Open research questions in Agriculture and Farm Safety
65 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 403 Agriculture and Farm Safety papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
No direct measure of individual worker productivity was available for all farmworkers in the sample. The bias incorporated in the measure of productivity is limited, but hourly workers represent only 15% of the sample.
Current policy has systematically addressed the educational and housing needs of migrant families, but policy focusing on health services is more fragmented. There is a lack of research on the impact of health capital investments on farmworker productivity and employment earnings.
Further research in this area might profitably concentrate on the firm as the unit of observation. Analyzing the relationship between labor and management in other industries or sectors.
The literature on wildcat strikes has not extensively analyzed the phenomenon in an economic framework. Wildcat strikes in the manufacturing sector of the US economy have not been extensively analyzed.
There is a lack of understanding about the roles and contributions of farm women in the US.
The need for simple and clear instructions. The need for a useful resource for teachers and parents.
The study provides a baseline but not a comprehensive examination of all veteran farmers, as a limited number of organizations and members participated in the survey. The risk of survey fatigue restricted more in-depth questions. The cross-sectional nature of the study meant changes over time among responses were not captured. Due to anonymity, no follow-up study was possible.
Future research should explore the longitudinal effects of farming on veteran farmers. Future research should examine the impact of agricultural education and policy on veteran farmers. Future research should investigate the role of veteran farmers in addressing labor shortages and uncertainty around labor availability in the agricultural sector.
There is a gap in representation of low- and middle-income countries in research on farmer health. There is a lack of research on mental health in agricultural workers in low- and middle-income countries.
Unequal harvests: AI-assisted evidence map of trends and gaps in global farmer health research along SDG 3 priorities · 2026 · DOIMental health emerges as a key topic in HICs, with the proportion of publications nearly doubling from 2021 to 2024 but remains underexplored in LMICs.
Unequal harvests: AI-assisted evidence map of trends and gaps in global farmer health research along SDG 3 priorities · 2026 · DOIThe study highlights the need for further research on the risk factors and preventive strategies for osteomuscular injuries in amateur runners. The study identifies a gap in the literature on the topic.
Longitudinal field trials should be conducted to quantitatively verify system-level outcomes. Future research should investigate the integration of wearable robots into smart agriculture support systems.
Analysis of Assistive Effects of Agricultural Wearable Robots and Their Integration into Smart Agri-Support Systems · 2026 · DOIThe misuse of machines by farmers is a significant challenge. The lack of understanding of the causes of hoeing machine accidents is a challenge. The development of safety protocols for agricultural workers is a challenge.
Further studies can investigate the effectiveness of safety protocols for agricultural workers. The study’s findings can inform the development of safety protocols for agricultural workers.
There is a lack of knowledge about the morbidity among self-employed farmers in Norway. The study aims to fill this gap by investigating the state of non-hospital morbidity in the agricultural community.
Very little is known concerning what actually stimulated Henry Ford in developing the Village Industries idea in 1916. There is an interesting story involving a decision by Clarence Avery, Director of the Village Industries Program in the early years, to provide back-up power generators for one of the plants when water supply was insufficient.
Henry Ford and Field and Factory: An Analysis of the Ford Sponsored Village Industries Experiment in Michigan, 1918–1941 · 1982 · DOIThe study faced challenges in establishing a historical cohort of meatpackers. The study had limitations in terms of data availability and selection bias. The study highlights the need for further research to address the health effects of working in the slaughterhouse industry.
The study design has limitations, including the lack of a historical cohort of meatpackers. The study only includes newly awarded, medium or high compensation level disability pensions. The study does not include data on low compensation disability pensions or pensions awarded to workers who had been members of the union for less than a year.
Future research could explore the impact of OSHA citation activities on injury reduction in firms with fewer than 200 employees. Future research could examine the role of plant-specific safety programs in reducing injuries.
The gap is that an OLS regression model will yield inaccurate inferences about the true impact of OSHA and plant-specific activities. The gap is that prior work does not account for simultaneity biases.
The study of women's roles in British agriculture is challenging due to the lack of recognition of their contributions. The identification of ideal role types among farm women is complex due to the varying factors that influence their roles.
The role of women in British agriculture has been neglected by agricultural economists and rural sociologists. There is a lack of understanding of the ideal role types among farm women in British agriculture.
Further study of the role of women in farm households in other time periods and contexts. Analysis of the impact of industrialization on family relationships in other industries and sectors.
Work, and Family Work, Leisure, and Family Roles: Farm Households in the United States, 1920-1955 · 1980 · DOIThe lack of analysis of the role of women in farm households. The assumption that industrialization led to women's economic dependence on their husbands.
Work, and Family Work, Leisure, and Family Roles: Farm Households in the United States, 1920-1955 · 1980 · DOIThe obstacles to unionism are substantial. The impact of limited unionization may be indirect. The development of farm worker unions and collective bargaining will be slow and spotty.
Most-cited papers in Agriculture and Farm Safety
- The Health of U.S. Hired Farm Workers · Annual Review of Public Health · 2003 · 184 citations
- The ‘Good Farmer’: Farmer Identities and the Control of Exotic Livestock Disease in England · Sociologia Ruralis · 2016 · 72 citations
- Practice article. Implementation of EPA's worker protection standard training for agricultural laborers: an evaluation using North Carolina data · Public Health Reports · 1999 · 66 citations
- Trends and Characteristics of Occupational Suicide and Homicide in Farmers and Agriculture Workers, 1992–2010 · The Journal of Rural Health · 2017 · 61 citations
- Psychosocial Consequences of Agricultural Transformation: The Farm Crisis and Depression1 · Rural Sociology · 1990 · 58 citations
- ‘It's a lonely old world’: Developing a multidimensional understanding of loneliness in farming · Sociologia Ruralis · 2022 · 55 citations
- Hispanic Adolescent Farmworkers’ Perceptions Associated with Pesticide Exposure1 · Western Journal of Nursing Research · 2004 · 54 citations
- Devolved Responsibility and On‐Farm Biosecurity: Practices of Biosecure Farming Care in Livestock Production · Sociologia Ruralis · 2016 · 53 citations
- ROLES OF FARM WOMEN IN ENGLAND · Sociologia Ruralis · 1980 · 51 citations
- “Of course we care!“: A qualitative exploration of Australian livestock producers’ understandings of farm animal welfare issues · Journal of Rural Studies · 2021 · 47 citations
Most recent work
- Modeling Farm Equipment Vehicle crash injury severity using random parameters logit and multi-class support vector machine in a developing country · Scientific Reports · 2026
- Examining U.S. military veteran farmers’ agricultural characteristics · Advancements in Agricultural Development · 2026
- Unequal harvests: AI-assisted evidence map of trends and gaps in global farmer health research along SDG 3 priorities · BMJ Open · 2026
- Designed for Disparity: The Structural Origins of Migrant Farmworker Health Inequities in Maryland, 1900‒1950. · PubMed · 2026
- Inclusive labour-oriented social farming involving people with disabilities · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · 2026
- Work-Related Hazards and Health Risks Among Sugarcane Harvesting Workers in: Maharashtra Insights from a Systematic Review · International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology · 2026
- Safety on farms is a team sport - How can you help create a culture of safety? · American Association of Bovine Practitioners Conference Proceedings · 2026
- Análise estatística de lesões osteomusculares em corredores amadores de Imperatriz-MA · Revista Eletrônica Acervo Saúde · 2026
- AgrAbility Quality of Life Profile Transitions and Relationships with Independent Living and Working · Journal of Agromedicine · 2026
- “Safety goes out the window when something needs done”: Occupational health and safety risks to U.S.-born, Latino immigrant, and indigenous immigrant farmworkers on Pennsylvania dairy farms · Journal of Rural Studies · 2026
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