hay may even spontaneously combust. Mouldy hay, ie hay that is infected with
fungi, should not be fed to livestock.Most subsistence farmers, and many others, do not know the exact number of acres or
hectares that they cultivate—nor do they need to know. But even if they do know they
are quite understandably generally reluctant to tell anyone, for obvious reasons. Farmers
may show you some of their land, but keep quiet about other areas they farm on the
other side of the hill.
If for any reason it is absolutely necessary to measure a farmer’s land, great care
should be taken to explain your reasons. The amount of land that a farmer and his family
cultivate is a sensitive issue that should be approached carefully, with tact and
diplomacy.
h Land Area Measurement
- Divide the area to be measured into convenient numbers and sizes of 90° (right
measured rope or string) and 3 stakes—labelled A, B and C in the diagram below:
- One person stands at stake A and directs a second person to place two more stakes,
one at D and one at E, in line with AB and AC, at the boundaries of the field. - Measure, or pace out by foot, the lengths in metres of AD and AE (Also DE, as a
check or if greater accuracy is needed). - Calculate the areas of each triangle (½ × base × height).
measured = 3.26 ha, plus approximately 15% more for unmeasured areas = total area
approximately 3.75 ha”.
Figure 12. Land area measurement—approximate method74 TONY WINCH
angled) triangles. This can be done either by eye or by using a tape measure (or
- Add to this figure the small areas outside each triangle which have not been
measured. The proportion can be judged by eye—for example “Area of the triangles
1Hh. Land Area Measurement