They also produce and market organic composts and additives that will bring the life back into the soil. Modern chemical techniques have over only the last 40 years or so reduced the role of the soil to simply a medium for supporting the plant. The farmer then adds the water and chemicals to make the plant grow. He is then entirely reliant on the additives that are sold to him by the chemical companies. On the other hand, a few years of nurturing the soil properly and the correct microorganisms, earthworms and other organisms will return.
Few people realize that earthworms are non-existent in the sterile soils of most modern farms.
All sceptics of organic farming should visit Cape Organic's immaculate 2000 hectare farm. The dam work continues. As our major civil engineering project has used up all the scrapers and dozers in a 100 mile radius and is still ongoing we decide to postpone the second dam improvement until next summer. One evening on our last visit we were taking a stroll up to the dam and were amazed to see the whole dam wall moving in the twilight. It seems this is the evening sun-bathing spot for a troop of 30 or so pretty nonchalant baboons.