uses of draught animal power

                                                                                       

       

1. Field operations, To maximize crop yields, appropriate implements have to be used and the various field operations have to be timed according to the specific environmental and crop requirements. As different agro-ecological zones have different environmental characteristics, agronomic requirements for different crops vary.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Land preparation is the operation where the land is cleared of unwanted vegetation. This is particularly an issue in high rainfall or areas with bimodal rainfall. Other areas with prolonged dry seasons or semi-arid will either have the vegetation cover scorched by the sun or eaten away by livestock.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       a)Tillage can be defined as the change of the physical condition of the soil by mechanically turning over, loosening or mixing it to optimize conditions for crop seed germination and growth. It is additionally intended to effect better initial control over weeds. There are two types of tillage operations, primary tillage, and secondary tillage.                                                    

• Primary tillage is a power-intensive operation that involves working the soil usually to a depth of more than 15 centimeters. Primary tillage has been the single attracting and entry point for oxidization in the country. All of the estimated more than one million oxen in the country are used for ploughing with the mouldboard plough. Other primary tillage implements are ridges rippers and subsoilers.                                                                                                                         
• Secondary tillage is the creation of a finer tilth on a few top centimeters ( usually less than 15 centimeters) of the cultivated soil, required for germination and emergence of the seed. This is important where mechanical ox-drawn planters are used. Typical secondary tillage implements are ridges, harrows, and cultivators.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            b) Planting is the placement of seed in the soil to achieve a required planting depth and correct spacing between plant stations. The placement of phosphorus fertilizer is usually incorporated in planters. Draught animal-powered planters are used by less than 1% of the farmers using draught power. Animal drawn furrow openers or row markers are used in making furrows. Timeliness of planting is critical in the semi-arid conditions to maximize the short rainfall season for crop growth.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                c) Weeding is the removal of unwanted plants by mechanical or chemical means. Less than 3% of the farmers using draught animal power for tillage employ draught animal-powered weeding. This has resulted in a shifting of the labor bottleneck from tillage ( by hand hoe)to weeding. Draught animal-powered weeding implements include cultivators and ridges. In some local communities such as Mtwango in Njombe district, the ox-plow is a common weeder used during the second and subsequent weeding operations.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         d) Crop protection by chemicals using draught animal-powered sprayers is a recent technology used in southern America under zero tillage. There are no farmers in Tanzania using this technology.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 e) Harvesting is reaping and gathering-in in grain or other products from a planted crop. This operation has no been ox-mechanized in Tanzania to the present.                                                                   
• Transport, The use of draught animal power for transportation in Tanzania has a  long-standing tradition. Donkeys and camels are the traditional pack animals in East and Southern Africa. The load is placed on the back of the animal with an aid of saddle or pannier.  In the island of Zanzibar and Pemba, cart transport was introduced many generations ago and traditional skills in making wooden wheels remain to this day.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Alternative means of draught animal-powered transport such as sleds and carts( for mainland Tanzania) Were introduced in the nineteen-thirties with the introduction of draught animal power.                                                                                                                                                         
• Water-lifting, Draught animal-powered water wheels have been used for centuries to supply irrigation water in North Africa and Asia. They are one of the cheapest methods of raising water at low lifts( Halcrow, 1983). While traditional designs of water- raising systems are being improved in some countries, in others such as Egypt and India, electric or diesel pump are rapidly replacing them.