Friday, June 20, 2008

Post-industrialisation era

The price of donkeys in the Yozgat district of Turkey have risen seven-fold as the high fuel price has forced many local farmers to give up their tractors and revert to traditional farming methods. Meanwhile in Thailand the cost of renting a tractor is now £9.59 per acre compared with £4.60 for a buffalo. This is putting smiles on the faces of the buffalo owners whose beasts are in such demand that they have to be booked two weeks in advance. Farmers had forgotten the other advantage of buffaloes: they take up less space, cause less crop damage, can access narrow pieces of field and therefore improve the overall harvest. It's a pity they don't make mozzarella cheese in Thailand.

6 Comments:

Blogger kinglear said...

It's like the largest virtual goat owners in Kirzikhstan...

3:23 pm  
Blogger Ellee Seymour said...

This is extraordinary, so interesting for me, but a sign of what could happen in other poor countries too.

7:50 pm  
Blogger Welshcakes Limoncello said...

A pity indeed, WW.

4:42 pm  
Blogger Mopsa said...

Hmmm - perhaps I should get a water buffalo? It IS very wet in Devon...

6:32 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

Hi All - More details please KL! Yes, Mopsa, then you could have mozzarella tastings.

7:40 am  
Blogger kinglear said...

There was a wonderful story about some old soul whose goat was killed by a landing aircraft. He got so much compensation he was about to buy a flock, and when they got mowed down, he bought all the goats in K. Except he didn't. He spoke to the people paying the compensation and said he HAD that number of goats and they would have to pay masses of compensation, but for a mere half the compensation paid monthly, he would ensure no goats got in the way of aircraft.
Hence virtual goats... but real compensation. Neat.

9:33 am  

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