Tractors!

"common" tractor

brand new monster tractor

Tractors are essential for farming rice in Guyana. There are monster big ones, small ones, new ones, refurbished ones and tractor parts all over the countryside. Tractors are used to plow and prepare the land; good land preparation (incorporating all the leftover rice bits and other vegetative matter into the soil) is key to having a good crop. What use to take a week using oxen has now become a morning job. Sometimes, if the land is too wet when they are prepping it,  despite the "cages" that take about an hour to attach to the wheels to cope with the mud, the tractors can get stuck , then the farmers have to find another tractor and get a "tow," so to speak.

stuck tractor (there were three); note the wheel cage

Tractors are also used to pump water into fields from irrigation trenches, or if the fields are flooded from a heavy rain and need to be drained, the water is pumped from the field into the trench. Often the pump is left on all night or in extreme cases up to a week, day and night. The tractor is refueled as necessary. If someone is not left to guard the set up, tractor parts or fuel, as was the case for Sunil, the farmer in the second photo, may be stolen.

pulling water from the trench

pumping water in Mahaica

Since a tractor can be quite expensive (a big, new one can run $10-20 million GY) small farmers often don't own them and instead hire tractor owners (who are often small farmers performing  a side job to gain additional income) to do these jobs for them. This can also run them a fair bit - $15-17,000 GY per acre for the season.

the best tires

hitching a trailer to the tractor

They are used as a form of transportation by some, who will travel from the back dam, or the fields, up to the main road to do a bit of shopping. 

in front of GRDB's region two office in Anna Regina

However, the main destination is the back dam. Instead of walking in, many labourers will simply hop a ride on the back, or, side of the vehicle (a bumpy and breezy adventure).

hitching a ride in Cane Grove

After leaving a field it is strongly advised to clean the vehicle. The main reason is to prevent cross contamination of fields with weeds and insect eggs/larvae that are transported in the mud which accumulates on the wheels and body of the vehicle. A secondary, and equally important  reason for a wash, is for the general health of the vehicle; accumulated mud and water corrode the metal. Therefore, it is also advised that when not in use the more delicate components get some dabs of petroleum jelly to prevent oxidization.

dirty tractor in Hague

clean tractor at the Golden Fleece water conservatory

If you're accustomed to an automatic vehicle, getting used to the standard controls on the tractor can be a bit tricky. Upper arm strength and quick reflexes are required to get around gaping holes and muddy spots on the dams and road. In the end though, it's worth it because driving these things is f.u.n.!!

driving into Beehive backdam

view of Supply's dam from the driver's seat