Ripping is a conservation-tillage method that opens narrow planting lines without turning the soil over. In Zimbabwe’s Dande Valley, one Mount Darwin household used a two-wheel tractor and ripper-planter to grow sorghum from 1 hectare to 3.5 hectares in a single season, while cutting labour and protecting soil structure.
This is the story of Lucky Seremenga of Chimushonga Village, Ward 3, in the Dande Valley of Mount Darwin District — and of what appropriate mechanisation can do for a smallholder farming household when it is matched to agroecological practice rather than working against it.
The problem: land preparation that could not be finished on time
For years, the Seremenga family relied on labour-intensive basin digging and ox-drawn ploughing to establish their crops. The work was slow, physically demanding, and difficult to complete on time — particularly when labour was short and the growing season was already brief. In a dry region like Dande Valley, planting late is not a minor inconvenience. It determines whether a crop succeeds at all.
What changed: training first, then a shared investment
In 2025, Lucky took part in agroecology training supported by Gender Action Learning System (GALS) methods, delivered through APT together with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Community and SME Development (MWACSMED) and Agritex.
He became interested in mechanised tillage as a way to reduce labour, improve timeliness, and expand production while still farming in a soil-conscious way. Identifying sorghum as a crop well suited to Dande Valley’s dry conditions, he invested with family members in a two-wheel tractor, planter and trailer through a 30:70 co-financing arrangement.
How ripping works in practice
With the planter attached, one person can rip planting lines, place fertiliser and seed, and cover them with soil in a single pass. This sharply reduced the household’s labour requirement and allowed land preparation to be completed on time.
The agronomic case matters as much as the labour saving. By opening planting lines without inverting the soil, ripping helps to:
- protect soil structure rather than breaking it down
- slow the loss of organic matter
- support better water infiltration and moisture conservation
In a low-rainfall environment, moisture conservation is not a secondary benefit. It is often the difference between a harvest and a failure.
The results
- Sorghum area grew from 1 hectare to 3.5 hectares in a single season.
- USD 184 earned from trailer hire between January and March 2026, transporting building materials, inputs, water and groceries.
- Livestock are no longer required to bear the burden of ploughing in dry years, and can instead be retained as household assets.
- Tillage services are now being offered to other farmers, though uptake remains at an early stage.
Lucky reports that this income has helped pay school fees, service the machine, and support his broiler and Sasso chicken enterprises as the household diversifies its income base.
The part that is easy to overlook
Lucky says the training also helped him think more clearly about the relationships a rural enterprise depends on — with neighbours, local leaders and government stakeholders.
“Build those relationships, and knowledge flows, farming thrives and business booms.”
What this story shows
Appropriate mechanisation can strengthen agroecology rather than compete with it, when it is used to improve timeliness, reduce labour bottlenecks, support soil-conscious tillage, and create new service businesses. In this case the two-wheel tractor is not only a machine for cultivation. It is becoming a tool for resilience, productivity and rural enterprise development.
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Related: How APT strengthens agroecological farming systems · Our programmes · More resources and insights