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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ย. 2013
- What is SPIN?
On a shoestring budget, two volunteers brought dozens of scythes to the mountains of Nepal, where, like in much of Asia, the harvesting of grains and fodder is traditionally done with sickles.
In recent years, many young people from the countryside have been leaving their family farms in the hope of escaping this drudgery, and finding a brighter future in the city.
Every day, over 1,300 Nepalese, mostly men, are leaving the country for employment in neighbouring countries. As a result, fewer people are working Nepal's land, which undermines the self-sufficiency and food security of the region.
A means of speeding up the harvest would be of clear benefit to Nepali farmers.
Introducing the scythe to places where the sickle is traditionally used will result in several benefits.
Scythes ease the burden of harvesting with a sickle, which involves bending or squatting for hours. At the same time, a scythe increases productivity without introducing petroleum-powered machinery.
During the initial scythe demonstrations in Nepal, local farmers and agriculture officers were impressed by what they thought was a new invention, as they had never seen it before. They couldn't believe it when they were told that the scythe has been around for centuries.
Most of the development agencies are promoting motorized alternatives, to replace sickles. However, the scythe's simplicity and manual operation makes it the truly appropriate technology upgrade from sickles in rural Nepal and other less developed countries. The introduction of petroleum-powered machines increases dependency on imported fossil fuels and spare parts.
Initial training in use and maintenance of the scythe is required, as the level of skill will directly affect the result. Maintenance is part of the basic skill set, and is performed by the user. If major repairs are necessary, they can be done by a local blacksmith.
While the scythe is an excellent example of appropriate technology, to implement it remains a challenge. It takes an innovative, resourceful, and committed effort to adapt the tool to local needs and at the same time make the best of local resources.
Scythe Works is actively seeking an organization with established contacts in Nepal that would recognize the potential of the scythe project and would help us continue this work.
A few key differences between scythes and the motorized harvesters sometimes called "Chinese rice and wheat reapers":
reaper:
- fossil fuel dependent, fuel must be imported
- higher cost, shorter life
- weight 8 - 15 kg
- noisy, with exhaust fumes
- all equipment and spare parts must be imported
scythe:
- fossil fuel independent
- low cost, long life
- weight 2 - 3 kg
- no noise, no exhaust
- all needed equipment can be fabricated locally
For more information please go to scytheworks.ca/scythe-works-w...
Thank you for your support,
Alexander Vido
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For more information, please contact: alexander@scytheworks.com
scytheworks.ca/scythe-works-w...
Camera and editing by Alexander and Gabriel Vido.
Brilliant idea. This is what the people need. Something they can repair themselves and don't depend on others.
This is a great idea!!! Introducing traditional, but still improved equipment to such regions instead of dumping state-of-the art machinery there which cannot be maintained, binds enormous investment (for local standards anyway) and creates dependency from imported spare parts and fuel.
What comes into my mind is the question if there is more such technology that can be adapted and if there are other regions, e.g. africa, where the concept could be applied.
Other technology could include flails (much advanced compared to simple sticks) or modern ploughs which turn the soil instead the hook ploughs which only scrape it.
ta mull USAID is really a oxymoron.
We introduce machinery they can't fix or have parts for.
Crops, herbicides and pesticides they cannot afford or recover seeds from.
So happy to finally see something that will leave a long lasting positive effect for the people.
Of course, this is a non-governmental project.
Maybe the government should refocus and redirect their efforts.
OOPS! Silly me, forgot big business is in on it!
Sith'ari Azithoth Stated differently, Fossil Fuels have made it a Global Economy.
See the difference?
Cheers!
I use a scythe to mow my lawn and to cut grass for a mate of mine.marvelous tool.
glad the indian people and nepali get the wisdom to do not use gas and technology that means increase the price of the product and poison our world. my best wishes for you... from costa rica, go ahead.
Thank you you did a great job
:( There is no LOVE button on youtube.
I think we could start using the scythe again on some of our small family farms in the USA.
Jim O'Donnell I just bought acreage and can't afford a tractor so I've been going back to old ways of raising livestock and taming the land, including buying a scythe! Hah
great project
please visit my beloved Philippines. Our farmers will greatly benefit from this way of harvesting and I can already see the savings it would generate for them.
Thank you for your interest. To start a scythe project in new region, we would need a reliable and dedicated local partner. Do you know of any?
Someone asked about the difference in output/yield between the motorized harvester and the scythe mentioned at the end of the video. I would say the outputs are fairly comparable.
An estimated cutting speed for a scythe: up to 1/4 acre per hour.
The cutting speed with the scythe depends on several variables like the user's skill, length of the scythe blade, efficiency of the grain cradle, and sharpness of the blade. However, at the harvest time it is not only about the speed; the desired result matters as well.
On a promotional website the listed cutting speed for a motorized harvester: 1 acre per hour (which seems much too high, especially when cutting wheat for bundling into sheaves).
Simon Fairlie of the UK watches scythe versus brushcutter competitions every year and the races are pretty close. Simon says: If the guy in the promotional video is doing one swing every 2.5 seconds, and his cutting blade is one foot in diameter, then he would have to be cutting a swath 30 foot wide to achieve 1 acre per hour (instead of the 6 foot wide swath he is cutting)…
more: www.scytheworks.com/s-sc-wr.html
How is threshing done?
The hand scythe, is considerably faster. I have used both extensively in the past, and the difference is the downtime for the scythe, and the increased skills to maintain one. However, scythes can me maintained easily in the evening, and require no expensive parts and create no pollution, or noise pollution. I could easily use a scythe to even keep pace with a small modern riding mower. None of these videos depicts someone who would be using one professionally.
Does it cut maize?
You can easily cut green maize for fodder: th-cam.com/video/PecjUKGWJFE/w-d-xo.html
We didn't try cutting mature maize for cobs.
Sickles: BAD
Scythes: BADASS
Beautiful.
Can we have a full video demonstration on how to build it
great idea share for people
Congratulations
Motorized scythes, as we call them here in Germany (Motorsense) do not even deserve the name but are much harder to handle and much less efficient than a real scythe (at least for me). That invention leads into a deadlock for several reasons, the dependance as mentioned in the video and their inefficiency. I was always wondering why people use such stupid machinery.
What's the difference in output/yield between the motorized harvester and the scythe mentioned at the end of the video?
have you tried doing a kickstarter or indiegogo campaign? this is exactly the sort of thing croudfunding was meant for.
What a great project! Something so simple, but could have a huge impact on the new users! Great idea, I hope you all got the funding you needed to move forward!
Hope also in philippine. Also i want to know how to forge a sycthe.
What is a shoe string budget look like in zero's
I'm shocked that, with all previous Westerners visiting Nepal, this one recognized the need of introducing the scythe. Congratulations to this person. Hopefully, the scythe will be accepted, though not confirmed in t his video. The scythe must be fitted to the person's height and perhaps strength. The woman shown was over-extending her arms scything and wouldn't not be able to scythe for more than 5 minutes, and return to the sickle. The men have to stop milling around the streets of the city and go back to the village to scythe.
Witch place can i buy
Where can I buy the tool.
Great idea but they should have used an ergomically designed snathe (handle) such as was designed by Derby and Ball company out of Vermont. It has two curves in it and it makes all the difference in the world to use.
i need this..where can i get it in nepal.
how much price
Where can I get one in KTM?
I'd like to see a competition between someone using a sirupati kukri and another using a scythe in harvesting a hectare of rice or wheat or corn or sugar cane or watermelons. Which instrument will come out on top? Is it the scythe or is it the kukri?
I'd like to see the instruments used on combat too. Which would win a person using a scythe or a person using the kukri? :D
I need this
hai friend good
What happened in the rest of the world when the scythe was introduced ?
Industrialization and globalization has been a major hindrance to the global growth of such products.
I want this
It's very helpful tool. Where can I buy this?
In Nepal, please contact Santosh at: 98192 79310
Действительно золотая коса если ее нет это для людей прогрес надо им помочь в этом они справятся удачи вам
Indonesia??
we want sythe
Please spread this project in Bangladesh
Thank you for your interest. Would you know of some interested partner to launch similar project in Bangladesh? You might be also interested to see our scythe project in India: th-cam.com/video/2iU0uYeO7XI/w-d-xo.html
Does that 'catcher' on the scythe have a name??
Yes, it is called a "cradle" and it is essential attachment for harvesting grains. There're many different designs of cradles used in different regions.
Thanks... I don't know why that word didn't occur to me, now that I see it. Too late at night, I guess... :-)
Project in indonesia kapan ya
Thank you for your interest. To start a scythe project in the new region, we would need a reliable and dedicated local partner. Do you know of any?
Please to buy
Where I can find this scythes in Nepal?
At this point, closest and a most economical source for scythes is in Kanpur, India. Please contact Anant Chaturvedi at: anantchaturvedi355@gmail.com (cell: + 91-7080226668)
or visit the website: vikalp.tech
BTW, where in Nepal are you?
i m from Rolpa District. currently in India. If there is any dealer around Nepal that will be good.
Unfortunately, there is no scythe dealer in Nepal. We ask that every dealer undergoes a full training on how to properly use and maintain the scythe, so he/she is able to assist new scythe users. You can become one , if you're up to it.
Howcome nobody still uses it in Nepal...
try getting in contact with kukhri house .... they are a kuhri ( fighting/ combat/ harvesting blade) company that could provide tools or at least the blades for the Nepalese people.... check out their website... just google gurka house kuhris
Always use the right tool for the job. Using a kukri to clear entire wheat fields would be like using a cast-iron skillet to drive tent-stakes.
Ka ko ho yo
Where can I get/buy this scythe in Nepal?
For scythe inquiries in Nepal, please contact Santosh at: 98192 79310
Some folks call it a Sling-blade, I call it a Kaiser Blade. Mmm hmm.
на Марсе пригодится
Where can i get scythe in nepal.
For scythe inquiries in Nepal, please contact Santosh at 981 927 9310 or Ravi at 980 764 0112
Where to get sycthe in nepal
For inquiries in Nepal, please contact Santosh at 981-9279310
Need a help.
Where can i get one?
For scythe inquiries in India, please call: 96955 44551
In Nepal, please contact Santosh at: 98192 79310
How to available in nepal
For scythe inquiries in Nepal, please contact Ravi at 980 764 0112 or Santosh at 981 927 9310
Sir I want this sir plz provide to me sir
Those noobs use their arms.... clearly the tool is meant to be used by spinning the body while keeping the handle close to the bodies centre instead.
+Utrilus
You have clearly never used a scythe. The longer the radius of the curcle, the faster the blade will swing. So moving the arms away from the body is good.
What about East Africa
East Africa could be using scythes as well...
@@ZlataKosa not yet
Time to start
I can help
I want to purchase it, where can i get ?
Hello Sumitra, where are you located?
@@ZlataKosa jhapa Nepal
price of sythe
Complete scythes outfits and needed instructions are now available in India.
For more info, please contact Anant Chaturvedi in Kanpur: anantchaturvedi355@gmail.com (cell: + 91-7080226668)
Isn't Nepal where the Gurkhas come from? And don't the Gurkhas use the kukris? And don't they also use the sirupati kukris for cutting vegetation, grasses, and for harvesting? I'd think that the sirupati kukri would be better than awkard scythe for harvesting. The kukris come in all shapes and sizes.
Always use the right tool for the job. Using a kukri to clear entire wheat fields would be like using a cast-iron skillet to drive tent-stakes.
HipposHateWater
But it's better using a cast-iron skillet to drive tent-stakes then using your fists to drive them in. Unless you're the Hulk. :D
georg cantor Exactly. The point is it's a step up from using your bare hands, but not by much.
The asian squat is not tiring, it's actually a complete resting position.
That is the reason why sickles are the best way to harvest.
Nicko Ion
Nicko, I do appreciate your feedback however, Dr. S. V. Himachal Pradesh, India must have a different opinion when he wrote to me:
I work in Himachal Pradesh as a doctor. Many patients suffer from back ache and arthritis of knees from squatting for long hours during field work like cutting grass and harvesting. I came across scythe and feel that this may help. I was going to buy motorized harvester but want to give scythe a chance... please could you let me know any contact either in India or in Nepal to buy some scythes.
I will be grateful for your help.
Nicko, it is one thing to squat for resting, it is a complete different thing to work while squating. You have to move, pick up weight and change the squating position often, which is not "resting" at all and causes tiring of knees and back.
do not broke traditional invarionmet
I made
hire
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motorized is the way to go. this tool could increase productivity and help the farmer move to more automation. Why can the west only be the ones to industrialize? Can't these people be allowed to use motors? that is narcissistic and selfish thinking.
+Piper43078 Is automation truly a good thing? I just bought a scythe to cut my grass and after just trying it out, I prefer it to a lawnmower. I'm fat, I need exercise.
I was also thinking while watching this, if they've been able to feed themselves with a sickle, which looked very slow, then a scythe will make their lives much easier. If they were producing more than they need, they would probably start using preservatives and all that garbage that we eat in the west.
It's very arrogant to think our way is the best way.
+Piper43078 it costs fuel and parts to run an automated machine. This increases the financial burden on the farmers as they probably are not getting enough money to keep such machinery up and running for every acre that is required to be farmed.
So in the end the Sycle was the best tool for the job at the right effeciency to cost ratio for the farmers. it has nothing to do with elitism or the west being better, it has to do simply with practicality.
+Piper43078 Because unless they are walked forward at a pace they can handle it will reap havoc on their economy
+Piper43078
Motorized is great if you want the farmers to go into debt so their land can be bought up cheap.
Farmers should go with what works for them. They'd be better off if they didn't pay too much attention to modern ways, which are not cost effective for small farms. But it's their choice.
Mechanized tools are only a good idea when you already have an infrastructure/economy that can easily support it. While long-term goals are good, this is supposed to actively help people here and now.