Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois
U of I Team Works with Howard Buffett Foundation to Improve African Jab Planter
A small group of students and faculty from the University of Illinois are working with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF), to improve the jab planter, a tool used in small-scale agriculture conservation practices in southern Africa.
Jason Buss, a senior in agricultural and biological engineering, and Michael Leick, formerly in agricultural and biological engineering and now a graduate student in mechanical engineering, have successfully improved the design of the tool that has been in use in Africa for many years.
The original jab planter was a manually operated seed planter made of wood. In one model, the operator of the planter had to place each seed in the planter, ‘jab’ the tip into the ground, spread the jaws and release the seed into the opening created. The extra effort to create the hole was often fatiguing, especially in very hard soils.
The students’ improved design of the jab planter is a sturdier and more efficient version made of thin steel. A hopper made of sheet metal holds a predetermined amount of seed and an adjustable metering plate allows for seeds of different types and sizes to be planted. A retractable tip was selected as the most efficient way to release the seed at a predetermined depth. A grant from the HGBF will fund the initial manufacturing of the planter and its distribution to African farmers involved in small-scale agriculture.
Buss and Leick were recruited to work on the project by Alan Hansen, an agricultural engineer and professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Hansen worked with Mike Plumer, a University of Illinois Extension specialist, to write the proposal for the grant from the HGBF. Plumer has worked with the foundation on numerous agricultural projects in the past.
The two students developed the first prototype of the jab planter and took it to South Africa in the summer of 2008 as part of a unique study tour sponsored by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Hansen, a native of South Africa, coordinated the tour in which students from Illinois were teamed with students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal to work on a variety of engineering design projects.
“I felt from the beginning that we could couple the jab planter with the portfolio of projects we were taking to South Africa,” said Hansen. “Although the planter was initially targeted for Mozambique and not necessarily South Africa, we thought it would be a good opportunity to test it under African-type conditions.”
After asking laborers in South Africa to test the planter in the field, the students were able to determine what adjustments needed to be made.
“Mike and Jason continued working on it when we returned,” said Hansen. “The Buffett Foundation also arranged for a no-till expert from Ghana to visit us. He uses this type of tool in the field, and he was able to give us some very good feedback.”
Adjustments that needed to be made included reducing the weight of the planter and modifying the seed meter for reliability.
“When we met with Buffett, he asked us to continue improvements on the metering device, as well as reduce the depth of the point, so that penetration is two inches, and not three. Two inches is a better depth to plant corn,” Hansen noted.
Hansen said there is another facet of the new planter that everyone appreciates. “The handles of the planter are adjustable to height,” he said. “A shorter person can retract the handles, and that’s very ergonomic.”
Hansen said they plan to move quickly on incorporating the improvements to the jab planter so that production and distribution can begin.
“We hope to complete the changes as soon as possible,” Hansen concluded. “Howard Buffett likes to see things happen.”
Buffett and his foundation have funded projects in at least 30 countries that are either no-till or have a no-till component to them.
News writer: Leanne Lucas
View More News Items
