ONTWIKKELENDE LANDBOU
FARMER DEVELOPMENT
111
Grouping of farmers and equipment
When farmers are to share equipment, great care has to be taken to ensure that the equipment
provided is well matched to the hectares to be worked, as well as the distances between the farms.
It is necessary to spend time with these farmers so that everyone can understand and agree to the
plan – who will use the equipment first, how long may the equipment be with each farmer, who will be
responsible for the care and maintenance on the equipment, who may drive the tractors etc.
Training on the use of equipment
The tractors are usually bought with a warranty, which requires that the operators be trained on the
correct use of the equipment. This has to take place before the tractors start working.
Distribution to the sites
Once the division and allocation of the tractors and equipment has taken place, these items have to be
moved to the sites. This is done on low-bed trailers and takes a long time to complete (only a few items
can be loaded onto one truck for one trip). This can delay the working time.
Servicing
The tractors require servicing at certain hourly intervals. On a new tractor, the first service is at 50 hours,
then 250 hours, 500 hours etc. We have found that when many tractors are given to a certain area, the
dealers are not able to service the tractors as they all need the service at almost the same time. This
results in serious delays. It is also important that we remember that in some of the deep rural areas,
the garages are far from the farmers – provision must be made for this aspect.
Soil compaction
Grain SA suspected that there may be soil compaction layers on large areas of land that have been
farmed at subsistence levels. Tests were done on all the lands in the project and it was found that about
98% of the lands needed a deep ripping so as to enable the crop roots to penetrate the soil in search
of nutrients and soil moisture. The ripping operation is slow and uses a lot more diesel than other
operations. Ripping, however, is essential for good crop production.
Groepering van boere en toerusting
Wanneer boere toerusting deel, moet daar verseker word dat die toerusting wat verskaf word, goed pas
by die hoeveelheid grond wat bewerk moet word, asook by die afstande tussen die plase. Dit is nodig
om tyd by hierdie boere deur te bring sodat almal die plan kan verstaan en daartoe instem – wie die
toerusting eerste sal gebruik, hoe lank die toerusting by elke boer kan wees, wie vir die versorging en
instandhouding van die toerusting verantwoordelik is, wie die trekkers mag bestuur ensovoorts.
Opleiding rakende die gebruik van toerusting
Die trekkers word gewoonlik aangekoop met ’n waarborg, wat vereis dat die operateurs opgelei moet
word om die toerusting reg te gebruik. Hierdie opleiding moet plaasvind voordat die trekkers begin werk.
Verspreiding na die terreine
Sodra die trekkers en toerusting verdeel en toegewys is, moet die items na die onderskeie terreine
geneem word. Dit word op laebaksleepwaens gedoen en kan lank neem om af te handel (slegs ’n paar
items kan per rit op een vragmotor gelaai word). Dit kan die werkstyd vertraag.
Versiening
Die trekkers moet met sekere uurlikse intervalle versien word. Op nuwe trekkers is die eerste versiening
op 50 uur, daarna op 250 uur, 500 uur ensovoorts. Ons het gevind dat wanneer baie trekkers aan ’n
sekere gebied toegeken word, die handelaars nie die trekkers kan versien nie, omdat almal op feitlik
dieselfde tydstip versien moet word. Dit lei tot ernstige vertragings. Dit is ook belangrik om te onthou dat
werkswinkels in sommige verafgeleë landelike gebiede ver van die boere is – voorsiening moet hiervoor
gemaak word.
Grondkompaksie
Graan SA het vermoed dat daar grondkompaksielae kan wees op groot gebiede grond wat op
bestaansvlak bewerk word. Toetse is op al die landerye in die program gedoen en daar is bevind dat
ongeveer 98% van die landerye diep gebreek moet word om die gewasse se wortels in staat te stel
om die grond binne te dring op soek na voedingstowwe en grondvog. Die breekwerk gaan stadig en
gebruik baie meer diesel as ander bedrywighede. Dit is egter noodsaaklik vir goeie gewasproduksie.
Wanneer boere
toerusting deel,
moet daar verseker
word dat die
toerusting wat
verskaf word,
goed pas by die
hoeveelheid grond
wat bewerk moet
word, asook by die
afstande tussen
die plase.
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