Farm Tools

Agriculture has been in the limelight for several decades, it started in different countries across the globe each country in their own time. However, agriculture could not have been achieved without the use of farm tools and machinery. This farm equipment makes it easy for farm activities to be undertaken with an ease. Before the introduction of this equipment, agriculture was difficult and it was only done in small scale. Therefore, the agricultural produce which was produced as a result was only used for consumption purposes. However, with this machinery, there is a large production which is able to sustain consumption and also used for commercial purposes. The world depends largely on agricultural production therefore, farm tools should be embraced across the globe.

First, combine harvester is one of the farm tools and it is one of the machines which combine several activities such as harvesting and threshing among others. This equipment was introduced in the year 1935 but it was first used for commercial purpose in the year 1939 (Kataoka). As the word combine suggests, combine harvester is used for several activities such as reaping. The second activity is threshing after the crops have been cut and collected the next activating is to separate the grain from corn. The other activity done by the combine harvester is grain separation, this activity is whereby the grain is separated from the husks. The last activity is cleaning whereby the grain is cleaned by blowing the chaff away.

Second, the other farm tool is a mower, this tool is used for cutting grass. The tool is also known as a lawnmower. According to Kataoka, there are the different model of lawn mowers such as solar-powered lawn mower and this type is environmentally friendly. The other model of lawn mower is the automatic lawn mower, this type automatically detects the area of grass to be mowed and the height of grass as required. The other model is gas powered lawn mower and this model is not environmentally friendly since it emits gas into the environment. Lawnmowers are classified based on different factors such as the axis of rotation of the blades. For example, rotary lawn mower in which its axis is vertical and reel lawn mower in which its axis is horizontal.

Third, a plough is another farm tool and it is used to till the land so as to aerate the soil for planting purposes. There are different types of ploughs depending on the function they perform. For example, furrow reversible plough which is useful in dry trashy stumpy and hard land condition. The tool is mounted directly on a tractor and it is hydraulically operated. It has two mouldboard ploughs mounted back to back whereby one rotates to the right and the other one to the left. The other type is the furrow press which is mounted behind the tractor. Chisel plough is the other type and this type is important in obtaining deep tillage with limited soil disruption. This type is used to reduce the impact of compaction and hardpan (Kataoka).

Fourth, the harrow is another type of farm tool also known as a set of harrows. It is mostly used after ploughing has been done so as to break up the lumps and to achieve fine soil. This tool is mostly used when planting small size seeds like wheat, millet among others. It may also be used to remove weeds and cover seeds after planting (Kataoka). There are several types of harrows and they include power harrow in which the power from the tractor is used to drive the cultivators. The used set of harrows may be ineffective for the land since it makes fine soil, therefore, in case of heavy rains the soil may be washed away.

Fifth, the other type of farm tools is the rotary tiller. As the name implies, this tool is used by rotating the tines and blades so as to cultivate the land. It is also known as a rototiller, rotary hoe, power tiller, rotary plough or rotavator. It is mounted on a tractor and it is operated by the power from the tractor. The rotary tiller can also be used by means of propelling itself. This equipment is also used after the plough has been used and the need for it is to break up the soil. It is mostly used in the gardens when and other crops.

Sixth, the other tool is a broadcast seeder which is used to plant seeds in the farm. Has the name suggests this tool is used to plant seeds randomly in the farm. This activity is done by spreading the seeds without following a systematic way such as planting the seeds in a line. It can also be used to spread fertilizers commonly known as fertilizer spreader. The tool is also known as a broadcast spreader. The tool is mounted on a tractor normally a garden tractor so as to perform this act of sowing seeds or spreading fertilizers or lime. The small size of the broadcast spreader is handheld with a hopper while the slightly bigger ones are pushed with the spinning disk powered by gearing to the wheel.

Seventh, the other tool equipment is seed drill, this tool is used for planting purposes. As opposed to broadcast seeder or broadcast spreader which spreads the seeds randomly, this tool plants seeds evenly and in systematic lines. The rows of these lines are easily controlled so as to achieve an even plantation. The depth of planting seeds is also even with the use of this machine. After the machine has sown the seeds it then covers them, therefore, protecting the seeds from the birds unlike in the case where they are randomly spread and the birds can easily pick them. The tool also saves time since it does all the work of sowing and covering unlike where the seeds are sown by randomly spreading then covered by using human labour (Kataoka).

Eighth, the other tool is Centre irrigation and it is used for irrigation. The term irrigation is the application of water artificially to the soil in places where there is minimal rain or in the places with no rain at all. This tool is important in crop production because lands which could have been desolate due to lack of rain are converted into productive lands. This tool is also used to suppress weeds in the farm. Irrigation is also used to prevent soil consolidation, this is the process of changing the volume of the soil by preventing pressure. From the name Centre irrigation, it means that this tool is fixed in the farm therefore, water will be regulated as required by opening and closing when necessary.

Ninth, hay tedder is another type of farm tools, this tool is used in haymaking. This tool came into use in the second half of the nineteenth century. After crops like wheat, rice, millet and other crops have been harvested the straws are left in the farm. These straws are useful in making hay for feeding livestock. Therefore, this tool is used in the process of making hay. It also uses moving forks so as to turn the hay and also to scatter the hay. The reason for this activity is to speed up the drying of hay by aerating them. This process also improves the colour and the aroma of hay. This tool is very important in speeding up of haymaking (Kataoka).

Tenth, the sickle is another farm tool and it is used for cutting grass, hay among others. This tool is among the smallest farm tools and it is handheld as opposed to other tools which might be mounted on a tractor. This tool is also known as a reaping hook or a bagging hook. It came into existence in the Iron Age and since then it has evolved so much. It started with iron the latter it was made of steel. According to Kataoka, there are many types of sickle which include smooth and serrated blades. Both of these types are used either to cut grass or to harvest mature cereals such as wheat and millet.

Causes and Effects of Agriculture in Ancient Egypt

To start with, Egypt is known to be a dry land and agricultural practices require some amount of rainfall thus, there are causes and effects which came as a result of agriculture. Some of the causes which led to agriculture in Egypt is the fact that it is a dry region therefore, they used river Nile’s water for irrigation. With the irrigation system such as basin irrigation, agriculture in Egypt was birthed and therefore, there are effects which resulted from it. Some of these effects include increased productivity, productivity was increased as a result of agriculture through irrigation. The other effect is the reduction of poverty, due to agricultural productivity poverty was dealt with. Another effect of agriculture in Egypt was the creation of employment (Lewis).

The significance of Pyramid in Ancient Egypt

Egypt is well known for pyramids, these pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens. These pyramids were built in different shapes and sizes and they were about eight in number. One of them was built for Pharaoh Khufu and it was known as the great pyramid. Some of these pyramids are among the most magnificent man-made structures in history. These pyramids have a tremendous significant such as economic prosperity and stability. The pyramids had significant uses as far as the well-being of the king was concerned. The reason is, they were used to keep the king’s majesty intact even after his death. Egyptians did this activity because they believed that when the king died his spirit remained with his body thus, they were taking care of his spirit (Bárta).

In conclusion, there are many farm tools and they are used for different purposes. These tools include plough which is used in cultivating the land. The other tool is a mower also known as a lawn mower which is used to cut grass. The other tool is broadcast seeder which is used to plant seed by broadcasting. It can also be used for fertilizer breading. The next tool is the seed drill which is used to plant seeds evenly and in the same depth. The other tool is Centre irrigation which is used to irrigate crops in dry areas and when there is an insufficient amount of rainfall. The other aspect is the causes and effects of agriculture in Egypt and it was caused by drought, therefore, using water from the river Nile for irrigation.

Work cited

• Bárta, Miroslav. “Location of the Old Kingdom Pyramids in Egypt.” Cambridge Archaeological Journal, vol. 15, Sept. 2005, pp. 177–91. Research Gate, doi: 10.1017/S0959774305000090.
• Kataoka, Takashi. Agricultural Machinery Technology. Sept. 2018. Lewis, Lowell N. EGYPT’S FUTURE DEPENDS ON. p. 360.