Draft animal power conservation farming initiative in Uganda

I recently returned from a trip to Uganda on a project with Tillers International and CLUSA-Uganda training conservation tillage service providers using the small taurus indicus cattle from the north-central region. They have a serious soil compaction problem from years of intensive, moldboard plow-based cropping systems. Tillers has designed a new ripper to break the hard pan and establish the rip line planting method for corn production. The current and widespread seeding method is based on basin planting where thousands of small planting are hand-dug with a hoe. Very tedious and difficult work. This was a train-the-trainer program designed to develop a team of conservation tillage entrepreneurs that will bring conservation tillage to thousands of other farmers. Dry land ripping is a difficult task for a pair of small oxen, I am most encouraged by their acceptance of the 4-ox evener that will allow appropriate expectations of the oxen for these tillage operations.