The ploughing culture is heavily engrained in the African farmer but, unfortunately, it presents a few serious problems.

As long as the weeds are buried after your plough went through the field, everything seems fine… but it is not that simple. Years of ploughing the African soil creates a 10 cm deep impenetrable plough pan or compaction layer below the soil surface. The plough just skids along on top of this compaction layer, which means that you are only using the top 10 cm of your soil. The other problem with ploughing is that you invert the soil and expose the organic matter to oxygen so that it loses its value. The sun also bakes down on the soil, draining it of very valuable moisture.

George Allison from Allison Agriculture works closely with Michael Osgerby from the UK to import and distribute Sumo Equipment in Zambia and they offer a revolutionary alternative to ploughing. Sumo Equipment is a market leader in the UK for subsoiling equipment and is making a footprint in Zambia. The Sumo Strip-Tilla is a subsoiler which does the cultivation work beneath the soil surface. The working principle is very simple, yet very effective. A cutting disk at the front slices the soil surface and organic matter which allows a tine to penetrate and loosen the soil up to 350 cm deep. Last in line is a heavy roller to break down the clods to create a flat seedbed which will allow even a conventional planter to do a splendid job. Whether you are a small-scale or commercial farmer, the principle remains the same.

Why do you need a Sumo subsoiler?

The infiltration rate of the rain into the tine rows is much greater and the runoff much less. Now you can simply plant on the tine row and the plants will get a good start. When you break the 10 cm plough pan, the roots can chase moisture and nutrients much deeper downwards. An added bonus is that you will save fuel and effort if you work on the same rows as the previous season.

To get your own Sumo Strip-Tilla, contact George Allison at +260- 967-707-733 or allison.george@gmail.com, or Michael Osgerby at +447-506-855-295 or michaelosgerby@aol.com.