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Weed management is a major challenge for rice growers, especially in Sierra Leone where rice is a staple food. 

To help rice growers control weeds more easily, a researcher at the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) has developed a manual rotary weeder.

"It's often difficult for farmers to eliminate weeds from their fields, as it requires a lot of time and energy. To help them meet this challenge, we have developed a technology that enables them to better control weeds and prevent them from invading crops and causing yield losses", says Dr Abdulai BANGURA, Researcher at SLARI and Designer of the manual rotary weeder.

The Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) is home to the National Center for Specialization in Mangrove Rice.

Developed to lighten the load of weeding for rice growers, the technology is just as effective for all types of crop, says its inventor.

To scale up the technology, a partnership has been set up with a local manufacturer who produces the machine and makes it available to farmers. 

On the market, the manual rotary weeder currently costs 1,500,000 Leone, or around 120 USD.

According to Dr BANGURA, this is an affordable price for farmers, which will facilitate the adoption of the technology, helping to reduce losses in the field and increase agricultural productivity.

Indeed, "if not removed from fields, weeds can cause substantial yield reductions. The manual rotary weeder will help farmers to do weeding more easily, which will enable them to get better yields and thus increase their income", attests Dr. BANGURA.

The technology is also available on the Marketplace for Agricultural Innovations and Technologies (MITA), which details all its features.

Improvements are underway to take into account certain concerns of farmers, such as corrosion, and to make it even easier to use," confides the inventor.