At one time the agricultural advisory service followed the mantra ‘One more cow and one more sow and one more acre under the plough’ when advising farmers. This advice was very appropriate at the time as it fitted very well into a mixed farming model.
Farms in general were small and had a variety of enterprises. So people had experience with and knowledge of a range of enterprises. A small farm might have a Donkey/Pony, Cows, Calves, Hens, Geese, Pig etc. A kitchen garden with a variety of vegetables. Children growing up on such farms were exposed to a range of experiences. These were not cash economies, to a large extent people were self sufficient. Even if you were not from such a farm you had regular contact with such places, as you friends or cousins lived on one.
It turns out now that the wisdom and insights gained with such a lifestyle are very valuable and much needed at this time.
Our lifestyles have changed a lot especially in the past decade and many insights which we took for granted are now far less common.
Though children to-day have many opportunities they would benefit from more awareness of the world about them. Our experience at Cabragh Wetlands is that nature heals, and it brings out the best in children.
Our generation while we might have had less than children today, yet we inherited so much.
Our parents and communities shared much wisdom and knowledge with us, skills which we need for life. In the same way our children need those same insights. We cannot recreate the experiences we had but we can share our memories and wisdom. We can share some of the magic of the world about us with them, we owe it to the next generation.
