In hamlets all along the DMZ, soldiers were knee-deep in mud and water as they helped farmers with the spring planting.

NPR: NKorean Soldiers Put Down Arms To Help Plant Crops

He smiles as we encounter what he terms 'a Balinese tractor': another farmer, this time attempting to guide two small chestnut-brown cows and a plough through freshly harvested land, knee-deep in mud and water.

BBC: High spirits in Bali

Instead we found Peter Bornu and his wife, knee-deep in thick, oily mud pulling at the branches of the mangroves and stacking them in their wooden boat.

CNN: Nigerians angry at oil pollution double standards