A provocative title, indeed, but the reality is a bit more practical. The tool in this photo is a castrator, for mules, horses, donkeys, and bulls…am I missing anything? No, not humans, not in this day and age, at least.

This is an interesting tool, it may be something that is commonly seen amongst livestock handlers in the United States, but it is something useful and perhaps not as widely used as it should be, in countries like Bolivia, anyway. I am not sure what is used in case such a tool is not available…a knife?

What is worth mentioning is that tools like these can make for the creation of employment opportunities for farmers with just a little bit of training. The one in this photo is owned by an enterprising Bolivian family that sells their services to neighboring farmers for a very reasonable price. I would be curious to know about other experiences with this tool, or any other small, appropriate technology that gets overlooked by most of us, but has the potential to make a significant impact in the management of the farm system.