Notes from a bus man's holiday (Jamie)

As we cross Germany, Poland into Ukraine the interest in farming and land use has inspired some contrasting views and dare I say insight. Milk cows tethered to men on bicycles have crossed freshly finished dual carriage ways. We have seen folk throwing mown hay manually onto horse drawn carts, and rickety looking rusty perhaps out dated combine harvesters with plumes of black smoke slowly devouring sometimes standing other times partly lodged fields of corn. In contrast vast fields of mostly standing wheat, rape seed and sometimes sunflowers are indications that these countries have the technologies similar to the corn barons and family farms of East Anglia.

Alan and Pauline's friend Valeri suggested that the good soils of Ukraine were capable of producing around 40% more crop were productive land made available and techniques improved. In our 400 miles across Ukraine we have seen vast open spaces and can only wonder at the scale of this resource.