On the Aore field trip (next article – “Cocoa Diversions”) we motored across the island which, like here on Santo, has been suffering an El Nino-induced drought that started about 2 months ago. we drove through coconut plantations where the browned grass was so dry that little bush fires were starting up and sweeping through as shown on the photo to the left. The VARTC farm is always starved of cash and most of its sales revenue derives from cattle for beef. This operation is entirely grass fed. Droughts are rare – Vanuatu is usually blessed with warm temperatures and frequent rianfall – so no field-scale irrigation equipment exists. But we have a plentiful supply of artesian water that emerges into the ‘blue hole’, where we swim to cool off and from where it is pumped up the hill to 2 large storage tanks. I’m in the process of sourcing a K-line irrigation system from New Zealand with some parts being provided free of charge (they’re used and no longer required) and some parts that need to be bought. Then the lot needs to be freighted out here pronto by plane. Should you wish to contribute a few dollars to this cause, please add your message on this site or e-mail me at my usual address.