
selected
The
BP,
at
the
end
of
each
line
on
the
field,
needs
to
be
lifted
up
from
the
rear,
rested
on
the
front
wheels
and
0
given
an
180
turn
by
holding
one
cutch
(Figure
9).
Because
of
small
field
size,
this
lifting
is
to
be
repeated
very
frequently
causing
fatigue
and
pain
to
the
operator.
Hence
it
was
difficult
to
find
operators.
Also
it
was
observed
during
operations,
that
lot
of
soil
dust
is
generated.
More
dust
is
generated
because
operators
remove
the
mudguard
to
see
if
the
seeds
are
dispensing
or
stuck
in
the
delivery
pipe.
Dust
was
being
inhaled
by
them
and
was
also
getting
into
their
eyes.
This
might
be
another
reason
behind
operators’
feeling
of
physical
discomfort
at
the
end
of
the
day.
But
during
on-‐field
interviews
and
co-‐design
sessions
(discussed
in
next
section),
mostly
they
said
that
they
are
hardy
people
and
not
bothered
much
about
dust.
None
found
reduction
of
dust
as
very
important
in
the
new
design.
During
the
interviews
and
co-‐design
sessions,
some
of
the
operators
wanted
the
weight
to
be
‡
Jugaad
Innovation
Definition
from
Financial
Times
Lexicon
-‐
Jugaad
(a
word
taken
from
Hindi
which
captures
the
meaning
of
finding
a
low-‐cost
solution
to
any
problem
in
an
intelligent
way)
is
a
new
way
to
think
constructively
and
differently
about
innovation
and
strategy.
lifted
be
reduced
as
a
priority
design
feature.
But
there
was
also
one
operator
who
described
the
weight
as
not
a
major
issue.
He
had
already
developed
tactics
to
lift
up
the
BP
more
efficiently
than
the
first
group.
He
also
works
at
JE.
Due
to
his
daily
heavy
manual
metal
work,
he
might
have
developed
stronger
hand
and
shoulder
muscles
than
the
other
operators.
Figure
8:
Counter-‐weight
in
the
front
to
Figure
9:
Turning
the
BP
at
the
end
of
one
line
on
the
field
ease
lifting
the
BP
Figure 10: Lot of adjustments and awkward postures needed to achieve the same
It
was
also
observed
that
the
operator
needed
to
take
awkward
postures
(Figure
10)
to
do
all
the
setting
changes
on
the
BP
as
well
as
during
on-‐field
repair
of
components.
Again
the
operator
himself
did
not
report
this
as
a
problem
as
he
was
used
to
such
awkward
postures
during
his
daily
work
routine
at
JE
and
thought
of
it
as
normal.
It
was
also
noted
that
the
BP
does
not
have
rear
wheels.
Thus
it
needs
to
be
transported
on
a
pick-‐up
truck
from
one
village
to
another.
This
implies
additional
cost
and
labor.
The
earlier
BP
versions
had
a
fertilizer
metering
and
dispensing
sub-‐assembly,
which
however
was
not
performing
the
task
appropriately
and
hence
had
to
be
removed.
The
stakeholders
expressed
that
having
the
subassembly
will
make
the
BP
usage
more
cost
effective
and
they
can
save
fertilizer
if
local
application
around
seed
is
done
rather
than
their
current
hand
broadcast
methods.
During
the
assembling
and
disassembling
processes,
it
was
observed
that
the
BP
has
not
been
designed
from
manufacturing
and
assembly
point
of
view.
Also
the
components
were
not
optimally
designed
from
strength
and
weight
point
of
view.
The
owner
of
JE
was
keenly
interested
in
getting
guidance
on
the
right
material
selection,
jigs,
fixture
and
die
development
and
a
design,
which
is
easier
and
faster
to
manufacture
and
assemble.
Limitations
of
his
manufacturing
capabilities
and
raw
material
availability
in
the
market
were
noted
so
as
to
be
able
to
design
accordingly.
Also
other
manufacturing
setups
in
the
country
were
visited
to
make
an
assessment
of
how
best
to
combine
the
manufacturing
and
assembling
capabilities
of
different
parties
and
obtain
a
low
cost
BP.
5.
Connection:
Resonating
with
the
user
With
the
insight
drawn
from
on-‐field
study,
two
co-‐creation
workshops
were
conducted
wherein
farmers,
operators,
LSPs,
manufacturer,
field
technical
staff,
agricultural
scientists
and
experts
participated.
The
group
together
participated
in
prioritizing
the
concerns
and
problems
and
ideated
on
possibilities.
Also
during
this
collaborative
approach,
each
person
learned
more
about
the
BP
and
bed
planting
and
many
misconceptions
and
doubts
were
also
cleared.
To
begin
with,
all
participants
were
asked
to
write
down
difficulties,
problems
and
positive
aspects
of
the
BP
on
sticky
notes.
Each
sticky
note
carried
one
aspect.
Next
all
sticky
notes
were
put
up
on
a
white
board.
The
researcher
had
also
prepared
a
checklist
and
missing
points
were
added
onto
fresh
sticky
notes
on
the
white
board.
Next
the
group
started
discussion.
Each
sticky
note
was
picked
up
and
the
person
who
wrote
it
was
asked
to
elaborate
on
to
it
and
show
pictures
or
drawings
if
he
had
any.
Mostly
they
had
clicked
photographs
using
their
mobile
phones
whenever
they
had
faced
a
problem
or
made
a
solution
themselves.
Next
others
in
the
group
could
contribute
by
either
adding
on
the
aspect
or
if
it
were
a
misconception
on
part
of
the
writer,
they
would
provide
a
clarification.
Next
the
group
would
agree
upon
whether
to
classify
the
issue
for
the
future
design
as
“must-‐be
quality
(basic)”,
“one-‐dimensional
quality
(performance)”,
“attractive
quality”
or
“indifferent
quality”.
[10]
These
qualities
are
drawn
from
Kano
Model
and
were
defined
with
example
to
the
group
as:
1.
Must-‐be
Quality
(Basic)
-‐
These
attributes
are
taken
for
granted
when
fulfilled
but
result
in
dissatisfaction
when
not
fulfilled.
2.
One-‐dimensional
Quality
(Performance)
-‐
These
attributes
result
in
satisfaction
when
fulfilled
and
dissatisfaction
when
not
fulfilled.
These
are
attributes
on
which
companies
compete
for.
3.
Attractive
Quality
(Attractive)
-‐
These
attributes
provide
satisfaction
when
achieved
fully,
but
do
not
cause
dissatisfaction
when
not
fulfilled.
4.
Indifferent
Quality
-‐
These
attributes
refer
to
aspects
that
are
neither
good
nor
bad,
and
they
do
not
result
in
either
customer
satisfaction
or
customer
dissatisfaction.
At
times
when
the
group
would
say
a
problem
mentioned
in
the
sticky
note
is
not
important
or
“indifferent
quality”
while
the
researcher
felt
it
was
important,
the
researcher
would
suggest
alternate
ways
of
thinking
to
probe
the
group’s
thinking.
For
example,
the
group
thought
having
a
seat
for
the
operator
is
not
very
important.
At
this
instant
the
researcher
introduced
scenarios
like:
1.
Imagine
you
are
taking
the
BP
from
one
village
to
another,
which
is
10km
away.
Now
the
BP
has
rear
wheels
but
you
can’t
sit.
Will
you
be
comfortable
walking
10km?
Will
that
not
mean
loss
of
time
and
money?
2.
Imagine
you
are
on
the
fields
and
in
a
village
you
have
to
do
10
acres
in
a
day.
Will
you
be
able
to
walk
to
and
fro
with
the
BP
making
beds
on
the
fields?
When
presented
with
such
probes,
the
participants
thought
deeper
into
the
human
centered
aspects
of
operation.
Therefore,
the
situation
was
put
as
a
“one-‐dimensional
quality
(performance)”
for
the
design
process.
Also
later
some
stakeholders
argued
that
it
might
increase
the
cost
of
the
BP,
which
might
be
a
deterrent
to
some.
Hence
it
was
decided
to
have
a
provision
to
sell
the
seat
plus
rear
wheel
arrangement
as
an
add-‐on
component.
Another
situation
was
when
the
participants
strongly
argued
that
a
counter-‐weight
like
sand
bag
should
be
tied
in
the
front
of
the
BP
to
make
it
easier
to
lift
from
behind.
So
in
the
future
design
a
cage
kind
of
arrangement
should
be
present
in
the
front
where
the
sand
bags
can
be
put.
In
this
situation,
the
researcher
suggested
that
sand
bag
is
dead
weight.
What
if
we
place
a
storage
box
for
seeds
and
fertilizers
in
the
front
from
which
seeds
and
fertilizers
can
drop
automatically
into
the
metering
box?
The
advantage
will
be:
useful
weight,
no
need
to
constantly
refill
the
small
seed
and
fertilizer
metering
boxes,
the
additional
weight
is
gone
automatically
at
the
end
of
bed
planting
and
while
transporting,
the
vehicle
is
light,
saving
fuel.
The
participants
thus
agreed
to
the
idea
and
placed
it
as
a
“could
have”
feature.
Hence
a
seed
cum
fertilizer
storage
box
was
also
decided
to
be
sold
as
an
add-‐on
component
for
the
BP.
5.1.1
Insights
from
the
Co-‐design
Sessions
with
Farmers,
Operators,
LSPs,
Manufacturers,
Field
Engineers,
CIMMYT
Hub
Managers
(Agricultural
Scientists)
All
the
participants
wanted
the
seeding
effectiveness,
soil
pulverization,
soil
compaction
around
seed,
robust
and
easy
to
operate
interface
to
be
taken
on
priority
1,
ie.,
“must-‐be
quality
(basic)”.
Fertilizer
application
using
the
current
BP
is
not
successful
due
to
the
hygroscopic
nature
of
fertilizers
used.
But
the
stakeholders
thought
it
would
be
nice
to
have
an
option
for
applying
fertilizers
as
well
using
the
BP.
Thus
this
feature
was
listed
in
“attractive
quality”.
It
was
also
decided
to
have
this
option
as
an
add-‐on
component
on
the
BP.
Improving
the
maneuverability
of
the
machine
was
also
listed
as
“must-‐be
quality”.
The
operators
also
demanded
visual
guides
to
know
which
setting
hole
is
meant
for
a
given
soil
or
seed
type.
Thus
it
was
decided
to
incorporate
visual
operational
manual
or
guide
on
the
BP.
The
manufacturer
was
concerned
about
the
low-‐tech
manufacturing
facility
that
he
has
alongwith
the
lesser-‐trained
work
force.
It
was
proposed
to
build
a
detailed
manufacturing
guidebook
so
as
to
help
train
his
workers
in
achieving
the
desired
quality
in
the
product.
In
this
session,
all
stakeholders
together
decided
that
a
modular
BP
consisting
of
a
core
machine
plus
add-‐ons,
which
can
be
bought
separately,
would
be
a
good
design
approach.
This
will
help
the
LSPs
to
buy
as
per
their
financial
status
and
upgrade
slowly.
The
core
machine
will
consist
of
the
soil
pulverization
unit,
the
seed
metering
and
dispensing
unit
and
the
bed-‐shaping
unit.
The
add-‐on
options
will
be
the
seed
cum
fertilizer
storage
unit,
the
fertilizer
metering
and
dispensing
unit
and
the
seat
plus
rear
wheel
unit.
The
LSPs
and
operators
demanded
easy
availability
of
spare
parts
in
the
market.
It
was
discussed
and
decided
to
offer
the
most
easily
damaged
parts
of
the
BP
as
extra
while
selling
the
BP
till
the
product
is
well
established
in
the
market
with
good
supply
of
spare
parts.
It
was
also
decided
to
use
as
far
as
possible
only
standard
components
in
the
design
so
as
to
ensure
lesser
spare
parts
related
issue.
Also
contact
details
of
the
manufacturer
was
agreed
to
be
put
on
the
BP
so
that
LSP
can
contact
him
for
spare
parts.
During
the
discussions,
it
was
realized
that
the
operators,
farmers,
LSPs
and
the
manufacturer
have
lot
of
misconceptions
around
the
BP.
For
example,
the
manufacturer
had
eliminated
certain
components
from
the
BP
designed
by
BARI
without
understanding
their
use.
This
reduced
performance
in
bed
formation.
The
operators
thought
the
BP
is
slow.
They
have
used
the
2WT
for
ploughing
where
the
operation
can
happen
faster.
A
large
part
of
the
problem
in
the
BP
operation
was
thus
arising
due
to
lack
of
proper
training.
The
operators
were
mostly
found
to
be
unaware
of
agronomic
practices.
They
had
no
idea
regarding
under
what
soil
conditions
(example
soil
clay
content,
soil
moisture
content),
how
many
times
the
land
should
be
ploughed
before
using
the
BP.
Only
some
knew
the
depth
at
which
each
seed
should
be
planted
in
the
soil.
They
were
unaware
that
the
bed
shaper
cone
is
offset
to
the
BP
center
as
the
rotary
blade
shaft
is
offset
(Figure
11).
The
operators
would
invariably
end
up
setting
the
bed
shaper
cones
outside
the
cutting
width
of
the
rotary
blades.
Thus
due
to
friction
caused
while
moving
in
uncut
soil,
the
cone
would
get
damaged.
Also
the
scrapper
used
to
scrap
pulverized
soil
and
bring
it
towards
the
center
of
the
bed
was
set
outside
cutting
width
of
the
rotary
blades.
These
would
also
get
damaged
due
to
friction
caused
while
being
dragged
on
uncut
soil.
It
was
also
observed
that
the
operators
were
not
trained
in
repairing
the
machine.
Even
a
small
part
like
chain
link
damage
would
make
the
BP
unusable
till
the
operator
finds
someone
to
fix
it.
(a) (b)
Figure
11:
(a)
Cutting
width
of
the
rotary
blade
(b)
Bed
shaper
cone
can
be
moved
to
change
bed
width
From
the
insights
obtained
in
the
co-‐creation
session,
a
mock-‐training
session
was
also
organized
to
understand
the
training
dynamics
and
identify
what
can
be
the
content
of
a
BP
-‐
training
program.
6.
Detachment:
Leaving
the
user’s
world
and
designing
with
user’s
perspective
From
the
above-‐mentioned
research,
it
was
obvious
to
shift
the
attention
from
designing
a
BP
to
designing
the
Bed
Planting
as
a
system.
This
system
involved
the
BP,
the
product
strategy,
the
training
of
operator
and
manufacturer
and
a
supporting
marketing
strategy.
Thus
a
third
co-‐creation
workshop
was
conducted
with
Hub
Managers
of
CIMMYT
who
are
agricultural
scientists
and
domain
experts.
In
this
workshop,
the
above-‐mentioned
prioritized
list
was
presented
to
the
group
for
further
discussion.
They
were
also
presented
with
prospective
design
ideas
and
directions
for
solving
the
issues.
The
aim
of
the
session
was
to
discuss
prospective
ideas
and
their
priority
and
have
an
early
check
of
design
concept
in
the
block
diagram
phase
itself.
6.1. Insights from the Co-‐design Sessions with CIMMYT Hub Managers (Agricultural Scientists)
3. Attractive Quality
Features to be sold as add-‐on to reduce cost of base model and provide LSP with options
7. Conclusion
The
current
BP
designed
by
BARI
is
a
pretty
good
machine
when
considered
from
agronomic
requirement
fulfillment
point
of
view.
It
achieves
soil
pulverization,
seeding
and
bed
making.
The
machine
also
allows
tons
of
setting
possibilities,
which
are
very
essential
for
a
machine
to
be
used
by
agricultural
scientists.
Scientists
can
set
the
machine
at
multiple
parameters
and
test
its
performance.
But
the
same
machine
due
to
its
possibility
to
be
set
at
such
huge
number
of
variable
settings
becomes
confusing
and
difficult
for
an
illiterate
or
semi-‐literate
operator.
They
need
straight
–
forward
instructions
and
simple
interfaces.
The
other
major
issues
were
inadequate
level
of
engineering
refinement
of
the
S-‐BP,
inadequate
training
of
operators,
lack
of
ergonomic
considerations
and
introduction
of
the
machine
as
a
product
when
it
still
has
a
test
rig
look.
Certain
marketing
issues
like
word-‐of-‐
mouth
message
propagation
regarding
low
quality
of
machine,
conflicting
pricing
and
too
many
free
demonstrations
of
the
product
were
also
identified
in
the
study.
The
advantage
of
using
a
HCD
approach
and
involving
all
stakeholders
starting
from
promoters,
manufacturers,
users
to
maintenance
personnel
was
that
everyone’s
aspirations
and
needs
could
be
mapped
and
understood
in
the
system
and
the
new
product
could
be
designed,
prototyped
and
field-‐tested
within
a
short
span
of
4
months.
Another
advantage
of
the
process
was
rather
than
concentrating
on
designing
a
machine
for
Bed
Planting,
the
focus
was
shifted
on
to
Bed
Planting
as
a
system
and
how
to
introduce
mechanization
in
the
system.
8. Acknowledgement
I
would
like
to
express
gratitude
to
the
following
experts
for
their
valuable
inputs:
Engr.
Md.
Shoeb
Hassan,
Chief
Scientific
Officer
&
Head,
FMP
Engineering
Division,
BARI,
Gazipur;
Dr.
Engr.
Md.
Ayub
Hossain,
Principal
Scientific
Officer,
BARI,
Gazipur;
Engr.
Muhammad
Arshadul
Hoque,
Senior
Scientific
Officer,
BARI,
Gazipur;
Engr.
Kowshik
Kumar
Saha,
Scientific
Officer,
BARI,
Gazipur;
Dr.
Timothy
J.
Krupnik,
Cropping
Systems
Agronomist,
CIMMYT;
Dr.
Mahesh
Kumar
Gathala,
Scientist
–
Cropping
Systems
Agronomist,
CIMMYT;
Dr.
Md.
Abdul
Momin,
Cropping
Systems
Agronomist,
CIMMYT;
Dr.
Md.
Shahjahan,
Cropping
Systems
Agronomist,
GCAP,
(Ex.
Seed
Specialist,
FAO),
CIMMYT;
Dr.
Md.
Mohi
Uddin,
Cropping
Systems
Agronomist,
CIMMYT-‐Bangladesh;
Dr.
Md.
Enamul
Haque,
Adjunct
Associate
Professor
-‐
Murdoch
University,
Australia
&
Team
Leader,
Conservation
Agriculture
Project,
iDE
Bangladesh;
Subrata
Kumar
Chakrabarty,
Program
Manager
(CSISA-‐MI),
CIMMYT;
Md.
Shahidull
Islam,
Technical
Officer,
Global
Conservation
Agriculture
Program,
CIMMYT;
Mr.
Oli
Hujur
and
his
team,
Janata
Engineering;
all
farmers,
LSPs,
operators
and
dealers
involved;
the
iDE
team
comprising
of
Boudewijn
Sterk,
Conor
Riggs,
Md.
Badrul
Alam,
Asma
Khan,
Imran
Nizami,
Ranjan
Das,
Samar
Singh,
Chetan
Kannadaka
Shivarama,
Kevin
Robbins,
Ahad
Abdullah
and
other
support
staff.
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Systems
Initiative
for
South
Asia
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[Accessed:
27-‐Dec-‐2014].
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in
Cambodia,
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