For the past eight months, ECHO West Africa has partnered with Alliance World Fellowship (AWF) and CAMA Services in training more than 500 people in eight different countries to support themselves by using Foundations for Farming. Thanks to you, hundreds in Africa have learned how to utilize sustainable farming practices, how to take better care of their environment, and about the relationship they can have with God.
Responding to Food and Fertilizer Shortages
Reuters reports that in mid-2022 nearly 346 million
Africans were enduring extreme levels of food
insecurity due to import challenges from the war in
Ukraine coupled with rising food costs, long-term
droughts, armed conflicts, and terrorist attacks,
Farmers have been hit especially hard as grains and
commercial fertilizers have become increasingly
difficult to access.
Through Biblically based agricultural
principles, participants learn
how not only to generate profitable results for the current and coming years, but also to restore and
conserve their land while spending
less on inputs. The goal was to show
each participant how God Himself was
the first farmer and that by working in
ways that honor Him, we may better
steward and harvest that which He has
already blessed us with.
“This field that you see is the result of your teaching,” shared Mr. Pare Desire. “I have been farming this field for several years, but it has never looked this good. The training I received in making compost and liquid fertilizer, as well as support with seeds, are the secrets of this improvement.”
He continued: “I put into practice what I learned
and you see the results. My work is done and I
look forward to the harvest. Last year, I was able
to obtain about 40 kg of grain from this field,
but this year I expect to double the harvest.”
Later, Mr. Pare reported that his harvest was
200 kg of corn from the 0.25-hectare field!
This fourfold improvement came despite an
extended drought experienced by the village.
Equipping Others
From April through July, hundreds in countries such as Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso, and more learned the tangible skills needed for making their own compost, fertilizer, and biopesticides. Further lessons were taught on raising poultry, growing moringa, and more. Participants also had the opportunity to learn about the many different aspects of trade such as buying and selling, supply and demand, customers and competitors, as well as selling quality products.
Throughout all of this, an emphasis was placed
on doing things on time, with a high standard,
without waste, and in step with the Spirit.
Seeing Seeds Sprout
Since the conclusion of these trainings, the
three partner organizations have received
many encouraging testimonies. At the end of
each of the trainings, participants were tasked
with sharing what they had learned with three
others back home. ECHO has found that on
average, nearly 10 additional people per
participant have come to learn about these
valuable techniques. Isaac, a participant in
Guinea, said, “With the acquired training, we
plan to improve our techniques to increase
crop performance.” Jean, another participant
in Guinea, said, “May God bless you richly for
organizing this training. It is the best practical
training I have ever attended.”
Help Us Continue the Work
Through your support, work has been done
to not only restore the health and livelihoods
of African farmers, but to also plant seeds
and share holistic restoration in both their
communities and environments. Join us to
provide trainings in additional countries in
throughout 2023.