Egyptian farmers divided their year into three seasons, based on the cycles of the Nile River:

Akhet (June-September): No farming was done at this time, as all the fields were flooded. Many farmers worked for the pharaoh (king) instead, building pyramids or temples.

Peret (October-February): In October the floodwaters receded, leaving behind a layer of rich, black soil. This soil was then ploughed and seeded. During Peret, farmers also dug irrigation canals to bring water to their fields. A device called a shaduf was then used to transfer the water. A shaduf was a long pole with a skin bucket on one end and a heavy weight on the other. When the weight was lifted, the bucket on the other end was lowered into the water. The farmer then raised the bucket of water by pulling down on the weight. He then swung the pole around and emptied the bucket onto the field.

A farmer using a shaduf from https://wse6thgrade.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/8/6/13864895/7764339_orig.jpg

Shemu (March-May): This was the harvesting season. First, the scribes measured the grain to determine how much should be saved as seed for the next planting, how much must be given to the landowners, and how much each worker might keep to feed himself and his family. Then the harvest began. First, the crops were cut down and carted away. The grain was then threshed with a fork and trampled by cattle to remove the husks. The grain was then tossed into the air to remove the remaining husks (a process known as winnowing). The grain was then moved to granaries for storage.

Two women in North Africa using traditional tabaq baskets to winnow wheat. 

By David Haberlah at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13322489