Weeding with draft animal power in Kaoma District, Zambia. In: Starkey P and Simalenga T (eds), Animal power for weed control. Animal Traction Network for Eastern and

This paper draws on three years of experience promoting animal-drawn weeding technology in the Kaoma District of Zambia. About 10 % of farmers own oxen and a further 25 % borrow draft animals for plowing. Only 4 % of owners of work oxen possess weeding implements. On-farm demonstrations of weeding have stimulated much interest, with farmers tending to prefer ridgers to cultivators. The results of a survey of farmers using animal-drawn cultivators or ridgers are presented. Weeders were mainly used for maize. Some implements were not used because of lack of knowledge or experience. It is concluded that animal-powered weeding has been adopted quite slowly and mainly by relatively old men. Farmers considered that animal-drawn implements speeded weeding, but that this did not lead to an increase in area planted