It’s a good question, perhaps one most people ask themselves when they encounter the scythe.

There are quite a few reasons, but the first, and most important in our eyes, is that using the scythe makes managing an area with the aim to improve diversity far easier. This idea is dealt in more detail here, but here are the more immediately practical reasons:

Scything may seem counter productive at first, many think it must be archaic and outdated, but this is not the case, one of the main reasons I scythe is that it is an incredibly efficient tool for cutting grass (who knew). In fact, it is more efficient than a strimmer or lawnmower for dealing with long grass - honestly! And if you want to allow for more diversity then longer grass, sedge and wildflower is what you will be dealing with.

Another common misconception is that it must require a great deal of strength, this is also a fallacy, anyone can scythe effectively, it’s all about technique.

Besides the immediate efficiency of the tool, there are more straight-forward, practical reasons to switch to the scythe that are worth noting:

• No fossil fuels.

• No unpleasant noise.

• It’s a pleasing, ergonomic motion that’s easy on the body, when you get it right.

• Ergo, its great exercise

• You are much more in tune and rhythm with the world around you.

• You inherently learn more about your immediate environment (or meadow) by being quiet, being tuned in and observant.