Machete 2.0?

Many people believe that the only thing you need to clear a field is a machete.

They are missing a key component of the process.

Can you guess what it is from the photos below?

Photos are screen shots from "Yo Me Quedo Aqui."
If you understand Spanish and like agroecology, you should watch it here.

In addition to the blade to slice through the grass, the farmer uses a stick, hoes, or his or her hand to hold up whatever weeds he will be cutting to create tension. Otherwise, you need many more strokes to cover the same area.

My eyes were opened to a new tool last week.

We needed to go get some fuel for the wood-burning stove, check out his bee boxes, and do some general maintenance around the property. In Ecuador, the only tool that I would think of using for this work is a machete. In fact, if you tried to do this work with anything other than a machete, you would probably be laughed at and ridiculed.

The farmer walked out of his house with something that looked like a hooked machete at the end of a walking stick.

The first thought in my mind was "what is he going to do with that thing?"

After sharpening the blade, we went to check out his beehives. He sliced through the weeds that grew onto the trail with such ease. He barely had to bend over. Notice how the farmer in the first image is bending in the back, you don't have to do that with the bill hook.

Then we walked up to check out the progress on his orchard of native fruit trees. On the way, he saw some dead branches that could be used in the wood stove. With a few quick swipes, he had enough wood for a few days.

This tool, or billhook, was first used in agriculture in the middle east. According to a farmer I was working with, it is currently made out of recycled automotive transmissions. You are supposed to the sharpen the entire hooked, blade section of tool for maximum effect - which is exactly what this farmer, Ze Antonio, achieved.

Maybe it was how sharp he made the blade. Maybe it was the amount of experience he has with the billhook. But he performed every task with such ease that I came away very impressed with the tool and its potential in any garden or farm or costume of the Grim Reaper from "Scream."

I would consider brining one of these back to the States, but I don't want to shlep it around South America for the next six months. I already have one all-purpose tool.