Simple Farm Tools – SS1 Agricultural Science Lesson Note (Second Term)

Farm tools are simple handy tools constructed by the farmer or craftsmen to carry out some basic farming operations. Farmers who grow crops and keep animals usually use some simple tools to help make their work easier and faster.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• Define farm tools.
• List at least ten examples of simple farm tools.
• Describe the cutlass, spade, shovel, garden fork, secateurs and emasculator and state their uses.
• State ways of maintaining farm tools.

What are examples of simple farm tools?

1. Cutlass
2. Hoe
3. Bolt and nut
4. Shovel
5. Garden fork
6. Hand fork
7. Axe
8. Screwdriver
9. Digger
10. Head pan
11. Spanner
12. Mallet
13. Budding knife
14. Plier
15. Harvesting knife
16. Crowbar
17. Sickle
18. Wheelbarrow
19. Shear
20. Emasculator
21. Mattock
22. Hammer
23. Watering can
24. Chisel
25. Pruning saw
26. Secateurs
27. Rake
28. Hand trowel
29. Spade
30. Manure drag

What are the descriptions and functions of some selected tools?

1. Cutlass: This is a short metal blade tool with a curved end and a wooden handle made of rubber. The cutlass is commonly used for land clearing, planting, weeding, and cutting small trunks and pegs.
2. Spade and shovel: This has a long wooden handle ending with a flat metal blade that is sharp at one end and the other D-shaped to allow for proper handling. It is used for digging the soil, spreading manure, and turning and mixing the soil. The shovel blade is folded to give a scoop shape.
3. Garden fork: This tool has four prongs or teeth made of hard metal that tapers to a point. The hard metal is about 20 cm long, mounted on a long wooden handle of about 70 to 80 cm in length. It is used mainly for digging, loosening, and breaking the soil.
4. Secateurs: This is a scissors-like tool consisting of two short metal blades, one with a concave curve and the other with a convex curve, joined at a pivot with a bolt and nut. It has two short wooden or metal handles with a spring in between. It is mainly used for preparing stem cuttings and pruning small branches of hard-wooded plants.
5. Emasculator: This consists of a pair of powerful pincers with plastic or metal handles. It is used to castrate male animals by crushing their spermatic cord.

How do we maintain farm tools?

Farm tools are made of strong metal or wood, but they still need good care so that they are always suitable for use in farming. The following are ways to ensure that they are used optimally:

1. Keep in a store free of termites (for tools with wooden parts).
2. Oil or grease metal parts.
3. If a tool is to be stored for long, paint the metal parts.
4. Sharpen blunt edges regularly to get better results.
5. Clean or wash after each use.
6. Keep nozzles free from blockage.

Evaluation

1. What are farm tools?
2. List ten examples of simple farm tools.
3. Describe the garden fork and state its uses.
4. What is an emasculator used for?
5. State four ways of maintaining farm tools.

Assignment

1. Describe the secateurs and state what it is used for.
2. Explain why metal parts of farm tools are oiled, greased or painted.