In the Journey of DEFIAA Internship programme in France, I have visited the unit of agricultural equipment at Lycée Agricole Saint Christophe, Saint Pée Sur Nivelle, France. At the aquaculture department of the institute, there are different types of agricultural equipment available namely tractor, rotary tiller, lawn mover, biomass shredder, and mould board ploughs for various agricultural operations.

The tractor implemented at the department was an ISEKI & CO., LTD. made in Japan, Model No. TM3160F tractor of 13.5 HP used for different farm operations. The tractor was front-ballasted to improve the tractive effort.

The rotary tiller prime mover of Goldoni, made in Italy, Joker 10S, 6.4 KW, 2016 model was implemented in the department. It was a small tractor. This device does all the work of a tractor in smaller dimensions. The tillers are mostly used for plowing, removing weeds, creating streams, spraying, bordering, smoothing the land and even carrying small loads. During the operation of the tiller, I also performed the tillage operation at the farm under the guidance of farm supervisors M ARNAL and M EYROLLES. It was a great experience to use the French implement and understand the workings of implement.

A tractor PTO-operated lawn mower of Goldoni, made in Italy, FRESA 21, 2016 model machine used to cut grass or plants. This implement has a three-point linkage to be attached to the tractor. This machine is commonly used to tidy up the garden and also to clear the fields of grass or other types of grass. The lawnmower was made of hard and very sharp iron plates, so they could easily mow the grass.

• A biomass shredder of ELIET Major, having power 9 HP, 2011 model is available in the department to reduce organic materials for a greener environment. It produces a sound of 112 dB. In order to utilize the biomass energy, the wooden blocks were shredded down into a much smaller size that can then be sent for further processing into biomass energy.

• I was involved with the students to perform the agricultural operations at the farm. The students were very interactive and supportive. I had a great experience being part of this practice. It was a great experience and learning to enhance my knowledge.

• In the end, I express my heartfelt gratitude towards my institutional coordinator Mrs Sarah Memeteau, and Director Saldaqui Francois, DEFIAA Coordinator Mr. Christophe Groell and Mrs. Chantal Desprats for their kind help and support throughout the internship programme.