Playing smart politics with your soil

I visited a farmer recently, who I am very fond of, like most of the farmers I work with. We did not jump straight into business; first we discussed politics, culture, education and such other controversial topics. I enjoy discussing these (tactfully) as it gives me an outside glimpse into someone else’s way of thinking. This then helps me to process many issues that society struggles with nowadays.  In our discussion on politics, I asked what he thinks of our current grant system. He told me that he does not support the system except for the old age grant. He went on to say that the best way to elevate poverty is to use the funds to create employment and empower young people to work towards contributing to the economy. In his own words he said, “If you give people money they have not worked for; they will not see the value and waste it away. Rather empower people with jobs so that they can earn their own money and use it responsibly. In this way we will move towards balancing our economy and improve the country’s wealth”. This is when I decided to use his words against him. I said, “If you are of that opinion, then why is it so difficult for farmers to understand that applying too much fertiliser on soil is not the answer?” He looked at me like I was crazy because he did not understand the conundrum.  I then went on to explain to him using his analogy that the young people he is talking about are the soil organisms, jobs are soil carbon, money is the nutrients in the soil. The economy would then be your soil and the government is him, the farmer.