Research on the Development of Applicable Agricultural Machines for Small-scale Farmers in Africa (Part 1)

Case Study of Improvement of Animal Drawn Plow in Morocco

Abstract

Large agricultural machinery from European countries is not suitable for agricultural mechanization of the African regions, especially for small-scale farmers. Mechanization of small-scale farms in African countries must be economical.
Among the small-scale farmers in Morocco, there is much use of animal power on hilly terrain and slope areas, with problems of effective use of narrow places, farmers' suffering from heavy work and the pressure of time.
First, to improve the operational stability of animal power and labor conditions, an experiment was done in a field in Morocco in relation to the plowing performance of a new kind of plow. Traction force and the walking reduction rate for operational stability of this plow were analyzed.
Result showed that the draft resistance force of the improved animal-drawn plow for long landside in the experiment field was 731N, while the result for the walking reduction rate was 13%. The improved animal plow also showed the best result in operational stability.
Following this experiment, in the situation of C. C. (Cover Crop Cultivation) such as shallow plowing, widely practiced in Morocco, the evaluation by operators has been very good. They note that it is easily operated on long landside, and the improved plow is stable and causes less distress.