Sickle Farm Tools Meaning
The sickle is a hand-operated farm tool that can be used for harvesting forages, vegetables, and cereal crops.
There are different types of sickle farm tools such as the short-handle sickle, long-handle sickle, and adjustable sickle farm tools.
Sickles are used effectively in both commercial and subsistence farms, but they are used more in subsistence farming due to the absence of mechanized implements.
In commercial farming, The sickles are needed for minor operations such as harvesting of forages, livestock feeding, hay preparation, harvesting of fruits and vegetables, and ensuring accurate cutting of crops.
The small nature of the farm tool makes it effective for performing various farming operations.
Description of the Sickle Farm Tools.
The tool is a hand-operated farm tool with a curved metal blade. The tool has a hook-like shape.
It has a curved metal blade which is made of carbon steel, Manganese steel, and alloy steel, and ranges from about 26 to 42cm in length while the blade is 0.1cm thick (Tnau, agritech).
The part of the metal blade that curves inside is Sharp, while the outer edge of the metal blade is blunt.
At the posterior end of the blade is a tang that could be fixed or attached to a handle made of wooden, rubber, ceramic, or an adjustable metal handle.
The tang has a small hole where the handle is fixed to the blade and secured on the metal edge with a single nut.
How to Use the Sickle Farm Tools.
When harvesting forages (grasses for feeding livestock), grasses, vegetables (water leaf, green leaves amaranthus), and cereal.
The parts of the plant to be cut are held with the left hand while using the sickle with the right hand to cut the crops.
The stalks of the crops that are close to the ground are cut by pulling the sickle with little force around the cutting point of the plant.
For crops such as cocoa, cashews, and mangoes. The sickle is attached to a long wooden, metal, or ceramic handle, and it is lifted to the point where the fruit to pluck is located.
cut the fruit pedicel and the fruit will fall to the ground.
Uses of the Sickle in Agriculture.
In the farm or the farmstead, the sickle can be used to perform various activities such as
- Harvesting of arable crops: a sickle is a useful tool for harvesting different crops such as vegetables (water leaf, green amaranths, green beans, etc.), cereals such as rice, wheat, the sickle, and oil crops (such as beeniseed). Due to the curved and portable nature of the farm tools, farmers can effectively use the tools for the cutting of crops.
- Pluck Fruit: the hook-like nature of the tools enables the farmer to effectively hang the sickle around the fruit pedicel. Plucking is achieved by slightly pulling the sickle with force to cut the pedicel. Fruits such as cocoa, cashew mangoes, and citrus can be efficiently harvested with the aid of the sickle.
- Harvesting Forage: forages such as Bermuda grasses, elephant grasses, penicum maximum as well as Tropical kudzu, clover, and alfalfa can be harvested with the use of the sickle. These forages are either used for feeding livestock in their fresh state or preserved as hay or silage (West Africa Examination Council, 2018)
- Trimming Flowers: the sickle can also be used for slight trimming operations in the farmstead. It can be used for trimming overgrown flowers. The curved edge of the sickle enables the user to trim the flower effectively.
- Harvesting Grass for Traditional Roofs: the sickle is commonly used for harvesting grasses such as spear grass, guinea grass, element grasses, and more. These grasses are craftily woven to form roofs that prevent water from penetrating. Making them ideal for roofing huts and mold houses in the villages or on the farm.
- Pruning: pruning is a process of removal of dead and overgrown branches of the tree. This can be done with the use of the sickle. When the curved edges are attached to the dead wood or overgrown branches. It can be forcefully pulled down with little force. In this way, the dead branches or trees are removed easily using the sickle.
- Slight weeding: the sickle can be used for minor weeding on the farm. With the help of the sharp curve edge of the sickle, minor weeding operations can effectively be performed by the sickle.
- Harvesting and Curving of Crafting Material: local crafting materials such as palm fronts, raphia palm fronts, and more can be obtained or trimmed with the aid of the sickle. These materials can be cut into different shapes or sizes which can be used for making local crafts such as baskets, hand fans, mats, and crafted chairs and tables.
- Harvesting of Herbs for Medicinal Purposes: medicinal herbs are very important to the farmer and they effectively regenerate when harvested correctly. The sickle is an essential farm tool for harvesting medicinal herbs because of its sharp cutting edge that allows the plant to regenerate after cutting.
- Cultural and Ceremonial Purposes: in some parts of Africa, particularly among the Orogun tribe in Nigeria. The cutlass or sickle is used for traditional dance during their Ukere festival.
Maintenance of the Sickle Farm Tools
The Following are the precautionary measures to ensure the durability and effectiveness of the sickle as enumerated by the West Africa Examination Councils.
- The cutting edge should be sharpened regularly.
- metal part should be greased to avoid rusting
- wash and clean after use.
- Store in a rain-free area to prevent rusting and corrosion of metal parts.
- Store in a termite-free area to protect the handle from damage
Frequently Ask Questions.
Is a sickle a harvesting tool?
Yes, the sickle is a harvesting tool. It is used in agriculture for the Harvesting of arable crops such as vegetables (water leaf, green amaranths, green beans, etc.), cereals such as rice, wheat, and oil crops (such as beeniseed). It is also used for plucking fruits such as cocoa, cashew mangoes, and citrus, and for harvesting forage such Bermuda grasses, Elephant grasses, penicum maximum as well as tropical kudzu, clover, and alfalfa.