Just wanted to share a photo I took at a tea farm in WuYiShan, Fujian in 2009. Just like in America they put out effigies of people to scare the animals away from their crops. But instead of crows they are trying to keep away, the wild pigs are the pests.
We actually learned a bit about farming when we asked the farmer about these ‘Scarepigs’. These young tea bushes were being organically grown without fertilizer, at least not artificial. However, that’s not why they needed to scare away the pigs. Pigs don’t eat the plant, they eat the worms! Yes worms provide nutrients to the tea bushes, and there are especially more worms on newer bushes. Because the pigs love to eat yummy worms, they are willing to dig up young bushes in order to get at them, and they can do so with ease.
So thanks to these Scarepigs, these baby tea bushes remain pigless and with worms a-plenty!
ha, scarepigs!
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