Grade 7- Specific uses, Usage Careers related to and Care and Maintenance of farming tools

Panga

1. Cutting trees and branches, weeds and other materials on the farm.

2. Digging holes for planting seeds.

3. Harvesting crops like sugarcane.

Spade

To help in scooping or lifting materials such as soil, sand or gravel and manure.

Wheelbarrow

For carrying and transporting material within the farm.

Rake.

For gathering dirt in the compound.

Loosening and levelling the topsoil.

Sickle

Cutting grass and other soft crops.

Harvesting of crops such as rice and wheat.

The pickaxe

Used to break up a hard surface especially when digging.

Crowbar

Used to dig holes that are used by fencing posts.

Used to dig out rocks, stumps and other objects stuck in the soil.

Using farming hand tools safely.

• Farming hand tools are used to perform practical tasks around the compound in the farm.

• When using farming hand tools to perform a task, it is important to observe safety.

The following are safety measures to reduce the chances of an accident:

1. Regularly oil moving parts of the tool to make sure that they are moving smoothly.

2. Wear protective attires such as overall and boots.

3. Keep safe distance from each other when using farming hand tools.

4. Use the right tools for the correct work or job. Using a tool for a different purpose than the one intended for may damage the tool or cause injury to the user.

Care for and maintenance of farming hand tools.

The following maintenance practices are to be carried out when using farming hand tools to perform a task:

1. Wash or clean tools after use to ensure they appear good throughout and to reduce rusting of metallic parts.

2. Lubricate moving parts to reduce friction which causes wear and tear.

3. Sharpen cutting tools regularly to ensure continued efficiency of the tools.

4. Ensure proper storage of the tools after use.

5. Replace worn out or damaged parts of the tools to ensure efficiency when using them and to reduces chances of injury to users.

Careers related to farming hand tools.

1. Making of farming hand tools such as a fabricator.

2. Marketing and selling tools such as hardware traders.

3. Caring for and maintaining of farming hand tools such as a welder.

4. Using farming hand tools such as a gardener, farmer among others.

5. Gardening. Gardeners use different hand tools when planting weeding.

6. Landscaping and planning. Landscapers use farming hand tools to perform tasks such as Weeding and mulching landscape beds, trimming small trees, hedges and shrubs, planting

7. shrubs, flowers and trees, Removing unwanted, dead or damaged trees.

8. Welding and blacksmithing. Welders and blacksmiths take part in making and repairing metallic parts of farming hand tools.

9. Carpentry. Carpenters make items using board and timber. They also replace wooden handles of farming hand tools.

10. Sugarcane cutting. Sugarcane cutters use pangas and machetes to harvest sugarcanes from farms.

11. Fencing. People who erect and repair fences use tools such as pliers, jembes, shovels and hammers in their work.

12. Livestock farming. Livestock farmers use pangas for chopping napier grass for their

    livestock.