The view was the deal closer for our present digs, that and proximity to one of the nicest beaches in the country. I intially suffered from an optical illusion; the beach seemed very far away across an expanse of numerous farmer's fields. It took some time to realize that what wasn't sinking into the visual part of my brain was that they are particularly small fields, and that the beach was actually much closer.

According to FITA, there are 11,400 farmers in Malta but only 10% of them do farming as a full time job. The average area of an agricultural farm is 1 hectare (2.47 acres). Most fields are surrounded by walls made from stones that have been removed from the field, recycled building stones, or a combination. Bamboo fences are also common.

A suprising statistic is that there are only around 500 tractors in the country. The narrow access alleys and small fields make them an impractical expense for most farmers. The horsepower on many Gozitan farms is a type of vehicle that I have never seen in North America. It is a vehicle in two parts; a two wheeled utility trailer with a seat hooks onto a large gas tiller (tines are removed when using it for transportation). It's not uncommon to see a farmer coming home at midday with a cart rounded up with fresh cut fodder for his animals. Horses are a common sight here but mostly of the racing variety.

As an aside, I found out about a visit to Malta by a certain famous farmer named Jimmy Carter while fact checking. Here's what he had to say  http://www.cartercenter.org/doc17.htm