Analysis of the tomato harvest: A case study in eight Brazilian farms

The present study aimed to analyze aspects inherent in activities of workers involved in tomato harvest in family farms in the State of Sao Paulo, in order to identify the constraints faced due to task requirements and the tacit knowledge present in these workers practice. The research was conducted through an exploratory study that collected qualitative data from multi-cases through semi-structured interviews and observation of the worker's activity based partially on the activity ergonomics methodology. The present study aims to show that the work of workers involved in tomato harvest in family farms is translated by complexity, causing a variety of strategies in an environment with a large weather variability and where the tacit knowledge plays an important role in the development of strategies to deal with the labor constraints. Through the analysis in this case study activity, we can observe a wealth of knowledge arising from practice, which makes these workers able to perform their activities in an environment of high complexity. Practitioner Summary: A case study was conducated in eight farms in country towns nearby Sao Paulo, Brazil. Twenty three workers participated of this research. In order to obtain a preview of the job organization, our study perspective evolved the following methodological resources: visits to the farms, semi-structured interviews with workers and focus groups of discussion for data validation.