Scythe and Sickle

Scythe is a traditional agricultural hand tool used for mowing grass or harvesting crops like grains. It consists of a long, often curved wooden handle called snath and a curved steel blade attached at right angle. 

Scythe was not common in Indian subcontinent.  Sickle was the tool for  harvesting of grains in Indian subcontinent. Scythe was widely used in Europe from 8th century, primarily for haymaking, hay being the winter fodder for livestock. In Indian subcontinent's tropical climate livestocks were driven freely for grazing. 

Harvesting in Indian subcontinent involved grabbing a handful of stalks and cutting them precisely with sickle to avoid wasting grains, whereas scythe uses a broad sweeping motion. 

Interestingly, scythes are currently being promoted in states like Uttarakhand and Assam through government schemes to help farmers to stand upright and increasing harvesting speed. 

Scythe was largely unsuitable for wetland paddy cultivation, which is why the sickle remained the dominant tool in Indian subcontinent.

Paddy is grown in puddled waterlogged fields. A scythe requires blade to maintain near-constant contact with the ground and slide across it in a broad, sweeping arc.  In soft mud, the heavy blade and long handle (snath) would frequently sink, drag, or get struck, making smooth motion impossible.

Rice harvesting in Indian subcontinent required careful handling to prevent shattering of grains from the head.  A sickle allows the farmer to hold a bunch of stalks and cut them precisely.  The forceful sweeping motion of the scythe increases the loss of grains, and makes it difficult to manage in wind and rain.

If there is standing water at harvest time, a scythe sweep creates significant underwater drag, and prevents bundling of cut crop.

In Malabar the fragmented fields do not make the use of scythes feasible.

Sickles allow farmers to selectively cut the crop while leaving or removing specific weeds. A scythe is an indiscriminate bulk cutter, not ideal for intensive multi crop system. 

A scythe relies on tension and resistance.  It works on plants that grow straight up like tall meadow grasses and wheat. When the blade sweep through, the stiff vertical stalk stay upright long enough for the razor shaped edge to slice through. 

Spreading plants like legumes, pulses or certain fodder crops lay flat and tangled over the ground.  The scythe blade simply over them or pushes into the ground rather than cutting.  

With a sickle, the farmer's hand is free to lift and bunch the spreading vines before cutting. A scythe is a two handed tool.  The farmer is unable to present a spreading plant to the blade. 

Spreading plants often have tough fibrous vines.  These vines wrap around the heel of the scythe blade or snath bringing it to a sudden stop. 

Spreading plants often hug the surface of the soil, scythe blade is required to run close to earth leading to constant digging in or blunting against stones.  In contrast, the sickle is essentially small hand held hook specifically designed to reach under those spreading layers, grab them and pull them. against the blade.