Why God Cares about Farming and You Should Too
What did you feed your children for lunch and dinner yesterday? Did they have any vegetables? (or at least the option of vegetables, for the pickier kids!) Was it backyard farming that allowed you to eat veggies or did you go to a store?
I don’t farm, but I do live about a three-minute drive from the nearest grocery store where I can get all the fruits and vegetables I need for my family. In general, veggies are easily accessible for most of you.
This accessibility is not a universal experience. In many parts of the world, the only way to have vegetables is to grow them, the problem is that farming is a skill and a knowledge set that isn’t entirely inherent. This is where Food for the Hungry (FH) comes in. We want to teach communities all across the globe how to farm in the best way so that they have the highest yield possible, providing a way to good nutrition and income growth. (Click here to read more about FH’s agriculture program)
Potatoes harvested by Gensita from improved seeds she planted after going through FH’s trainings on “Farming God’s Way.”
You know what I love so much about God?
That He knew we would need help in this area. And because God knew this, He told us how to farm. Throughout Scripture you can find laws on farming (see Exodus 21-23, 34; Leviticus 17-19, 22-27; Numbers 35-36; and Deuteronomy 5, 12, 20-28). You can read more about this by clicking here.
Yet, as believers, we acknowledge that it is God who is in control of the land itself. Psalm 65:9 says, “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.”
Still, He shows us the way to farm and teaches us some key principles.
Take these verses from Isaiah for example:
“Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.” – Isaiah 28:23-26
These are principles that FH has brought to communities to teach them how to farm. And of course, God was right, these farming tactics are highly effective!
Genesita holds some of her harvest.
Meet Genesita
Genesita is a 43-year-old wife and mother of seven children who lives in Burundi. Before joining FH, she says her life was not easy in the community. Genesita says farming was difficult and her family had very low food security. The soil was infertile, they did not use manure, and they did not have access to diverse seeds. Genesita says she struggled to work around these problems, but still could not feed her family despite all of her endeavors.
The problem was so bad, that her children would ask for food, but she would have not to give them. She couldn’t bear to see her children starving, so she’d hide in her room and cry. She felt that she had no hope and that her children had no future.
But her story doesn’t end there.
Her daughter Peruth, 12, was registered as a sponsored child and Genesita was selected to join a farming group that would receive training and equipment. She was thrilled! She went to every training class and paid attention to each step. They learned to practice minimum tillage of the soil (remember that verse in Isaiah from above?) and to cover the sole with mulch after planting. They also learned how to diversify crops.
Genesita did just that and her harvest skyrocketed!
Potatoes from Genesita’s harvest.
She says, “Farming God’s way is productive and less demanding in time and efforts, the plot preparation does not require plowing and soil is rehabilitated. I am so thankful to FH who provided us with this new farming technique. I am definitely sure that my children will no longer suffer from hunger, and will never miss school again, being left behind while their friends are joyfully going to and coming from school. This FH is a blessed organization and has provided us with lifetime insurance to our future.”
Isn’t that incredible? I love that story. It’s amazing what can happen when donors like you work with us at FH to implement God’s teachings around the globe. Please partner with us in this today, by clicking here! Then your family can enjoy vegetables at your table, while equipping another family across the globe to enjoy vegetables at theirs.