…local innovation showcased at COP11
WINDHOEK – Among the many exhibitions at the The 11th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) are the technology and improved mechanisms on farming by a local exhibitor, Hendrik Baufeldt from Baufis Agricultural Services. The company manufacteruers tractors that are ideally suited for conservation agriculture.
“This ripper has added features like the adjustable furrow wings and an adjustable depth wheel. The ripper weighs 340kg fully fitted. This makes it useable on small- and medium-sized tractors (55kw),” he said. Baufeldt said conservation agriculture is the only method for communal dry land crop production that widens the window for harvest success, as well as improving soil conditions. “We do not own the land, we borrow it from our children. Therefore we must make sure we pass it on in a better condition than we have received it,” Baufeldt said. The entrepeneur said implements such as his, are an important component of the ‘Namibian Specific Conservation Agriculture’ method which counteracts the aggravating effects of climate change. “Increasing numbers of farmers are now changing to conservation agriculture in an attempt to increase income and combat climate change,” he said.
One farmer he said was able to realise a yield of 4660kg of mahangu per hectare this year, a season in which Namibia is enduring drought. “The majority of mahangu fields in Namibia’s north-central [regions] have developed [into] hard pans of plus-minus 15cm below soil surface, which is caused by disc harrows and mouldboard ploughs, preventing rainwater or plant roots to penetrate to deeper soil levels,” he said, adding that such hard pans need to be broken by a tractor ripper. Baufi’s Agricultural Services has also designed and developed a draught animal mahangu planter. The planter is suitable for planting sorghum, maize, mahangu and beans by simply changing the seed selector plate. The depth adjusting mechanism is easy set to the desired depth for different crop varieties. The pressure wheel closes and compacts the soil to allow the seed good contact with the soil and the drive chain sprocket can be changed to increase or de-crease seed spacing.