ANIMAL TRACTION
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to plant feed crops. One has to be able to ensure that the animals are safe at night, as stock theft is widespread Animal-drawn implements are readily available, although there is a need for smaller light weight implements that can be managed by women and pulled by fewer animals. And, research and innovation could help to modernise animal-drawn implements, carts etc, to incorporate modern technology such as solar panels to enable the greater use in rural areas of cellphone technology and the like.
Harness and tack is not always readily available, however, and in the case of donkey harness can be unreasonably expensive. Smallholders have been known to adapt small horse tack, which is not always in the best interest of the donkey. Oxen harnessing is by means of the traditional yoke, skeis, riems and strops. Horses, donkeys and mules are normally harnessed using the breast type harness with breaching, all of which is made out of either leather or webbing. Animals should be chosen according to the type of work to be performed, the local environment, socio-economic conditions and the availability of local animals. Indigenous breeds tend to be well adapted to the local climate, feed availability, diseases and to traditional management systems. Cattle are still widely used in South Africa for cultivation purposes. Oxen are favoured but cows and bulls will also be used depending on what animals are available to the family. These animals are large for most smallholdings, however. Cattle are also powerful and less tolerant of mishandling, so one really needs to know what one is doing. Donkeys are better suited to work on small areas of cultivation. Most of them have calm temperaments and they are hardy beasts. They are relatively small, which means that women and even children can use them for a variety of tasks such as ploughing, transporting water and firewood, and for riding.
Internationally, US brewer Budweiser uses Clydesdale horses to promote its brand.
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