Conservation Agriculture

The Acholi people have been blessed with vast amounts of land. Compared to other areas of the country, population pressure is not a major problem for most families – yet! Nevertheless, with poor rainfall in recent years, and the fact that most families do not have access to ox-ploughs or tractors, many families cannot make full use of their land, and remain on the margins from year to year, not having enough food both for family consumption and for selling to provide for routine expenses, such as medical care and school fees for children.

Conservation agricultural methods can help solve these problems. Traditional agricultural methods used in Acholiland include slashing and burning the land, which consumes the nutrients meant to go back into the soil. Traditional methods also leave the soil vulnerable to erosion and the crops exposed to intense sunshine, which can be the difference between crops surviving or perishing during two weeks of drought, or alternatively, flooding due to excessive rainfall. Conservation agriculture seeks to better use the land, and has been shown to increase yields up to ten-fold! To a struggling family, this means they will get more produce for their labour, which translates to better financial stability for the family. Combined with teaching about tithing and good financial management in the church, this can also empower local churches to fulfill their call to transform their communities by giving them the resources they need to follow-through on their visions and goals.

In early 2017, Tom Edom from Emmanuel International attended a training in conservation agriculture using the Farming God’s Way conservation agriculture method. He then worked alongside some other men to demonstrate this method on land surrounding the Pader Restoration Resource Centre, where the office of Emmanuel International in Pader is located. The maize is big and healthy, in spite of two weeks of drought which many other crops did not survive, and this has caught the attention of some people, including the church leaders. We would like to continue demonstrating this method, and pilot a set a trainings to help local farmers choose this method and be good stewards of their resources, for the benefit of their families and also to empower churches to fulfill their community outreach and development goals through increased tithing among their members.

Responsibilities

• Developing an agricultural extension pilot project based on the Farming God’s Way curriculum (available online at Farming God’s Way) that seeks to both improve livelihoods and build the capacity of churches to achieve their outreach goals
• Overseeing the management of demonstration plots cultivated with conservation agricultural methods
• Work with individuals who can be champions of the agricultural method and with groups interested in learning the method
• Receive and disperse project funds and provide financial accountability and reporting
• Assisting with fundraising and communicating with potential donors and foundations
• Partnering and collaborating with other organizations working towards the same goal