Migrant labor and wear-out in manual sugarcane harvesting in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

The scope of this paper is to describe the work of manual sugarcane harvesters, assessing the nutritional behavior and body composition between the beginning and the end of the harvest. A descriptive longitudinal study was made of harvesters in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil, who answered a socio-demographic questionnaire and authorized measurement of Body Mass Index, Body Fat Percentage and Arm Muscle Circumference at three stages. Creatine kinase on the skeletal isoform, C-reactive protein and plasma urea were measured at the end of the harvest. Thirty male migrant harvesters with ages ranging from 18 to 44 from the Northeast (Ceará) were assessed over a nine-month period. The workers suffered significant body fat and weight loss in the first half of the harvest. Eighteen workers had abnormal levels of creatine kinase and four - out of 24 who had donated blood - had altered urea levels. Sugarcane harvesting work causes weight and body fat loss and gains in the lean body mass index, which suffers wear-out when working on consecutive harvests. It can also cause changes in biochemical markers of chronic systemic inflammation. Further studies will make it possible to comprehend the relationships between stress, wear-out, labor longevity and health in sugarcane harvesting.

Outlook for ethanol production costs in Brazil up to 2030, for different biomass crops and industrial technologies

“…7 Macedo et al [48] found that an average yield of 68.7 TC/ha year corresponds to 106, 90, 78, 71 and 67 TC/ha for the five consecutive harvests in a ratoon. 8 The state of Sao Paulo has approved a law in 2002 to gradual eliminate preharvest burning of sugarcane field by 2021 in mechanized areas and by 2031 by nonmechanized areas [51].…”

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“…24 Cabe ressaltar que a atividade laboral pode estar diretamente relacionada à composição corporal dos trabalhadores, fato que foi observado em estudo realizado com trabalhadores que realizavam corte manual de cana de açúcar que, durante a safra apresentavam redução de peso e da gordura corporal e aumento de massa magra, em contraste aos relatos de alta prevalência de alterações antropométricas em instrutores de autoescola, que pode decorrer da influência da longa jornada de trabalho com baixo gasto calórico. 25,26 Portanto, a organização do trabalho pode influenciar o perfil antropométrico dos trabalhadores, assim como os níveis de flexibilidade dos mesmos. Na perspectiva de identificar intervenções que possam minimizar este quadro, pesquisas feitas com ginástica laboral buscam analisar os efeitos da mesma sobre diversos aspectos da saúde dos trabalhadores.…”

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