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Many languages have sayings in which food plays a major role. The Dutch use the saying Als warme broodjes over de toonbank gaan (It sells like hot cakes) to explain that a product sells very well. A fast growing baby Groeit als kool (Grows like a cabbage) and it won’t make sense to compare apples and pears (Appels met peren vergelijken). Food and animals names are not only used in sayings but also used as a metaphor. Their meaning might change from metaphorical to literal over time.
Economic problems in many (European) countries have a big influence on the investments done by governments. National authorities give more responsibility to local governments. They have to find their own funding for investments in local needs like schools, their inhabitants health and nature. Other responsibilities are given to private parties like the railway companies, mail delivering, etc. By giving away these responsibilities governments give away the costs (and profits) but also their influence on decisions made.
Governments’ policies are not always very clear to citizens. The authorities might invest in certain themes for years but then suddenly decide to stop thesebecause to save expenditures. A good example is the Natura 2000 network which tries to connect different areas of nature into a big network to enable flora and fauna to migrate between one part and another. The growth of this network is uncertain now governments have to cut the budgets on investments in nature.
Luckily people are creative and discover new ways to solve possible problems. Organizations which protect and preserve nature look for new partners to cooperate with. Partners who might be obvious like farmers who used to be very close to nature not even a century ago. In a new corporation farmers go back to a more environment and animal friendly way of farming. This means less buildings, more space for the animals and plants and a more natural way of growing. This results in a pleasant environment for citizens to recreate in.
Governments give land to famers.In exchange they have to cooperate with (local) organizations preserving nature. Part of nature becomes cultivated but this might be the only way to preserve the wilder parts of it. Blossoms of fruit trees and young animals attract people from the city to recreate in their free time. Not only the farmer could make money by selling his products directly to the costumer, also the local entrepreneur makes money from the ‘tourists’. The money made by the farms will partly be invested in nature. Cows guarantee income for their own habitats. This might change the meaning of a Cash Cow very soon!
