Sumo's Stewart Peckitt with Kenyan farmer, Kevin Neylan. The subsoiler has been effectively relieving compaction down to 45cm.

SUBSOILERS from Sumo UK Ltd have been successfully alleviating compaction in the UK for a number of years; now, with the help of an East Yorkshire farmer, the machine has been tackling compaction in the harsh soils of Kenya.
Only 10% of Kenya's land is fertile and most of it is used for cash crops like tea and coffee. With wood being the only available fuel source for many Kenyans, large areas of trees have been chopped down resulting in the natural barrier for slowing down the winds - and thus limiting further soil erosion - has been lost.
Michael Osgerby has been using a seven-leg subsoiler on his 900ha farm at Sunk Island, East Yorkshire. Being low-lying, heavy clay/silt reclaimed from the sea, it is particularly prone to compaction from heavy traffic.
In 2008 Mr Osgerby was approached by a group of farmers in the Ngorengore district, north of the Masai Mara, asking how they could improve their yields when faced with the serious issues of compaction, moisture loss and erosion.
The success of the machine on his own farm led him to approach Sumo's Stewart Peckitt and, late last year, a trailed auto-reset subsoiler was supplied to Kenyan farmer Kevin Naylen.
Following initial trials, Mr Peckitt travelled to Kenya to see the situation first-hand.
"The subsoiler was alleviating compaction down to 45cm, allowing rainfall to be absorbed in readiness for the dry season, as well as leaving the previous crop residue on the surface to protect the soil from the intense African sun."
A demonstration day was organised earlier this year.
"There was a tremendous response to our invite with farmers from 220 miles away attending. Most of the farmers use a heavy-duty, spring-loaded tine as a primary cultivator, which would then need a secondary pass before drilling with a tined drill," Mr Peckitt said. "They were able to see that the Sumo subsoiler lifted and shattered the soil, making it ready for one pass with a drill, conserving moisture and saving time. And, because the cultivation is practiced along the contour, the deep profile left by the multipacker discourages erosion."
The next stage is to fit a seeder kit, so that a cover crop - oilseed rape or nitrogen-fixing Sunn Hemp - can be established. This will condition the soil, but be desiccated when 25cm tall, adding to the mulch of the previous crop.
"Following the success of the trials and the demonstration we are in discussions to supply more machines to Kenyan farmers and we are keen to market our subsoiler to other African countries," Mr Peckitt added.