How farming is done in my community and the tools involved: Contest by @thegreens

*image snapped and edited on thumbnail maker *

Basically, farming is the act of growing crops and raising livestock. The crops may include maize, legume, wheat, groundnuts and the livestock may include sheep, cattle, goat and many others. Most individual’s main source of income in Africa, Cameroon and in my community in particular, is gotten from agricultural activities including cocoa, coffee, volcanga, pineapple and cash crops cultivation.

In my community, the growing of these crops initially was basically being practiced using hoes, machetes and manpower which entailed farmers to use their physical strength to perform all the farm tasks. The process of cultivation starts from burning/clearing the farm, next, the farm is tilled and the desired crop (be it maize, cassava or beans) is then planted in the farm. After some few weeks, when the crop must have geminated to a certain extent, the farm is then “weed” (a process of removing grasses from the farm to enable the crops to have more space and air). When this is done, the farmer now waits for some few weeks and the crop will be due for harvest.

*Image source : globaltimes.org *

Recently, the cultivation of these crops isn't just based entirely on manpower any more. This is as a result of an initiative that I co-headed which led to the manufacture of some basic devices which now ease labor to some extent. During the initiative, the idea of cow drown ploughs was implemented and these ploughs are now used for tilling.

* Image source agro4africa.com *

Away from crop cultivation, the rearing of livestock has different procedures depending on the livestock the farmer intends to rear. For a simple case study, we shall analyze the processes involved to grow local chicks 🐣🐥 commonly call “countri fowl.” The process is so easy as little or no work is required because after the hen hatches the chicks, she does entirely everything for the chicks ranging from feeding to protection. No heating is required as in the case of “agric chicks” as the hen provides warmth shelter for her chicks.