I see the land as a safety net

About four decades ago, when I was growing up on my parents' farm, the harvest was at the will of the "weather god".

We tried to sow at the best times, but when rainfall was extremely scarce, there was not much to do but watch the tender seedlings wither and die.

The arable fields in my county are mostly on or surrounded by hills. The slopes made it difficult for farmers to walk around or use tractors, so my family used an ox-powered plow. We shared the ox with about four neighbors because none of us could afford it alone.