The cognitive demands and the complexity of work for the urban farmers: a case study

Abstract

Agricultural work has been increasing the demands placed on workers with the use of technologies. However, for agricultural activities, in which the increase in the use of technologies is limited, such as organic urban agriculture, little is known about the cognitive load of this activity. Currently, there are no records of studies on the cognitive load of workers in organic urban agriculture, since this is still a timid movement. The importance of this study lies in the fact that it increases the knowledge and information about this population to encourage the development of the area. The purpose of this article was to report the cognitive requirements imposed on these workers to identify the complexity of their work. A case study was conducted with urban farmers that use organic practices, market their products and make of this their main economic activity. The findings prove that the cognitive load is high, contributing to a complex job for these farmers. Thus, the importance of expanding the studies to validate the information found and contribute to the construction of effective public policies is urgent.