We met recently with the dedicated researchers at Syngenta Foundation and Cinzana Agricultural Research Station to talk shop, and more specifically semoires.
Semoires are locally made machines that help farmers cultivate more land faster and with better efficiency. A small compartment holds seeds and sometimes fertilizer. As the semoire is pulled by ox and plow, a small disk with precice measurements turns allowing the correct number of seeds and a microdose of fertilizer per hole.
This semoire disk doses the correct number of seeds per hold for Millet and Sorghum
This semoire disk is for both seed and fertilizer. Generally with hybrid seed, we want to keep the seed and fertilizer separate - we'll have to keep this in mind when finalizing which semoires to recommend to our farmers.
Many farmers in the zone we’re working in have semoires, but either they don’t have the microdose disk (the special sauce in maximizing the value of a semoire!) or they are of poor quality and break after one season. Based on the amount that they save for with us during the year, at planting time farmers will qualify for a loan to purchase the disk or the semoire. This will make it easier for farmers to cultivate more land, using better planting methods in less time than it would take with traditional methods – manual labor and throwing seeds on the ground. More to come as we develop our prototypes!
