Everyday on my way back home, I walk by a smallholder farmer’s field and it’s always a pleasure to see how well he has organized his small plot of land with different type of salad crops and fine herbs. And I must say that I learn a lot by just observing what is being done in the field (like land management, cultural practices, seed production etc.). Today, just like any other day, I was looking into the field and from far I thought I saw a black cat walking. Coming closer, I realised that it was a “scare-crow” that resembles a cat (and it moves too)! I have seen real scare-crows, video/audio tapes around raised beds, and other techniques that are used to scare birds and rodents away, but this one is the first I saw. The “Cat” part is made of iron sheets, painted black and attached with a thick nylon string and supported by wooden sticks.
Just wanted to share this picture of the “cat” that I saw in the field:
I have no idea whether this technique is working or not, but the point is that I am always amazed how farmers are creative. I believe that youth have so much to learn from from them, especially about things which are not found in books. I miss the days when I used to do field visits and interact with farmers who were sharing indigenous knowledge with us.
Farmers must evolve their techniques too. I guess that it must go wild in a windy day lol.
Nice capture! Don’t go near it, people might mistake you for the witch 😉
Cheers,
Y.A
Hehe, I took it from far, no worries! 🙂