In Ndava commune, there are a few more smiles on the residents’ faces this year. It’s a novelty because these folk have been used to generations of hard graft for little reward! The current situation in Burundi is one of lack, with the 13 million population struggling to produce anywhere near enough food from the land mass that is close to the size of Wales in the UK. Traditional farming techniques yield little and crops frequently fail. This is only exacerbated by the challenges of climate change.

A recent Unicef report highlights that “malnutrition remains a critical public health issue in Burundi, with 53% of children under five suffering from stunting, 8% wasted, and 59% anemic.” Sadly, malnutrition in childhood can lead to lifelong problems.

Yet the principles recently brought into Burundi from Foundations for Farming and adopted by Igniting Communities for Jesus (ICJ) are changing this landscape – literally!

The innovative methodology started in the North of Zimbabwe in 1982 when Brian Oldreive, who was nearing bankruptcy, realised that in natural creation there were no deep ploughing techniques, but rather that a thick ‘blanket’ of fallen leaves and grass covers the surface of the soil, protecting the seed and keeping in nutrients and moisture. He developed this process, originally calling it ‘Farming God’s Way’ and then changing it to ‘Foundations for Farming’. The Biblically-inspired methods have grabbed the attention of a number of authorities in developing nations, even getting full government approval in Madagascar. Bosco Matebutsi from ICJ saw the potential for this (along with several other GLO Partners) to positively impact the struggling communities of Burundi.

You can see the glee on people’s faces as they produce harvests that are 6, 8 and even 10 times the volume of the crop compared with their previous harvests using the traditional methods!

What does this mean for communities like Ndava?

Firstly, when applied correctly, the Foundations for Farming methods are actually less labour-intensive, which means that there is less time and effort involved in working the fields. Many people would previously be working seven days a week, so now they can actually go to church on Sunday without feeling that they are letting down their family or their community.

And the most tangible benefit is the size of the harvest! Previously, there was not enough food to go around – they would have to eke out the rations sufficiently so as not to starve. They would end up with very little left to plant in the next season. But now families have been getting enough maize to last 5 or 6 months, allowing them to eat, have some to sell in the market and then plant again in the next season. In other seasons, they plant other crops such as beans and cassava that have also seen improved yields using the same methods.

Congratulations to ICJ for having the courage to challenge stereotypes and pioneer new ways of doing things.  And we celebrate with the Ndava commune as they grow into this new way of living and developing their farming. We thank God for the blessing that is growing in front of them.