The manual precision planter is a hand/foot assisted planter with no moving parts. It has been designed for use by women farmers practising conservation agriculture.

The hand fed planter is able to plant maize (corn) and pulses (beans), as well as other seeds and a precise amount of fertiliser as a nutrient for each seed through a surface mulch under a range of soil conditions.

The design of the tool uses body weight to operate a foot pedal in order to supply the energy used to create two slots 50mm apart through the surface layer in a gradual manner combined with a forward/backward rocking motion. The shape of the spear makes gradual penetration easier while the sides compact the soil and so conserve its integrity.

After the two holes have been made the planter, with the spears still in the ground, is pushed away from the operator in order to open up the holes. A single seed is dropped by hand into the slot through one funnel while a precise amount of fertiliser is dropped into the other funnel. The seed and nutrients are covered by stamping a heel over the holes.  This not only closes the holes but also leaves a shallow indendation that is useful for water harvesting during rains.

The arrangement of the seed is intended to give each its own space to ensure minimum competition for light and soil moisture. The spacing for maize and beans should give the optimum plant population for the agro-climatic conditions for that area. This information should be available from local agricultural extension officers which is the results of experimental work carried out in that area by research stations.

The amount and type of fertiliser to be applied for each seed will depend on the results of soil testing, if it has been carried out, or advice from the extension officer. A typical example a plant population for maize of 50,000 plants per hectare. A spacing of 25cm for each seed in rows and a row width of 75cm will give the required number of plants.

The seed and fertiliser can be carried by the operator in pouches suspended around the chest. It is easy to drop one seed at a time but more difficult for a precise amount of fertiliser. A pinch between fingers and thumb can give a fairly constant amount but small, easily available containers can give a more precise amount. For the trials a soda water bottletop was used due to their wide availability. When filled the weight of fertilizer is about 3g. The varying sizes of medium and large flats of maize grain make it difficult to design a singulating mechanism without very close seed grading which is not always present.  Any mechanism would however increase the cost and complexity, both of which are often sensitive issues with purchasers. Likewise, evaluation of some mechanisms to plant single seeds with accuracy has not found any suitable solutions. Some of them may plant 2 or 3 seeds or more but the results clearly show small combs taking time to harvest and a reduced weight of stem or stover which is vital for dry season feeding.