Gardening in Picoco

So, this is an extract of a report written by Kyle Ballard who headed up the farming ministry that helped start up our veggie gardens in Picoco...

“I had very little experience with farming practices except from what I had learnt from my own veggie garden at home. I went to a course called “Farming Gods Way” (see www.farming-gods-way.org ) which totally changed my way of thinking about farming. Farming Gods way is in essence taking biblical principles and applying them to farming. Farming Gods way has serious urgency to repent from our unfaithful ways of farming and seek to acknowledge the Lord even in the way we farm! (see Proverbs 3:6-12). The main ‘technology’ is to simply see what God does in creation and learn from Him. Biblical principles for management are also explained urging farmers to be on time, to practice minimal wastage, to farm with excellence and with joy.

God provided an army of 20 farmers to accompany me to take this tool to Mozambique. We first taught the theoretical concepts to the people. We then made a small garden together by the church, putting to practice the concepts just explained. We then went to each persons house to assist them in applying these principles to their existing gardens. Overall we managed to assist approximately 20 people in the community with the little time we had. These people seemed extremely receptive to these principles and our assistance but a large emphasis was put on us not simply doing everything for them, but for them to learn while practically applying what they had learnt. I was personally encouraged to see the yoke of dependency and poverty potentially be removed from these people. I look forward to see the fruit of our sowing and to engage even more with the Picoco community. This ministry, although we did farm, was not primarily about food. The ramifications of this are endless in Gods hands as people who are faithful to follow Gods ways and acknowledge Him will be a light to their neighbours and the rest of the community, guiding them towards God as their salvation. Also, peoples’ self esteem and self worth will potentially improve as the stigma of the worlds begging bowl can be removed from Africa one person at a time!"

This ministry has played a vital role in our feeding project as the people who were trained in this are encouraged to give away some of their crop to those who are in need. That way the community is looking after each other instead of relying on us for food.