We have designed several tools and built the jigs and fixtures necessary to manufacture them. We are now selling them throughout the country and are struggling to keep up with demand. Our products include a maize sheller of our own invention, a jab planter, a wheel hoe, a manual hay baler and harvesting tools as well as several styles of weeding hoes.
As we collaborate with other projects in Lesotho and around the world we are learning techniques that offer the most promise for our area. At present we are working with graizing vetch and black oats as a cover crop to prevent soil erosion, improve fertility and soil structure and hopefully some forage in good rain years.
Lesotho is located in a mountainous area land-locked in South Africa
(0:30) video showing the team that built one of the early seeding tools and having fun testing it!
We are developing an OX drawn planter that can be locally made. It terminates a cover crop while planting at the same time allowing Basotho farmers to plant a crop in one pass instead of 4 passes with a plow and providing all the other benefits from No-Till and regenerative agriculture. (0:42)
Maize sheller built and tested in Lesotho. Compare this with the manual method (Maize Shelling Demonstration) below (0:36)
Successful plantings arise!
(0:30) video demonstrating shelling maize by hand