Freshly dug holes where the maize (corn) will be planted as soon as the first good rain falls.I felt like Noah yesterday. The land was dry; there has been no rain for months. Yet a few colleagues, four local widows and I were preparing the land for planting. People walked by on the path above us and gawked, chattered curiously, or laughed. (Granted, the laughter mostly stemmed from seeing white women wielding a hoe.) Not only were we working the land before they usually do, but we were doing strange things with it. I can imagine what they were saying: “What are those rows of holes, pegs in the ground, and the red rope strung across the soil? Why aren’t they turning over all the soil?” I was not bothered by the onlookers. Instead, I wanted them to watch – not only now, but as the crops in our plot grow.
Me unleashing the pick ax on a stubborn root clump of elephant grass.We are teaching a method of conservation farming that has the potential to produce yields which will boost struggling to subsistence farmers to those whose families are well-fed with extra money for education and health care. The method is not magical, but works on a few technical principles: do not burn, do not plough, and practice crop rotations. Additionally we teach management principles of doing everything on time, to a high standard and with minimal wastage. Applying these standards and maintaining a constant mulch cover preserves and enriches the precious top soil, holds moisture, and reduces crop diseases and pests, all of which produce healthy, plentiful crops.
Demonstrating how to place the fertilizer and bean seeds in the furrows.
Our fertilizer - cow manure! (Don't worry. It's sat a long time, so it's just like rich soil now.)I was excited to see the eagerness of the widows to implement this method, and I am praying that it will spread throughout Bwesumbu and beyond. And as a Christian I pray that it is not only the farming practices that will change, but that Christ will transform hearts and minds and communities. I long to see the poor recover their identity as deeply loved and highly valued sons and daughters of the King, and for farmers to discover the dignity of their vocation. Because of ACTS’ funding sources I am not as free to speak of Christ as I would like to be. Please pray for wisdom and opportunities despite the restrictions I work under. Pray that there will be a rich harvest from the land and the hearts of people.
Me with the four widows in the farming cooperative. The height difference is not an optical illusion. I'm pretty much a giant in these lands.
