Taking a day off the tour to go swim in a volcano fed waterfall sounded like the most amazing idea, as it was for the most part my son trailing behind on a 'donut' (somewhat harder than it appears!) and arriving at a remote village of black volcanic sands and playing children.
Then, to reach the waterfall, involved a long walk for a few kilometers... in the hot sun through the paddocks of farming land that showed that despite this seeming paradise of warmth and water the lack of knowledge of how to cope with changes in the climate and the little education meant that while I had been privileged to visit some of our most lovingly managed lands in Australia, a land known for its harsh conditions, here I was to witness some of the weakest and most poorly fed cows I had ever seen despite the reams of green that stretched before us.
For, with my new knowledge from recently visiting farms, I had awareness that this undeveloped soil was essentially like a clay pan with the water merely pooling on the surface and stripping whatever nutrient the land may have afforded to feed the animals that tried vainly to feed from it. How selfish I felt walking by and doing nothing knowing that I had knowledge at my fingertips that could afford them rich pasture that would not only absorb the excess rain but turn a simple clay into rich alluvial soils to enrich the community and soak up carbon... If anything it made me even more antsy to get knowledge out however I may!
samjewel.com
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