ROOTS

On February 8, 2011 we hosted an open day at our training centre

The entire property was planted with a variety of crops.  The Lord blessed our hard work with wonderful rain this last season.  We are receiving many visitors who are inspired by the beautiful demonstration gardens.

In August 2010 we hosted our first ever Foundations for Farming Champions conference in Malawi.  It was wonderful to have Brian Oldrieve himself here to tell his own story of transformation. Darryl and Hazel Edwards from Zimbabwe taught on composting and organic farming.  People came from the north, South and east to attend.  

Brian Oldrieve and Joseph Chikopa,  standing at a well watered garden in Chiwaya village.  We planted these small demonstration gardens at all the farming clubs we established.  It serves as a model to the community.

Training in Chisongwe village, Mozambique.  I was privileged to train into three different communities in Milanje district, Mozambique.  It was wonderful to experience the hunger people have for the Gospel, and their desire to learn.

Koos Hamman and some local farmers, taken up in the drama of the film "Times of Change".  After the showing the group left the building singing and dancing the theme song with which the film is ending. 

One of the trainees in Luaza with his children.  People are growing lots of pine apples and pigeon peas here.

Here at ROOTS we are convinced that the curse of poverty over Africa is about to be broken.  We see ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  People who are discovering their true roots.  Roots that go deeper than race, nationality, culture or history. Shooting out to the very beginning.  When there was God and a garden for man to thrive in. A place where God and man co-existed like a Father and a son.  Where the soil responded with abundant fruit to the tender care of man who mastered it in righteousness. Riches Out Of The Soil.

Our vision is to see the vulnerable people of Malawi released from poverty, restored with dignity and equipped with the ability to transform their communities.

Our mission is to empower the poor through an impartation of knowledge that is vital for them to prosper.

Our priorities for 2011 are:

1. To build a lecture room on the property.
2. To have our first intake of 10 potential trainers at our training centre.
3. To give momentum to the roll out of Conservation Agriculture in Malawi through training NGO's and government extention officers.
   
4. To have the "Times of Change" movie available in Chichewa, Shona, Chiyao and English.
5. To have the Crown God Provides series done in Chichewa.
6. To establish more farming clubs in a 15km radius from us.
7. To establish training sites in the Southern, Central and Northern region.
   
8. To host a FfF champs conference in Blantyre.
9. To increase our mushroom production.
   
10. To plant the entire property with seed, ferteliser and cropping trials.
11. To start honey, eggs and rabbit production on the property.
    

From 4am in the morning you will find ladies walking long distances with heavy baskets of fresh vegetables on their heads to get to Bvumbwe market.  This is where we do most of our shopping.  It is wonderful to converse with the people and bargain for the best price.  A true Malawian experience. 

Malawi is a small narrow country of pristine beauty in South East Africa .  It is well known for its lake which is the third largest lake in Africa.  With a population of 13 million people, it is one of the most densely populated countries in sub Sahara Africa .  The people are very friendly and hospitable.  You will find more than 1 million orphans in Malawi due to the effect of HIV-AIDS.  90% of the population is engaged in subsistence farming.  Most of these farmers fail to produce sufficiently to feed their families throughout the year.  Undernourishment and malnutrition is very real in rural Malawi.

We feel that our priorities must be with the most vulnerable people. This is probably the widows and orphans who are trying to survive through farming.  The solution is not to feed them, but to teach them principles and basic skills that will give them a wonderful increase on their land. "Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor...." Prov.13:23  Empowering the poor through an impartation of knowledge that is vital for them to prosper. 

Pastor Henry Maliri's maize crop after faithfully applying Farming God's Way principles on his land.

"For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." Isa 61:11

Our approach to the poverty problem.

After 11 years of living among the poorest of the poor, I am convinced that the problems we face in Africa are not vested in a lack of resources or a lack of foreign help, but is a problem of general attitude of heart.  The two pillars which are holding up everything that we teach are the principle of

 

1. being faithful with little and

2. that it is in giving that we receive.

 

Africa has 30% of the world's natural resources and is contributing only 1.5% of the worlds GDP(Gross Domestic Product).  This means that the entire continent contributes the same as the little country of Mexico!  Africa is very quick to point the finger to the West as the culprit for the poverty while we have an average of 30 tons of soil loss / ha due to soil erosion every year.  This enormous loss of top soil is related to the continuous burning of Stover and deforestation.  Another factor is excessive ploughing which is destroying the soil structure.  Unless we become faithful in the first things God provided namely the soil, we cannot proceed to the industrial phase of development.  Africa has vast tracks of fertile soil, a wonderful climate to grow a wide variety of crops and huge human resources, but is failing to feed itself.  This I believe is because of poor management. We teach 4 keys to good management which will lead to making a profit.

 

1. Do everything on time

2. Do everything at a high standard

3. Do everything without wastage

4. Do everything with joy!

 

After laying a solid foundation with the above, we move into teaching the technology.  This is done through practical demonstrations of the effect of heavy rainfall on ploughed and exposed soil, in contrast to soil which was least disturbed and covered by a "blanket" of organic matter.  This model we learn from our Creator as he demonstrates it so clearly in nature.  The training comes to a conclusion with the planting of a 6x6 metre demonstration garden, or as we call it a well watered garden.  During this exercise we touch on many aspects of farming such as planning, proper measurements, consistency of planting depth and spacing, plant population, fertilizing, crop rotation, management of runoff, thinning out of plants, weeding and post harvest activities. We learned this approach from many years of experience and extensive input from the Foundations for Farming team in Harare Zimbabwe. 

 

I found that our major challenge in transferring knowledge in the African context is not to find opportunities to train (the doors are wide open) but rather to get the people to actually implement what they have been taught.  One of the stumbling blocks we have is our Greek style of teaching, in a classroom environment.  Traditionally Africa is transferring knowledge relationally from one generation to the other.  This is mostly done through storytelling.  It is also modelled by parents who would expect of the children to work with them in gathering wood, cooking, working in the fields, harvesting and pounding the grain from a very young age.  These traditions are so well engraved in the next generation that it is very difficult for someone in this society to adopt a new lifestyle, especially if it is introduced by an outsider. 

 

With this in mind we produced a full length movie in Chichewa which features Malawian actors in a village setting.  It is a story of an uncle who is mentoring his younger nephew after he led him to a renewed faith in God.  The principles we usually teach as well as the technology is woven into the storyline with great effect.  We call it; "Times of Change".  The people love the story and we find a much better adoption than we ever had before.  It works!  The movie will be released within the next two months.

 

A typical scene of when the film, Times of Change is shown in the village. 

 

The film provide entertainment and training in a story form.  It is the best tool we have ever develop for empowering the poor.  Their is so much engagement that the people even sing the songs featuring in the film and quote the main character after watching it.  When we question them on technical aspects of the technology they are able to  answer it 100%. 

 

We believe the film and training as we conduct it at present is phase 1 for empowering the poor. The next phase to be introduced is to see these micro farms transformed into viable businesses which will be managed to the glory of God.  There will be a need for financial literacy.  Crown Financial Ministries provides a vast array of excellent material in this arena.  It will be so exciting to move into this phase of training when these farmers start to show a profit!  I believe we are on the threshold of seeing this happening as we continue getting the message of faithful stewardship out there with full force.