(Source: AGRA – Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa) Photo credit: CATALIST-2, IFDC, Burundi Ousmane Balde, 35, from Kolda in southern Senegal recalls his neighbors laughing: 'How can you be farming with that toy?' when they saw him planting this year's rice crop with the direct paddy seeder. Culturally, standing out is seen as undesirable, however, after seeing the initial results his 'toy' produced, Ousmane decided to double the amount of area he planted using the novel machine. 'I am using less seed, have fewer weeds in the field and it is also less labor intensive; just one person can handle the seeder to sow the field,' he says. While it may look like a toy, the direct paddy...
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