working the land god entrusted to us - disciple nations

Redemptive Agriculture:

Working the Land God Entrusted to Us

A 12-Lesson Curriculum

FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY, INC.

February 2006

Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................... CC2 A NOTE TO THE FACILITATOR .................................................................................................................5 TEN BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT .................................................10

INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................10 LIST OF PRINCIPLES FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................11

Principle #1 – Earth Ownership Principle...........................................................................................11 Principle #2 -- First Farmer Principle..................................................................................................11 Principle #3 -- First Farmer Relationship Principle.............................................................................11 Principle #4 -- High Calling Principle ..................................................................................................11 Principle #5 -- Sacred Work Principle.................................................................................................11 Principle #6 -- Dominion Principle ......................................................................................................11 Principle #7 -- Bounty Principle ..........................................................................................................11 Principle #8 -- Stewardship Principle..................................................................................................11 Principle #9 -- Diversity Principle........................................................................................................11 Principle #10 -- Neighborly Love Principle .........................................................................................11

LESSON 1 – THE EARTH AND ALL IT CONTAINS.................................................................................12 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................................12 LESSON PLAN 1 – THE EARTH AND ALL IT CONTAINS ..................................................................................15 LESSON 1 – HANDOUT A – BIBLE VERSES ..................................................................................................19 LESSON 1 – HANDOUT B – LAND PRODUCTIVITY CHART .............................................................................20 LESSON 1 – HANDOUT C – CLOSING PRAYER.............................................................................................21 APPENDIX TO LESSON 1 ............................................................................................................................22

LESSON 2 – PRODUCING ABUNDANT AND DIVERSE CROPS ...........................................................25 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................................25 LESSON PLAN 2 – PRODUCING ABUNDANT AND DIVERSE CROPS.................................................................28 LESSON 2 – HANDOUT A – CLOSING PRAYER .............................................................................................33 APPENDIX TO LESSON 2 ............................................................................................................................34

LESSON 3 – GOD’S ANIMAL KINGDOM .................................................................................................36 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................................36 LESSON PLAN 3 – GOD’S ANIMAL KINGDOM ...............................................................................................38 LESSON 3 – HANDOUT A – “THE TWO SUNS” – AN ANIMAL STORY FROM KENYA..........................................45 LESSON 3 – HANDOUT B – WHAT IF I WERE AN ANIMAL? .............................................................................47 LESSON 3 – HANDOUT C – 23RD PSALM......................................................................................................48 APPENDIX TO LESSON 3 ............................................................................................................................49

LESSON 4 – TREES AND THEIR FRUITS................................................................................................51 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................................51 LESSON PLAN 4 – TREES AND THEIR FRUITS ..............................................................................................54 LESSON 4 – HANDOUT A – GROWING A FOREST .........................................................................................60 LESSON 4 – HANDOUT B – ROLE PLAY.......................................................................................................61 LESSON 4 – HANDOUT C – CLOSING POEM ................................................................................................62 APPENDIX TO LESSON 4 ............................................................................................................................63

LESSON 5 – AGRICULTURAL WATER CONSERVATION AND USE....................................................65

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FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................................65 LESSON PLAN 5 – AGRICULTURAL WATER CONSERVATION AND USE ...........................................................67 LESSON 5 – HANDOUT A – OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO WATER MANAGEMENT ............................................71 LESSON 5 – HANDOUT B – BIBLE VERSES EMPHASIZING RAIN / WATER.......................................................72 LESSON 5 – HANDOUT C – DINKA PRAYER .................................................................................................73 APPENDIX TO LESSON 5 ............................................................................................................................74

LESSON 6 – SOIL FERTILITY AND CONSERVATION............................................................................77 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................................77 LESSON PLAN 6 – SOIL FERTILITY AND CONSERVATION ..............................................................................80 LESSON 6 – HANDOUT A – THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER ...........................................................................84 APPENDIX TO LESSON 6 ............................................................................................................................85

LESSON 7 – CROP AND ANIMAL DISEASES AND PEST MANAGEMENT..........................................88 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................................88 LESSON PLAN 7 – CROP AND ANIMAL DISEASES AND PEST MANAGEMENT...................................................90 LESSON 7 – HANDOUT A – ANIMAL DISEASE / THREAT CHART.....................................................................96 LESSON 7 – HANDOUT B – CROP PESTS AND NATURAL ENEMIES ................................................................97 LESSON 7 – HANDOUT C – THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS ...........................................................................98 APPENDIX TO LESSON 7 ............................................................................................................................99

LESSON 8 – AGRICULTURAL LABOR..................................................................................................102 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................................102 LESSON PLAN 8 – AGRICULTURAL LABOR.................................................................................................105 LESSON 8 – HANDOUT A – WOMEN’S AND MEN’S WORK...........................................................................111 LESSON 8 – HANDOUT B – ROLES FOR SHARING EACH OTHER’S BURDENS ROLE PLAY .............................112 APPENDIX TO LESSON 8 ..........................................................................................................................114

LESSON 9 – INCOME GENERATION.....................................................................................................117 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................................117 LESSON PLAN 9 – INCOME GENERATION ..................................................................................................120 LESSON 9 – HANDOUT A – BIBLE VERSES ................................................................................................124 APPENDIX TO LESSON 9 ..........................................................................................................................125

LESSON 10 – WORKING WITH MY NEIGHBOR ...................................................................................127 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................................127 LESSON PLAN 10 – WORKING WITH MY NEIGHBOR....................................................................................129 LESSON 10 – HANDOUT A – ROLE PLAYS.................................................................................................136 LESSON 10 – HANDOUT B – BIBLE VERSES ON LOVE................................................................................138 LESSON 10 – HANDOUT C – THE GOOD SAMARITAN.................................................................................139 APPENDIX TO LESSON 10 ........................................................................................................................140

LESSON 11 – SHARING AGRICULTURAL BOUNTY............................................................................142 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................................142 LESSON PLAN 11 – SHARING AGRICULTURAL BOUNTY..............................................................................144 LESSON 11 – HANDOUT A – EXPENSE CHARTS ........................................................................................148 LESSON 11 – HANDOUT B – RUTH ...........................................................................................................149 LESSON 11 – HANDOUT C – CLOSING HYMN / PRAYER .............................................................................150 APPENDIX TO LESSON 11 ........................................................................................................................151

LESSON 12 – INVESTING IN THE FUTURE ..........................................................................................154 FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................................154 LESSON PLAN 12 – INVESTING IN THE FUTURE .........................................................................................156 LESSON 12 – HANDOUT A – SUNSHINE HOPE CHART ...............................................................................164 LESSON 12 – HANDOUT B – LESSON CHART ............................................................................................165 APPENDIX TO LESSON 12 ........................................................................................................................167

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FARMING PRACTICES AMONG ETHNIC GROUPS IN KENYA ...........................................................171 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................171

Gusii .................................................................................................................................................171 Iteso..................................................................................................................................................172 Kalenjin.............................................................................................................................................172 Kamba, Akamba (Kitui) ....................................................................................................................173 Kamba, Akamba (Machakos) ..........................................................................................................175 Kikuyu, Gikuyu..................................................................................................................................177 Luo....................................................................................................................................................180 Maasai ..............................................................................................................................................181 Maragoli............................................................................................................................................181 Meru .................................................................................................................................................182 Mijikenda ..........................................................................................................................................183 Pokot ................................................................................................................................................183 Rendille.............................................................................................................................................185 Samburu ...........................................................................................................................................185 Turkana ............................................................................................................................................186

A SPECIAL NOTE TO PILOT FACILITATORS.......................................................................................187

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum A NOTE TO THE FACILITATOR

Welcome to the Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum produced by Food For the Hungry, Inc. The curriculum has been developed as a “script” for you to follow in teaching how God has provided all that is needed to be good farmers and that we are His stewards of all of His creation. What Does Redemptive Agriculture Mean? Redemptive agriculture focuses on how farmers can create a deeper relationship with God through caring for the land, the crops, the animals, and the relationships with which they have been entrusted. Technically, it is about how farmers can improve their production in cropping and animal husbandry practices through the transformation of their minds into a redemptive model in which farmers are reconciled to God and to creation. The curriculum also lays the groundwork for the salvation of farmers who are not yet believers in God or in Christ. The core issue that each lesson addresses from different points of view is that God created the earth and we are His stewards. God has called His people to both cultivate and conserve His creation; when we obey His words, we open the door to abundant blessings.

The Contents of This Curriculum Materials provided to you to help you in delivering these lessons include:

1) an Overview Chart of the topics covered; 2) a Paper outlining different agricultural practices of various people groups in

Kenya, as related by different researchers (this type of background research would have to be undertaken for each country of implementation; the material on Kenya is illustrative of what you might need to know for each lesson);

3) the Lessons. Overview Chart The Overview Chart provides the reader with a preview of the specific topic covered in each lesson, related topics that can be addressed under that topic, the Biblical Foundation of each topic, and possible teaching principles. It is meant to be a basic orientation document to the entire curriculum and should be read before starting to prepare each lesson.

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Paper on Agricultural Practices in Kenya This brief paper is organized in accordance with different ethnic groups in Kenya. Under each ethnic group is information obtained from the research literature on different agricultural practices that relate to the 12 topics of the curriculum. As the Facilitator, you may be addressing participants of one ethnic group. If material is presented on this group, read what the different authors have said to be prepared to address the lesson topic. The Lessons The lessons take you through a range of topics:

1. Creation and God’s Ownership of Land 2. Crop Productivity 3. Animal Productivity 4. Trees and Their Fruits 5. Water Conservation and Use 6. Soil Fertility and Conservation 7. Crop and Animal Diseases and Pest Management 8. Agricultural Labor 9. Income Generation 10. Working with My Neighbor 11. Sharing Agricultural Bounty 12. Investing in the Future

Structure of the Lessons Each lesson is divided into three parts: Facilitator Instructions, Lesson Plan, and Appendix. Facilitator Instructions Each set of instructions follows the same format:

1. Introduction – a brief statement on what you will cover in the lesson 2. Lesson Goal – the ultimate point you want the lesson to cover 3. Lesson Objectives – the “achievements” of participants for each lesson 4. Related Topics/Teaching Principles – different points you want to weave into

any exercise debriefing or discussions you hold in the process of each “step” 5. Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development – a set of chosen principles

developed by David Evans that point us biblically to why this lesson is important 6. Related Biblical Worldview Principles – a set of chosen principles developed

by David Evans that provide the larger biblical worldview principle on why this lesson is important

7. Key Biblical Passages – Bible verses that either relate to the Biblical Principle for Agricultural Development or the specific subject matter covered in the lesson

8. Why This Lesson is Needed – a brief explanation of beliefs and practices farmers may have that need to be addressed

9. Set-Up – how the room or participants should be organized for the lesson

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10. Materials – the supplies you need to have on hand as well as anything you will have to prepare in advance; generally, all lessons require flip chart paper, markers, tape, A4 paper, pens/pencils, HANDOUTS (written large so you remember to make copies in advance), and Bibles. In certain cases, you are told to prepare certain manipulatives in advance, e.g., shapes of fruits, animals, different geometric shapes, etc.

11. Time Required – an approximation of how much time will be required to complete parts of and the entire lesson. Each “Step” has an approximate amount of time projected to finish the task. These have been added up to come up with an approximate time for each part and then the entire lesson. The parts identified are logical separations should you wish to implement the lesson in several different sessions, although it is possible to undertake the entire lesson in one setting. Usually, this will generally be a “workshop” rather than just a lesson, according to the amount of time required.

Lesson Plan Each lesson is a bit different, but follows a common format that begins with an introduction and an opening thought question that serves as a means to introduce the topic and to get people talking. All lessons also have some sort of closing that appears at the end, but can be used at the end of each “part” if the lesson is to be implemented in several different sessions.

1. Part Number – most lessons are divided into parts in case you do not have the time to do the entire lesson in one sitting; divisions come generally after a set of tasks has been completed

2. Introduction – a brief statement about the general topic participants will be addressing in the lesson

3. Opening Question – a “warm up” type of exercise that gets participants thinking and talking about the topic

4. Steps – each step includes several action tasks. • “Ask” poses a question of the group • “Response” tells you do to something with the responses participants

generate to “Ask” • “Say” provides you with linking, summarizing, or edifying comments on the

lesson • “Discuss” asks a series of questions on a particular theme for you to pose in

a more extended discussion; they are to be posed one after the other in keeping a group discussion going

• “Do” provides you specific instructions on handing out material, writing things on flip charts, etc.

• “Note to the Facilitator” appears after participants have identified what they need to know more of on the topic; you are instructed in each case to list these items for yourself as the basis for future lessons. The note might also instruct you to make a list to distribute to participants in a later session.

5. Conclusion – each lesson ends with a Biblical reflection, prayer, or activity that reinforces the Biblical principles of the lesson

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6. Handouts – most lessons have handouts to use in the course of implementing the steps

Appendix The Appendix is the basis for your further study in preparation for each lesson. Most Appendices have two parts: Biblical Foundations and Bibliography.

1. Biblical Foundations – since the Bible is so full of verses that can be applied in each lesson that either illustrate the Biblical Principle for Agriculture or provide specific verses on the substance of each lesson, we provide these verses for your further study. You can supplement these with other relevant verses.

2. Bibliography – several references are provided for your further study. Some are available through Food for the Hungry, others can be found through exploration on the internet, or through a resource library. These can be supplemented by your own materials, especially those available locally.

Preparing for the Lesson In preparing for the Lesson, read the 1) Facilitator’s Instructions, 2) Biblical Foundations in the Appendix, and 3) Lesson. Decide if you want to supplement this lesson with other Bible verses. Finally, pray about each lesson. For the particular Lesson and the particular set of participants, will the lesson accomplish the goal? Pray that the Lord will guide you in the process of saying and doing what He wants for this lesson to be redemptive, helping farmers become more reconciled to God and to creation. Then pray for the participants – that the soil on which the “seeds” of the Lesson fall will be fertile, that the lesson will reach their hearts, and that participants will come closer to the Lord as a result of having participated. When previewing the Lesson, 1) identify how much time you will have, 2) prepare any of the HANDOUTS you will need, 3) prepare the room or space in which you will deliver the lesson, 4) assemble all the materials you will need, and 5) prepare any flip charts with specific headings, Bible verses, or charts you will use. Delivering the Lesson For most Lessons, you should be in a room with tables and chairs. The room should have space on walls on which to hang flip charts, pictures, etc. You can use the Lesson Plans as a “script,” i.e., you can follow the Lesson Plan step by step to reach the intended goal. You can also add to the Lesson with your own knowledge of the Bible and of the subject matter. Note, however, that if you add pieces, you will also add time, so be sure to approximate the time it will take to add to the Lesson so that you can plan accordingly. Weave into each lesson the Key Biblical Passages as well as some of the verses in the Biblical Foundations when they are relevant to what you are talking about. Also weave in the different Related Topics/Possible Teaching Principles for each lesson when they are relevant to what you are discussing. End each Lesson prayerfully, addressing the key issues of God’s ownership and people’s stewardship of all that God created.

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Conclusion These Lessons have been prepared with YOU in mind. We expect that you have some knowledge of the Bible and are comfortable in helping to bring others to salvation, to a deeper level of obedience to our Creator, and to a deeper understanding of what it means to be God’s steward of all that He has created. We encourage you to use any other resources at your disposal, to discuss the Lessons with your colleagues or a pastor, and to be creative in addressing the different learning needs of your participants. If you have any ideas about handling the Lessons in any way different from the way they are presented, please get in touch with us so that we can make any supplemental additions to the curriculum. Contact us with any changes you have in mind – [email protected]. Finally, we at Food for the Hungry are praying for you – in deepening your ability to reach out to participants with the Word of the Lord so that they can be redeemed and reconciled to God in the stewardship of His creation.

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mailto:[email protected]

TEN BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

David Evans - Food for the Hungry

God and Creation Conference - Brackenhurst, Kenya - 15 January 2004

INTRODUCTION According to God's mandate in Deuteronomy 8:3, people shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God. Thus, we are to live by bread, but we are also to live by the Word of God. When these two things are combined for the agriculturist in an intentional way, it leads to all kinds of exciting opportunities, discoveries, and adventures. When asked what prompted him to study the lowly peanut, George Washington Carver said, "Why, I just took a handful of peanuts and looked at them. 'Great Creator,' I said, 'Why did you make the peanut? Why?' With such knowledge as I had of chemistry and physics I set to work to take the peanut apart". Carver understood that agriculture and God's revelation through His Word go hand in hand. In fact, I believe that his words and actions continue to challenge us today to examine the way that we as Christians do agriculture. Is any of the care that is mentioned in the Scriptures for both land and animals exhibited on the farms of Christians throughout the world today? Or is a Christian farm today indistinguishable from that of a non-Christian? In addition to this area of stewardship, there is a clear Biblical mandate given to people to develop the creation. It is the God-given role of people involved in agriculture to be fruitful and to produce bounty with the resources that God has entrusted to them. Without bounty, there is an ever-decreasing resource base to steward. Conversely, without stewardship, the bounty is short-lived and eventually exhausted. Both need to happen simultaneously in order for God's creation to unfold according to His intentions. The following principles are an attempt to help people involved in agriculture around the world to better understand the role that they are called to play in bringing God's Word and His kingdom to bear on the land, animals, and neighbors that have been entrusted to their care. The application of these principles will not be easy. That said, the apostle Paul's words ring true for us when he commands us to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. This working document is primarily designed for use by agricultural extensionists and educators working with farmers in the context of the developing world. That said, it should also be useful in more general settings that deal in some way with the study and/or practice of agriculture. Please feel free to experiment with the use of this document in your own context. I welcome your feedback on the lessons that you learn as a result of using these principles ([email protected]).

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LIST OF PRINCIPLES FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Principle #1 – Earth Ownership Principle The earth is the Lord’s and all that it contains. Principle #2 -- First Farmer Principle God is the First Farmer, the author and initiator of agriculture. Principle #3 -- First Farmer Relationship Principle Those who practice agriculture need to have a good relationship with the First Farmer. Principle #4 -- High Calling Principle Those who practice agriculture have a high calling from God, which is full of dignity and purpose. Principle #5 -- Sacred Work Principle Those who practice agriculture should strive to honor and glorify God through their work. Principle #6 -- Dominion Principle Farmers are commanded by God to have dominion over the creation. Principle #7 -- Bounty Principle Farmers are commanded by God to be fruitful and produce bounty from the land and animals that God has entrusted to them. Principle #8 -- Stewardship Principle Farmers are commanded by God to steward the land, natural resources, farm animals and crops that He has placed in their care. Principle #9 -- Diversity Principle God delights in the diversity of his creation and farmers should strive to encourage and maintain the diversity that He created.

Principle #10 -- Neighborly Love Principle Those who practice agriculture should treat their neighbors as they would wish to be treated themselves.

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 1 – THE EARTH AND ALL IT CONTAINS

FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS Introduction In this Lesson, Facilitators will take participants through a process that will help them understand:

• God’s creation and ownership principles • That people’s responsibility to God is to hold the land in stewardship • The changed thinking that is required to truly believe creation belongs to God

Lesson Goal To develop a biblical worldview of creation and land ownership. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Recounted personal stories of land “ownership” in their families • Related these stories to the truth of God’s ownership of all • Shared with others any beliefs about ancestral ownership of the land and

discussed how each belief is supported by practices • Reflected on their particular role in stewarding God’s creation

Related Topics / Teaching Principles While the parts of the lesson target specific activities, in the debriefing and discussion sections, the following points should be raised:

• God is the Creator and Owner of all • The purpose of creation is to give praise, honor, and glory to God – not to people • People were created for and given dominion (stewardship) over all creation • Nature is a storehouse God made for us to steward • Deeded ownership and rights of usufruct are human systems generated to make

the use of land manageable

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Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development Ownership: The earth is the Lord’s and all that it contains. Stewardship: Farmers are commanded by God to steward the land, natural resources, farm animals and crops that He has placed in their care. Related Biblical Worldview Principles Ownership: God exists; He created the universe; He pronounced it good – very good. Stewardship: God created all things and they belong to Him. Humans are to be God’s stewards of all created things. Key Biblical Passages Creation and Ownership:

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:31 – God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Psalm 24:1 – The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Creation and Stewardship: Genesis 2: 15 – The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

God’s Will for Us All – No Other Gods: Exodus 20:3-4 – You shall have no other gods before me.

Why this Lesson is Needed God created all things, including human beings, and called it “very good.” He gave humankind dominion over all of creation and charged us to be stewards of what He created. In all cultures, however, people have devised systems of ownership that reflect their beliefs. In some cultures, ancestors are said to be the owners of the land, and people act toward the land accordingly, pouring libations and leaving gifts for the ancestors at key points in the agricultural cycle. In other cultures, land is seen as a god and is worshipped. In still others, land is something to be bought and sold and the owner believes s/he can do anything at all with it to make it produce more money. How we live our lives reflects what we believe. If we believe God is the creator and owner of all things, and believe that we are stewards of the earth and all that He created, then we will treat creation in a manner that it will be sustainable. Farmers are key participants in the redemption of creation. As they care for the elements of creation owned by God, they are honoring God and will be blessed. Set-up Immediately after you start, organize them into same-sex groups of between 3 and 5.

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Materials Bibles or HANDOUT A of Bible verses; HANDOUTS B and C; flip chart paper, markers; flip chart paper with the following question on it - Who owns the land that you farm? Time Required Approximately 150 minutes (Part One – 100 minutes; Part Two – 50-55 minutes (depending on which closing you choose).

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LESSON PLAN 1 – THE EARTH AND ALL IT CONTAINS

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Explain: We are here today to understand more about the land and environment that surrounds us. We will talk about different feelings that you and others have toward the land. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Do: Point to the flip chart paper with the following question on it: Ask: Who owns the land that you farm? Response: Obtain 4-5 responses and write these down under the question on the flip chart. (Allow 5 minutes.)

STEP 3: RECOUNTING PERSONAL STORIES OF LAND “OWNERSHIP”: Do: Organize participants into single-sex groups of 3-5. Say: In your small groups, tell each other how you obtained access to the land you work and how you acquired “ownership” of it. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 4: DEBRIEFING STORIES: Ask: What did you come up with? Do: Have at least one man and one woman tell the stories of land ownership to the larger group (Choose one woman first and then one man and allow them to tell the stories.) Discuss: How is gaining access to land different between men and women? Where did this system come from? What advantages does the owner have under this system? What disadvantages does the owner have under this system? Is there a better way of accessing land? What might this be? (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 5: SHARING TRADITIONAL BELIEFS AND PRACTICES RELATING TO OWNERSHIP OF THE LAND: Say: We are now going to consider different beliefs about land ownership. In your small groups, share with each other the different beliefs and practices about ancestral ownership of the land. Include in your stories the things that people in your village or region are doing (perhaps not yourselves) to address the ancestors or gods. (These can

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include: pour libations on the land, plant different charms, sacrifice an animal and pour the blood on the land, etc.) (If participants are uncomfortable doing this, ask them to talk about “the way it used to be long back.”) (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 6: DEBRIEFING STORIES: Ask: What did you come up with? Do: Have at least one man and one woman tell the stories of ancestral land ownership to the larger group. (Choose one woman first and then one man and allow them to tell the stories.) Ask: What are the different things that people do to recognize the power of the ancestors or gods over the land? Say: While ancestors are important and we honor them as those who passed along their wisdom, we cannot worship them or any other god because we can only worship God. Ask: What happens to people if they do not follow these old, ancestral beliefs? Response: Obtain 4-5 responses, concluding with the Exodus 20:3-4 verses about having “no other gods before me.” (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 7: RELATING OWNERSHIP STORIES TO THE TRUTH OF GOD’S OWNERSHIP OF ALL: Do: Hand out Bibles or HANDOUT with the Key Bible Passages on it:

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:31 – God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Psalm 24:1 – The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it

Ask: What do these verses say about ownership? To whom do ALL created things belong?

Discuss: What do these verses mean to you? If you REALLY believe these verses, how should you act toward the land and all of God’s creatures? What gets in the way of us acting on our beliefs? (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 8: REFLECTION: Do: Return to the flip chart question: Who owns the land you farm? Ask: How should we answer this question now? Response: Write down “God” as the final answer. (Allow 5 minutes.)

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Part Two STEP 1: REFLECTING ON FARMERS’ ROLE IN STEWARDING GOD’S CREATION: Say: We can bring honor to our God by taking care of His land for Him in the ways we have talked about. We serve the Lord by being good stewards – caretakers - of the land by using it properly and by caring for it in a manner that will allow our children and our grandchildren to live off this land. Do: Distribute Land Productivity Chart HANDOUT to each group. Say: In your small groups, identify three very practical ways in which we can care for our land so our grandchildren can still live on it, so it will be productive for many years to come. Write these on the HANDOUT chart in the left-hand column. In the middle column, write some of the things that would get in the way of taking the actions you identified in Column 1. Then, in Column 3, identify the help you would need to overcome some of the difficulties you identified in Column 2. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 2: DEBRIEFING LAND PRODUCTIVITY CHARTS: Do: Have each small group come to the front, explain their charts, and then hang the chart where everyone can see it. Say: Now that we have finished listening to all of the roadblocks there are to keeping our land productive and what is needed to overcome these roadblocks, walk around and look at the charts. Discuss: What is common in all the charts? What is different? (Allow 10 minutes.) STEP 3: NEXT STEPS: Say: Many things have been identified that you need to help make the land sustainable. Some of these are related to our understanding of God as the creator and owner of the land, and some are related to land management, cropping, water, or other issues. In these final few minutes, let’s see what our next steps should be. Ask: To help you be better stewards of the land, what participation would you like from us? Response: Obtain as many responses as participants have. Write these on the flip chart. Do: Save these responses to help you in the design of future lessons. (Allow 10 minutes.)

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CONCLUSION: Say: We have on our list many of the ideas we will be exploring in the rest of our lessons. We, now know more of how we can walk with you in being good farmers, caring for God’s creation, and helping God to reclaim His land. Choice of Closing:

1.) Closing Prayer – Say: Let us close the lesson today with the prayer in the HANDOUT I am giving you now:

Lord, I want to honor you today as I work this land that you have entrusted to my care. Give me wisdom as I try hard to make this part of your creation even more bountiful. Enable me to enrich this land for my family, for your creatures, and for future generations. Teach me how to share the love of Christ in both word and deed.1 (Allow 10 minutes.)

2) Closing Reflection – Say: Les us close this lesson today with a quiet moment to think about what we have learned today. (Allow a minute or so for reflection.)

Ask: What did you learn today about land ownership? Response: Get two or three responses from participants. Say: May we walk away from this lesson with an open mind and a heart to consider who the real owner of the land is. God. (Allow 10 minutes.)

1 Sorley, Craig. 2004. “Thinking Biblically About Our Response to a ‘Groaning’ Creation.” Paper presented at the International Conference on God and Creation, January 15-17, Brackenhurst Conference Center, Kenya.

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LESSON 1 – HANDOUT A – BIBLE VERSES

Creation and Ownership:

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:31 – God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Psalm 24:1 – The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Creation and Stewardship:

Genesis 2:15 – The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

God’s Will for Us All – No Other Gods:

Exodus 20:3-4 – You shall have no other gods before me.

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LESSON 1 – HANDOUT B - LAND PRODUCTIVITY CHART

HOW WE CAN CARE FOR OUR LAND

ROADBLOCKS TO CARING FOR THE LAND

WHAT WE NEED TO CARE FOR OUR LAND

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LESSON 1 – HANDOUT C - CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, I want to honor you today as I work this land that you have entrusted to my care. Give me wisdom as I strive to make this part of your creation even more bountiful. Enable me to enrich this land for my family, for your creatures, and for future generations. Teach me how to share the love of Christ in both word and deed.2

2 Sorley, Craig. 2004. “Thinking Biblically About Our Response to a ‘Groaning’ Creation.” Paper presented at the International Conference on God and Creation, January 15-17, Brackenhurst Conference Center, Kenya.

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APPENDIX TO LESSON 1

Biblical Foundations

Creation and Ownership 1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 2. The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but

aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. Leviticus 25:23-24

3. To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Deuteronomy 10:14

4. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Psalm 24:1-2.

5. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:1-4

6. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or power or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-18

Creation of Humankind and Responsibility/Stewardship 1. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule

over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27

2. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth with every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. Genesis 1:28-30

3. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15

4. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. Deuteronomy 11:12

5. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Psalm 8:6-8

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God’s Will for Us All – No Other Gods 1. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in

the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20: 3-4

2. Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 26: 37-39

3. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20.

Bibliography

Bradshaw, Bruce. 2003. “On Dams, Demons, Wells and Witches: Managing the Message of Transformational Development,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture: Cultivating Our Roots. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 173-184. De Haan, Robert. 2003. “Production Principles for ‘Good’ Agriculture” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture: Cultivating Our Roots. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 81-97. Evans, David. 2004. “In Search of Developmental Shalom: Striking the Balance between ‘Abad’ and ‘Shamar.’” Keynote presentation at the Microenterprise and the Environment Conference, Eastern University, July 27. Meyer, Robert P. 1987. “Invitation to Wonder: Toward a Theology of Nature,” in Granberg-Michaelson, Wesley. Essays on the Gospel and the Earth. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, pp. 30-49. Moreau, A. Scott. 2000a. “Ancestral Beliefs and Practices” in Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions. (www.strategicnetwork.org) Moreau, A. Scott. 2000b. “Flaw of the Excluded Middle” in Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions. (www.strategicnetwork.org) Myers, Bryant. The Excluded Middle. (www.worldvision.org.uk/resources) Sorley, Craig. 2004. “Thinking Biblically About Our Response to a ‘Groaning’ Creation.” Paper presented at the International Conference on God and Creation, January 15-17. Brackenhurst Conference Center, Kenya.

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http://www.strategicnetwork.org/

http://www.strategicnetwork.org/

Spaling, Harry. 2003. “Enabling Creation’s Praise: Lessons in Agricultural Stewardship from Africa,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture: Cultivating Our Roots. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 99-119. United Nations. 1996. “UN Environmental Sabbath” in Roberts, Elizabeth and Elias Amedon (eds.). Life Prayers from Around the World. San Francisco: Harper, pp. 386-387.

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 2 – PRODUCING ABUNDANT AND DIVERSE

CROPS


• The amazing diversity of God’s creation • The amazing productive capacity of God’s creation • How to choose cropping systems that produce abundance while protecting

diversity • Specific techniques and methods that produce abundance and protect diversity

Lesson Goal To be able to relate to God’s diversity in creation through the cropping patterns utilized. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Reflected on the extent of God’s diversity in the natural world • Produced charts on past and current cropping patterns • Identified the bottlenecks in their farming system • Determined the reasons for declining yields • Identified how to maintain God’s diversity and produce abundance through

varying cropping patterns • Determined how they can honor God through the utilization of His diversity in

creation to produce abundance

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• Tremendous potential exists in what farmers choose to grow; God’s potential is limited by farmer choices – you can count the seeds in a mango, but you cannot count the number of mangos in a seed

• Recycling seeds vs. purchasing them • Maintaining God’s diversity requires fallow periods for the land – Sabbath

practice (to be explored further in a future lesson) • For cropping to be sustainable, it must be diversified • Farmer attitudes toward creation are embodied in the practice of good

stewardship Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development Diversity: God delights in the diversity of His creation and farmers should strive to encourage and maintain the diversity that He created. Bounty: Farmers are commanded by God to be fruitful and produce bounty from the land and animals that God has entrusted to them.

Related Biblical Worldview Principles Diversity: God’s creation is beautiful and reflects the beauty and diversity of the creator. Bounty: Creation is an open system and God’s desire is that bounty be created within that system. Key Biblical Passages Diversity in Creation of the Land and Abundance in Production

Genesis 1:11-12: Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:28-29: God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

Why this Lesson is Needed Farmers are under extreme pressure to grow crops to feed their families and nurture the land so that it continues producing. Farmers have adopted different practices that have led to soil erosion and other problems that, in turn, have decreased abundance. God

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created diversity so that when farmers diversify crops and enhance soil fertility greater abundance may be realized. We must honor God’s original design and consider the many seeds/plants He has made available to us to cultivate and use for food. God delights in the diversity of His creation and farmers should strive to maintain that diversity as this honors God. Set-up Part One, Step 3: Identify a patch of land that includes a diversity of groundcover, grasses, trees, and plants – about ten meters by ten meters – and rope it off. This will be your “Diversity Demonstration Plot” to which you will take participants. Take a flip chart and markers there. Part One, Step 4 and for the Rest of the Lesson: Organize participants into groups of 3-5. Materials HANDOUT A; Prepared Cropping Charts on flip chart paper (see below); markers. Cropping Chart (draw as many lines across in each category as the paper will allow): Plant Now Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5

Used to Grow

Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5

Time Required Approximately 290 minutes (Part 1 - 120 minutes; Part 2 – 170 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 2 – PRODUCING ABUNDANT AND DIVERSE CROPS

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Explain: We are here today to explore for diversity and productivity in cropping so that we can grow the food we need and generate an income. (Allow 5 minutes) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Do: If you are inside, take farmers outside, preferably where the landscape is very diverse with trees, plants, diverse ground cover, streams, etc. Make a sweeping gesture with your arms. Ask: Why do you think farmers have been provided all of this diversity to use? Response: Obtain responses from 4-5 people. Say: Over the years, we have not made very good use of all of this diversity in the practices we have adopted to grow our crops. To help us understand this diversity, let’s look more closely at what is included in this diversity. (Allow 10 minutes.) STEP 3: APPRECIATING DIVERSITY: Do: Take participants to the “Diversity Demonstration Plot” that you have roped of in preparation. Ask: In the area that I have marked off with this rope, I want you to examine all the things you see growing or walking around. What is one thing you see in this plot? Response: Have all participants respond with one thing they see. Write these on the flip chart. Say: There are many things in this plot that are not seen easily. Do: Go to a small patch and root up whatever is in the ground. Point out what is revealed, including insects, roots, soil, etc.) Ask: What are some of these things? Do: Write responses on the flip chart. Provide further prompting to participants if they hesitate. Discuss: (Refer to the responses on the flip chart.) When we plant our crops, are we using the diversity that has been provided for us? How? Are we using the soil properly? Are we using the insects properly? Are we choosing the right plants?

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Say: Let’s explore what we have done with the diversity we have been provided. Do: Return to the classroom or a location where people can write things on charts. Bring in the flip chart with you. (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 4: IDENTIFYING CURRENT CROPPING DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE: Do: Form people into groups of 3-5. Distribute the HANDOUT Cropping Chart to each group. Say: On each of your HANDOUTS, you have two charts – one for current cropping patterns and one for cropping patterns in the past. First, I want you to use the chart at the top and list the crops you currently grow on each of your farms. One column is for one person. Include all the rain-fed, irrigated and garden crops you grow. Also include any flowers or trees you grow, or any medicinal plants you grow. (Allow time to finish.) Say: Next to each crop place a check mark if you sell any of these crops either to the marketing board or to your neighbors or in the market. (Allow a minute to do this) Say: Then put a star next to the crop if you have experienced a decline in yield over the past three years. (Allow a minute to do this.) (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 5: IDENTIFYING PAST DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE: Say: Now, let’s use the second chart. Think about the stories your parents have told you, or the kind of farm you grew up on. What are some of the other crops you or your parents used to grow. Write those down in your column. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 6: DEBRIEFING CROPPING DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE PATTERNS: Say: Everyone count the number of crops that you grow now and write the number down on the bottom of your column on the first chart. Count the number of crops you sell now and write this number down on the bottom of your column on the first chart and circle it. Count the number of crops you or your parents used to grow and write them on the bottom of the second chart. Ask: What is the largest number of crops that anybody grows now? What is the smallest number of crops that anybody grows now? What is the largest number of crops grown in the past? What is the smallest number of crops grown in the past? Do: On a blank cropping chart you have at the front write down the highest and the lowest number of crops grown now and in the past. Discuss: 1) What kind of difference is there? (Draw a line between the current and past number of crops in a different color marker.) Did it used to be more or less? What do you think explains the difference? 2) Have you experienced a decline or increase in yield over the past three years? What explains this trend? What difficulties do you experience in increasing your yields? 3) How many of your crops are you selling? Has your income increased or decreased over the past three years? What do you think explains the difference? Say: In closing this part of the exercise, can someone summarize for us what we have learned about:

• How we have increased or decreased diversity over the last few years, and why

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• How we have increased or decreased abundance over the last few years, and why

Close: In the next part of the lesson we will consider how we can increase diversity and abundance in our cropping patterns. (Allow 40 minutes.)

Part Two STEP 1: WHAT I NEED TO ACHIEVE ABUNDANCE: A “VEGGIE, FRUIT AND FIBER” TALE: Do: Distribute pieces of A4 paper to each participant. Place markers for each person on the table/workspace. Ask: What is your favorite crop to plant and cultivate? On the paper I have given you and with one of the markers, draw a picture of that crop. (Allow a few minutes for them to finish.) Say: You have each chosen a particular crop or plant to draw. Now, think about the following questions (write these on a flip chart as participants are drawing their pictures):

1) Why do you like that plant so much? 2) What is the best environment for that plant to grow (e.g., shade, hill, type of

soil)? 3) What does that plant need to grow well (nitrogen, a lot of rain, no weeds)? 4) What type of work does it take to grow the plant?

Say: First, explain why you like this plant. Then think of yourself as the plant you have drawn. As the plant, tell us about the plant using points 2, 3, and 4. (Have them take on the “persona” of the crop). Show us your picture as you explain “yourself.” Give the participants the following example:

I am maize. I like to be planted in rows and grow in the sunshine. I like to receive water between the months of _____ and _____. I don’t like weeds. I grow best when I am planted in soil that is rich with fertilizer that comes in a bag. I must be planted during the month of ______. Weeds must be taken away from me so I can grow. It takes several days for me to be harvested. Once I am harvested, I like to be stored in a dry place that doesn’t have any insects.

Do: As each crop is identified and talked about, write down the crop and the points raised on a flip chart paper. Use a different color for each crop. If a crop has already been mentioned and written down, just add any points about the crop different from what has been said before.

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Say: A great deal of diversity is represented in this entire list. But there is also unity in diversity. Discuss: What are the common needs for each of these crops? (List these on the flip chart paper.) What are the unique needs for each of these crops? (List these on the flip chart paper.) What must we do as farmers to help ensure the abundance of these crops? (List these on the flip chart paper.) (Allow 60 minutes.) STEP 2: STRATEGIES TO INCREASE ABUNDANCE: Say: We have identified a range of crops you enjoy growing and why you enjoy them. But we also know we have problems in growing some of these crops (refer to the conditions needed to grow each crop that participants have identified). Sometimes, we just don’t experience the abundance of harvest that we planned. Let us now consider what some of the solutions to these problems might be. Do: Go to the chart of crops you have written and identify each of the conditions listed. Taking each “condition” or “problem” in turn, ask participants the following questions and record their responses: Discuss: What do you think you can do about THIS condition/problem? What are some practices you can adopt that will help you maintain diversity as well as increase abundance? (Possible answers: intercropping, multiple cropping, strip cropping, cover cropping, alley cropping, using border plantings, reducing tillage, complex crop rotations.) Do: As each answer is given, ask for examples of each of the practices. (Write these down on the flip chart.) Ask: What do you think will be the results of putting these strategies to work? (Allow 60 minutes.) STEP 3: PLANNING FOR ABUNDANCE: Say: God has provided us with ALL of creation and has given us dominion over it. We are honoring God when we are good stewards of what He has given us and in utilizing His diversity to create abundance. We have seen that over time we increase and decrease the number of things we plant with differing results. Discuss: From all that we have learned, what do you think God is trying to tell us about His diversity and His abundance? How does this differ from what you have been told or what you are currently doing in your cropping patterns? Do: List these ideas on a clean piece of flip chart paper headed “Using God’s Diversity to Produce Abundance.” Say: It is now up to us to determine how we can maintain God’s diversity in the land so that it continues to produce the variety of food we need. In your small groups, discuss what each of you can do right now in your farming practices to both maintain diversity and increase abundance. (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 4: DEBRIEFING ABUNDANCE STRATEGIES: Say: What did you come up with?

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Response: Have one person from each group report out. Write all the responses on the flip chart. Say: Each of you has identified something you can do immediately to demonstrate that you are respecting God’s diversity by using it to produce abundance. Where you need assistance, come and ask us. We are here to serve you. (Allow 20 minutes.) CONCLUSION: Say: The purpose of creation is to give praise, honor, and glory to God, the Creator. When we help maintain the diversity with which He provided us, we are honoring Him and His original design. In turn, He blesses us with abundance. We are not serving our God when we decrease His diversity focusing only on what we can take from creation rather than restore it. “Satan’s goal is to destroy God’s creation. Our challenge is to determine how we can work with God to uphold (and in many cases restore) the beauty of creation as we do agriculture.”3 Do: Distribute HANDOUT with closing prayer. Say: Let us close the lesson today with this prayer:

Lord, I want to honor you today as I work this land that you have entrusted to my care. Give me wisdom as I strive to make this part of your creation even more bountiful. Enable me to enrich this land for my family, for your creatures, and for future generations. Teach me how to share the love of Christ in both word and deed. Amen.4 (Allow 5 minutes.)

Note to Facilitator: Take all the flip charts and organize what participants have said they can do to increase diversity in their cropping patterns. Distribute this at one of the succeeding lessons.

3 De Haan, Robert. 2003. “Production Principles of ‘Good’ Agriculture,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos, and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Cultivating Our Roots. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 84-85. 4 Sorly, Craig. 2004. “Thinking Biblically About Our Response to a ‘Groaning’ Creation.” Paper presented at the International Conference on God and Creation, January 15-17, Brackenhurst Conference Center, Kenya.

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LESSON 2 – HANDOUT A - CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, I want to honor you today as I work this land that you have entrusted to my care. Give me wisdom as I strive to make this part of your creation even more bountiful. Enable me to enrich this land for my family, for your creatures, and for future generations. Teach me how to share the love of Christ in both word and deed. Amen.5

5 Sorly, Craig. 2004. “Thinking Biblically About Our Response to a ‘Groaning’ Creation.” Paper presented at the International Conference on God and Creation, January 15-17, Brackenhurst Conference Center, Kenya.

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Biblical Foundations Diversity in Creation 1. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on

the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12

2. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Genesis 1:29

3. He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

God’s Faithfulness in Providing Abundance 1. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and

winter, day and night will never cease. Genesis 8:20 2. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are

continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul – then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 11:12-15

3. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Psalm 85:12

4. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” Psalm 92:12-15

5. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. Psalm 145:15-17.

6. He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. Proverbs 28:19

7. He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come. Mark 4:26-29.

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Glorifying God through Maintaining His Diversity 1. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your

name. Psalm 66:4 2. May the people praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land

will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. Psalm 67:5-7.

3. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:17-18.

Bibliography Ayieko, Francis and Meshack Nyaoke. 2001. Farming: Efforts to Popularise Horticulture. www.web.net/~iccaf/humanrights/kenyainfo/kenyadev0301.htm. De Haan, Robert. 2003. “Production Principles of ‘Good’ Agriculture,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos, and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Cultivating Our Roots. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. De La Valette, Mary. 1996. Unnamed poem in Roberts, Elizabeth and Elias Amedon (eds.). Life Prayers from Around the World. San Francisco: Harper, p. 398. Odendo, Martins, Hugo De Groote, Omari Odongo and Patrick Oucho. 2002. Participatory rural Appraisal of Farmers’ Criteria for Selection of Maize Varieties and Constraints to Maize Production in Moist-Midaltitude Zone of Western Kenya. A Case Study of Butere-Mumias, Busia and Homa Bay Districts. Kakamega, Kenya: Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, and Nairobi: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT). Whitman, Walt. 1996. Unnamed poem in Roberts, Elizabeth and Elias Amedon (eds.). Life Prayers from Around the World. San Francisco: Harper, pp. 378 and 405.

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http://www.web.net/~iccaf/humanrights/kenyainfo/kenyadev0301.htm

Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 3 – GOD’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

FACILITATOR INSTRUCTIONS

Introduction In this Lesson, Facilitators will take participants through a process that will help them understand:

• God created a diversity of animals over which we also exercise dominion and stewardship

• We demonstrate our love for God by caring for the animals He created • We care for animals just as Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for us

Lesson Goal To be able to relate to the diversity of God’s creation of animals and to recognize that we are stewards of this part of creation also. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Recounted their understanding of the place of animals in God’s creation • Identified the way they care for animals and how animals benefit them • Identified any barriers to being a good steward of animals • Recognized that Jesus is our “Good Shepherd”


• Humans are stewards of God’s animals • Different strategies for the care and feeding of small and large ruminants, fowl,

etc. • How farmers can utilize animals and their products to maintain land and animal

diversity Biblical Principle for Agricultural Development Dominion: Farmers are commanded by God to have dominion over creation.

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Related Biblical Worldview Principle As God’s image bearer, people are to exercise dominion over all areas of creation.

Key Biblical Passages Diversity in the Creation of Animals

Genesis 1:24-25: And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 2:19-20: Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the bird of the air and all the beasts of the field.

Caring For/Stewardship of Animals Proverbs 27:23-27: Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls.

Jesus Cares for His “Sheep” Psalm 23:1: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. John 10:14: I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.

Why this Lesson is Needed Many farmers view their livestock as only sources of income or food (oxen to plough fields; cattle for milk, blood, manure for crops, or meat; donkeys as beasts of burden; chickens for eggs and meat, etc.). They may not appreciate that animals are also a part of God’s creation and need to be cared for.

Set-up Part One has participants all together at first, and then they form into groups of five; for Parts Two and Three, participants should be organized in same-sex groups of five.

Materials Flip chart paper, markers, sheets of A4 paper, pens/pencils; HANDOUT A of “The Two Suns” Animal Tale; pictures of farm animals; HANDOUT B; HANDOUT C of 23rd Psalm or Bibles.

Time Required Approximately 280 minutes (Part 1 – 75 minutes; Part 2 – 120 minutes; Part 3 - 85 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 3 – GOD’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Explain: We are here today to understand God’s creation of animals, how He created them for our use, and how He also gave us the responsibility to care for them. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Ask: What are some of the ways we care for our animals? Response: Obtain 4-5 responses from participants. Say: Just as the animals that God created require care, so do we. Let us learn a little more about how we can care for animals and how God cares for us. (Allow 10 minutes.) STEP 3: “THE TWO SUNS” – AN ANIMAL TALE: Do: Distribute the “The Two Suns” from Kenya animal tale HANDOUT. Say: Many African stories illustrate wisdom, cunning or cleverness using animals as the main characters. Let’s read “The Two Suns” story from Kenya. (Allow 15 minutes.)

A very long time ago, in the land that is now called Kenya, the animals could talk like men. At that time many people and animals were complaining that they did not like the night time and the dark, though they were quite satisfied with the daylight. “We cannot see at night,” men said. “We cannot look after our cattle in the dark AND we are afraid.” The animals agreed and men and animals met together to decide what to do. The men spoke first; the elders and the medicine men all described their plans. Some said that big fires should be lit at night all through the land; others said that in the future every man and every animal should carry fire sticks. At last the plan of the wisest of the medicine men was agreed upon. “We must ask God to give us two suns,” he said. “one that rises in the east and one that rises in the west. In that way we shall never have night again.” They all shouted their agreement, except for one small voice.

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“How will we get any shade?” asked the small voice. “Who said that?” shouted the senior medicine man. Nobody answered him. The animal with the small voice was too afraid to speak up against his plan. But one of the warriors had seen the little one who had dared to speak. “It was the hare who spoke,” the warrior said, and he pointed to the smallest of the animals in the crowd. The poor little hare tried to hide himself away under the bushes, but he was soon brought out to the middle of the crowd where the elders sat. “How dare you disagree with your elders?” the senior medicine man said to the poor little hare. “What do you know of such matters?” “I don’t know anything, Father,” the hare whispered. “Speak up, hare,” the medicine man said. “Let us hear your wise words.” All the people and all the animals laughed, except for the warrior who had first seen the hare. “Don’t be afraid of them,” he said kindly. “Say aloud what you think. I will protect you with my spear.” The warrior was an important man amongst his people. He had killed lions with his spear and fought bravely against the enemies of his people. “Go on! Speak!” he repeated, pricking the hare with the sharp point of his spear. The hare looked at the tall warrior and he felt braver. “All I wanted to say was that if we get two suns, there will never be any shade again. We will never be able to sleep and our cattle will die of heat and thirst. All the waters of the rivers and lakes will dry up. The trees will die. There will be fires and hunger in the land and we shall all die.” There was a great silence in the clearing as the people and the animals thought about the wise words of the little hare. At last the senior medicine man arose. “Indeed, you are the wisest of us all, little hare,” he said. All the people and all the animals agreed. They obeyed the wise words of the clever little animal. To this day the people of Kenya say that the hare is the cleverest of all the animals. And they still have day and night; they still have only one sun and nobody has ever complained about it again.6

6 L. Farrant.. 1976. “The Two Suns,” in Frederick Lumley (ed.), Kenya. The Land, Its Art and Its Wildlife. An Anthology. London: Studio Vista, pp. 90-91.

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STEP 4: DEBRIEFING “THE TWO SUNS”: Ask: What do you think of the story? What was unusual? Response: Obtain responses from 4-5 people. Do: Have participants form into groups of between 3 and 5. Write the following questions on a flip chart and point out that they are also on the story HANDOUT: Say: Discuss these questions and be ready for one person in the group to give your answer.

• What do you think about the idea of talking animals? Is such a thing possible? • What do you think about the ideas of the people about having two suns? • What do you think of the ideas of the hare? • Why do you think it was necessary for the warrior to “protect” the hare? • What do you think the story is telling us about how God cares for animals and

people? (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 5: “THE TWO SUNS” AND THE STEWARDSHIP OF ANIMALS: Ask: What answers did you come up with to the questions? Response: Obtain key ideas from several of the small groups. Discuss: Different participants will raise different points. Relate these points both to the story and the Related Topics/Teaching Principles in the Facilitator Instructions. Ask: What do you think is the main message of the story? Response: Obtain responses on the story from 3-5 people. (God is infinitely wise and His creation is perfect.) Ask: What have we learned from the story about caring for animals? Response: Obtain several responses. Say: If animals could talk, they might say quite a few things to us. Some people are so close to animals and understand them so well, that they can foretell how an animal will act in certain circumstances. Just as we are called to know and care for our animals, so God knows and cares for us. In the next part of the lesson, we will learn a bit more about how that happens. (Allow 20 minutes.)

Part Two STEP 1: ANIMAL STORIES: Ask: What “stories” do you have about animals in your culture/region? Can anybody relate these stories?

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Do: Have two or three participants tell stories of animals. When they have finished, pose several questions. Discuss: What does this story tell about animals? How do the animals take on human characteristics in your story? What does this say about what you believe about animals? Does your story tell you anything about how you should take care of animals? Does your story tell you anything about how animals take care of you? (Allow 20 minutes.)

STEP 2: CARING FOR ANIMALS: Say: Now we are going to play a game – “What If I Were an Animal?” Do: Have participants form into same-sex groups of between 3 and 5. Say: You have all been formed into groups based on whether you are a man or a woman. In your small groups, identify an animal that you have on the farm that you like for one reason or another. Your group will be known by that animal. (If you have pictures of animals, have each group pick out their picture.) Do: Distribute the HANDOUT with the five questions noted below. Distribute a piece of flip chart paper and markers to each group. Say: Think about all the needs that this animal has: 1) food/nutrition, 2) health care, 3) husbandry, 4) reproduction, 5) socializing and affection. For instance, a cow needs grass to eat (perhaps in feedlots or in grazing areas), needs to be dipped against tick fever, needs to be herded with other animals, can be mated with a bull or artificially inseminated, and needs to be milked. On your flip chart paper, draw a circle on the left-hand side. Inside the circle, write the name of the animal. Then draw a line out from the circle for each of the answers to the five questions and write one answer down on each line. Your drawing should look like the following: (Just draw the left “sun”.) (Allow 20 minutes.)

COW NEEDS

COW GIVES

STEP 3: RECIPROCITY/ANIMALS CARING FOR US: Say: Now let’s think about all the ways animals care for us. For instance, a cow might provide: 1) food or drink; 2) shoes or clothing; 3) animal draught power; 4) transportation; 5) manure for crops, and other things. Now, on the right-hand portion of

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the flip chart paper, draw another circle like the first one, write the name of the animal inside, and draw a line for each of the ways that this animal brings benefit to you or your family and write one on each line. You can identify as many items as you like. (Draw the second “sun” as an example.) (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 4: DEBRIEFING CARING AND RECIPROCITY: Ask: What have you identified as needs of animals and needs animals help you satisfy? Do: Allow each group to share its animal. Have one person from each group come up to the front with his/her flip chart and explain what that animal needs and how that animal brings benefit. Then hang up the paper in a place where everyone can see it. After each group has finished, have all people go up and review the charts. Discuss: What is the difference between the animals women chose and the animals that men chose? What do you think explains the difference? (Be sure to get both male and female responses.) What is the same about caring for each animal? What is different? What is the same about the benefits you obtain from each animal? What is different? Ask: What lesson can we learn from what we have just done about caring for God’s Animal Kingdom? Response: Have several people respond to this question and write down the responses on a piece of flip chart paper that is headed with “Caring for God’s Animal Kingdom.” Try to encourage responses related to when we care for God’s animals, they take care of us. Closing Statement (if you are not moving on to the next exercise on the same day): When we exercise dominion over God’s creation and care for the animals He has entrusted to us, they take care of and provide for us. (Allow 60 minutes.)

Part Three STEP 1: THREATS TO ANIMAL STEWARDSHIP: Do: Form participants into same-sex groups of between 3 and 5 people. Distribute a piece of A4 paper to each of the groups. Ask: What are some of the threats or problems your animals face? You can think of specific things that the type of animal has that you identified in the last exercise, or you can think of all your animals in general. (Explain that by “threats,” you mean diseases or difficulties that animals face, e.g., drought, not enough grazing area, housing, fertility, etc.)

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Say: Fold your paper in half (show them how to fold it length-wise). Write these down on the left-hand side of your paper. Number each problem. (Show this on the flip chart in the front.) Do: Allow time for participants to write down their problems Ask: What can be done to solve these problems? On the left-hand side of your paper, write the number of the problem, and then on the right-hand side, write all the solutions you can think of that will address that particular problem (show this on the flip chart paper in front, e.g.: 1) water 1) build a dam, dig a well, haul water from the river Do: Allow time for participants to write down their solutions. (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 2 – DEBRIEFING ANIMAL PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS: Ask: What are the problems and the solutions that you have come up with? Response: Have each group present their problems and solutions. Discuss each one as it is presented. Have the group representative hang their sheet on or near the flip chart from the previous exercise. Ask: In your own animal husbandry practices, what problem that you have identified do you find the most difficult to overcome? Or perhaps you cannot overcome at all? Response: As participants give their responses, write them down on the left-hand side of a “T” Chart (a large T drawn on a piece of flip chart paper) headed “Barriers to Stewarding God’s Animal Kingdom.” Ask: Which of these problems can be solved with more extension lessons? Response: Write down “lesson” on the right-hand side of the chart next to the item. Ask: Which of these problems require other types of inputs? What are these? Response: Write down the specific responses on the right-hand side of the chart next to the item identified. For instance, if the response to “water” is “build a dam” and the barrier is “labor” write this down. Ask: What can we ask a group, rather than you as an individual, do to overcome these particular problems (referring only to the latter)? Response: Write these down next to the problem solutions already written. (Allow 30 minutes) STEP 3: THE “GOOD SHEPHERD” Say: Just as we are to know our animals’ needs and take care of them, Jesus Christ knows our needs and takes care of us. He is called the “Good Shepherd” in the Bible because His ministry began with people like you – farmers – so they understood what it mean to take care of the sheep. Jesus takes care of us because He loves us. Ask: What are some of the ways Jesus takes care of us? What are the gifts God gives us without our even asking? (For example, He provides the sun and the rain in periodic cycles, all of the diversity of the earth, all the products of animals, etc.) Response: List the different responses participants give on a flip chart. Ask: What are the different ways we thank the Lord for all that He provides?

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Response: List the different responses participants give below the last responses. Closing Statement: While our animals “thank” us for their care of us by providing benefit to us, we thank the Lord for providing for us through our prayers of thanks. Let’s end our lesson by doing that now. (Allow 15 minutes.) CONCLUSION: Do: Provide HANDOUT of 23rd Psalm. Read: All together, read the 23rd Psalm as a prayer of praise and thanks:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen. (Allow 5 minutes.)

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LESSON 3 – HANDOUT A – “THE TWO SUNS” – AN ANIMAL STORY FROM KENYA

A very long time ago, in the land that is now called Kenya, the animals could talk like men. At that time many people and animals were complaining that they did not like the night time and the dark, though they were quite satisfied with the daylight.

“We cannot see at night,” men said. “We cannot look after our cattle in the dark AND we are afraid.” The animals agreed and men and animals met together to decide what to do. The men spoke first; the elders and the medicine men all described their plans. Some said that big fires should be lit at night all through the land; others said that in the future every man and every animal should carry fire sticks. At last the plan of the wisest of the medicine men was agreed upon.

“We must ask God to give us two suns,” he said. “one that rises in the east and one that rises in the west. In that way we shall never have night again.”

They all shouted their agreement, except for one small voice.

“How will we get any shade?” asked the small voice.

“Who said that?” shouted the senior medicine man.

Nobody answered him. The animal with the small voice was too afraid to speak up against his plan. But one of the warriors had seen the little one who had dared to speak. “It was the hare who spoke,” the warrior said, and he pointed to the smallest of the animals in the crowd. The poor little hare tried to hide himself away under the bushes, but he was soon brought out to the middle of the crowd where the elders sat.

“How dare you disagree with your elders?” the senior medicine man said to the poor little hare. “What do you know of such matters?”

“I don’t know anything, Father,” the hare whispered.

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“Speak up, hare,” the medicine man said. “Let us hear your wise words.”

All the people and all the animals laughed, except for the warrior who had first seen the hare.

“Don’t be afraid of them,” he said kindly. “Say aloud what you think. I will protect you with my spear.” The warrior was an important man amongst his people. He had killed lions with his spear and fought bravely against the enemies of his people. “Go on! Speak!” he repeated, pricking the hare with the sharp point of his spear.

The hare looked at the tall warrior and he felt braver. “All I wanted to say was that if we get two suns, there will never be any shade again. We will never be able to sleep and our cattle will die of heat and thirst. All the waters of the rivers and lakes will dry up. The trees will die. There will be fires and hunger in the land and we shall all die.”

There was a great silence in the clearing as the people and the animals thought about the wise words of the little hare.

At last the senior medicine man arose. “Indeed, you are the wisest of us all, little hare,” he said. All the people and all the animals agreed. They obeyed the wise words of the clever little animal. To this day the people of Kenya say that the hare is the cleverest of all the animals. And they still have day and night; they still have only one sun and nobody has ever complained about it again.7 Debriefing Questions:

• What do you think about the idea of talking animals? Is such a thing possible? • What do you think about the ideas of the people about having two suns? • What do you think of the ideas of the hare? • Why do you think it was necessary for the warrior to “protect” the hare? • What do you think the story is telling us about how God cares for animals and

people?

7 L. Farrant.. 1976. “The Two Suns,” in Frederick Lumley (ed.), Kenya. The Land, Its Art and Its Wildlife. An Anthology. London: Studio Vista, pp. 90-91.

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LESSON 3 – HANDOUT B – WHAT IF I WERE AN ANIMAL?

I would need the following:

1) food/nutrition 2) health care 3) husbandry 4) reproduction 5) socializing and affection

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LESSON 3 – HANDOUT C - 23RD PSALM

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.

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Biblical Foundations Creation and Naming/Care of Animals 1. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds:

livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25

2. Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. Genesis 2:19-20

3. But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:7-9.

4. Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls. Proverbs 27:23-27

5. How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering. Joel 1:18

6. A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10

7. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth. . . Psalm 104:14.

Jesus as the Model in Caring for the “Sheep” 1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23.1. 2. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people,

the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 3. Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not

leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:4-7

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4. Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. . . .” John 21:15-17

Bibliography Farrant, L. 1976. “The Two Suns,” in Frederick Lumley (ed.). Kenya. The Land, Its Art and Its Wildlife. An Anthology. London: Studio Vista, pp. 90-91. Maarse, L., W. Wentholt, and A. Chibudu. 1998. Making Change Strategies Work. Gender Sensitive, Client Oriented Livestock Extension in Coast Province, Kenya. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Royal Tropical Institute, KIT Press.

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 4 – TREES AND THEIR FRUITS


• The use of trees in farming • How the diversity of God’s creation can be maintained through the use of trees • How abundance of harvests can be increased through the use of trees

Lesson Goal To understand the many ways God wants us to bear fruit either through the literal planting of trees on farms, or through the symbolic understanding of ourselves as God’s trees in His garden. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Discussed the role of trees in creation • Determined how trees can help farmers in farming systems • Explored the metaphor of trees:people and fruit:results • Developed an understanding of how farmers can bear fruit when they are

cultivated appropriately, just as trees can help in their production processes and bear fruit in accordance with their nature

Related Topics / Teaching Principles While the parts of the lesson target specific activities, in the debriefing and discussion sections the following points should be raised:

• Soil degradation and the role of trees in renewing the soil • Tree crops • Trees used for woodlots, for building materials and fuel wood • Denudation of the forest for making charcoal

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• Clearing forests for cropping • Jesus and the Tree of Life/the Vine and the branches/Fruits of the Spirit

Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development Sacred Work: Those who practice agriculture should strive to honor and glorify God through their work. Diversity: God delights in the diversity of His creation and farmers should strive to encourage and maintain the diversity that He created. Related Biblical Worldview Principles Sacred Work: Work is sacred and God has given humankind a mandate to work Diversity: God’s creation is beautiful and reflects the beauty and diversity of the creator.

Key Biblical Passages Sacred Work:

Genesis 2:15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. I Corinthians 10:31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. James 5:7: Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. II Timothy 2:6: The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

Diversity: Genesis 1:11-12: Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 2:8-9a: Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.

Why this Lesson is Needed Participants may not realize that the work they do as farmers is sacred work. Maintaining the diversity God created constitutes part of that sacred work. Participants may not understand that planting and cultivating trees is part of the sacred work farmers can participate in to maintain God’s diversity. In this lesson, participants will appreciate

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the role trees play in the total farming system and learn how they can work to restore the forests that have been denuded over the years largely through their use as fuel wood. The metaphor of trees will also be explored. In the Bible, trees are used as metaphors to help explain growth. In one metaphor, the Bible explains that in order for “trees” or “branches” to grow, they must be firmly planted in a steadfast vine (or root system) that provides them life. Jesus is that vine or root in which we must all be “planted.” Firmly rooted in Him, people can bear fruit. If both trees and people are taken care of, they will bear the fruit – the Fruit of the Spirit - the Lord intended. Set-up Participants will work as a whole and in small groups at different times in the lesson. Materials Flip chart paper, markers; pictures of individual species of trees native to the area/region; pictures of forests; copies of role play roles; HANDOUTS A, B and C; four flip chart pictures of trees; fruit shaped colored pieces of A4 paper. Time Required Approximately 250 minutes (Part 1 - 75 minutes; Part 2 - 100 minutes; Part 3 - 75 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 4 – TREES AND THEIR FRUITS

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to understand the use of trees in our farming systems. If appropriately cared for, trees will bear different types of fruit that can benefit the family. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Ask: What are trees for? Response: Obtain 4-5 responses. Ask: What are the different types of trees that you grow on your farm? Response: List these on a flip chart divided into two columns headed “Trees” and “Benefits”. Ask: What are these particular trees used for?/What benefits do these trees provide? Response: Write these down next to the particular tree identified. (Responses on uses might include shade, hedges, fruit, nitrogen fixation of the soil, natural enemies to pests, income generation, houses for honeybees, firewood, building furniture, building houses/roofs, fodder, medicine, etc.) Ask: Do you believe you should have more or fewer trees on you farms? Why? Response: Take the opportunity to elaborate on participants’ answers, pointing out the benefits of each tree (and others) identified. (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 3: WHAT PREVENTS US FROM GROWING TREES? Ask: What are the reasons why the many trees that can grow in this area are not being grown? (Answers could include clearing the fields for cropping, no tree nursery nearby, lack of knowledge of caring for trees, lack of knowledge of benefits of each type of tree, tree pests, etc.) Do: Organize participants into groups of 3-5. Distribute one each of every “fruit” to each group. Hang up the four trees on different walls. List the four questions on a flip chart. Say: Working in your small groups, write down the answers to the questions on your fruits.

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1) Yellow Lemon - What is preventing me from growing more trees on my farm? 2) Orange- What trees are best for my farm? 3) Green Mango - How will I benefit from planting these trees? 4) Red Apple - What do I need to know to be able to plant and cultivate these

trees? Responses: After giving participants time to respond to these questions, have a member from each group give each answer in turn, i.e., all the groups answer question 1, then all the groups answer question 2, and then hang their fruit under each of the four larger tree drawings. Move to each tree for the discussion of each response. In your discussions, weave the Related Topics/Teaching Principles into what you say. (Allow 40 minutes.) Note to Facilitator: Save the Red Apples, transcribe them, and use them in creating future lessons on tree cultivation.

Part Two STEP 1: THE CULTIVATION OF TREES AND AGROFORESTRY PRACTICES: Ask: What can we accomplish in a group to encourage tree production for more diverse purposes? To answer this question, consider trees from an agro-forestry perspective. That is, we view trees as part of a forest that we can restore. Do: Distribute pictures of individual tree species, and then of forests of different trees. Ask: What do you notice about each of these pictures? Response: Some people might identify the types of trees either individually or in a forest. Say: We have already discussed some of the benefits of growing trees on our farms. Ask: What type of benefits emerge from replanting a forest? Response: Obtain 4-5 responses. Ask: If we want our children and their children to benefit from trees, what do you think we have to do? Response: Obtain 4-5 responses. Say: We can take many steps in restoring the forest so that it can be beneficial to us and our children. Do: Distribute Growing a Forest HANDOUT to each small group. Say: On your handout are six different steps that guide us through a process of how we can prepare to reforest a particular area. In your small groups, identify ways in which you can accomplish this restoration. Across the top of the HANDOUT, identify a type of

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tree you would like more of in the area (e.g., livestock fodder; firewood trees; fruit trees; leguminous trees; oilseed trees; medicinal trees; natural enemy trees; trees to improve the climate). Then, continue to answer the six questions on your HANDOUT sheets:

1. How shall we establish a tree nursery (as trees start from seeds)? 2. How shall we collect and store seed? (does it need to be treated?) 3. How shall we care for young seedlings in the nursery? 4. How shall we do the root pruning? 5. Where and how shall we plant out the tree seedlings? (e.g., Alley cropping;

boundary planting) 6. How shall we care for the tree seedlings?

(Allow 60 minutes.) STEP 2: DEBRIEFING AGROFORESTRY PRELIMINARIES: Do: Have each group choose a representative to present the group’s work to the larger group. Have them first identify their tree, and say why that tree is important to them (what benefit will accrue to them). They should then explain each of the six points. As the discussion ensues, ask participants to reflect on similarities and differences in the establishment of a nursery and caring for early seedlings for each tree. Say: With all of these ideas on what trees to plant and how to care for them, how can we accomplish such a task? Response: Encourage participants to think about group action and working together so that all might benefit. Say: In working together to maintain diversity in the restoration of forests and the planting of trees, we can help each other to be more fruitful in what we receive for our work. In the ensuing weeks of our lessons, we will discuss more how we can work together to restore the land to help it make fruitful. (Allow 40 minutes.)

Part Three STEP 1: THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES: Say: Just as we can plant and cultivate trees as God did in creation, to care for them to maintain God’s diversity and to receive a direct benefit, we can see ourselves as “trees” in the Lord’s garden. We need to be properly planted in our Lord; we need to be cultivated and cared for, and then, as our nature determines, we, too, will bear fruit. Do: Write Psalm 1:1, 3 on a flip chart: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. . . . He

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is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Have participants all read the passage together. Have participants form into pairs. Ask: What does this passage mean to you? Take one phrase from the passage and tell your partner what you think it means. Response: Select 4-5 pairs to talk about what the passage means to them. Lead a short discussion on the topic pointing out that those who are “planted” firmly in God will yield a great deal of fruit, just as a tree that is planted by the water will be able to bear fruit. (Allow 10 minutes.) STEP 2: ROOTED IN THE VINE – A ROLE PLAY: Say: For our next activity, I need three volunteers to participate in a role play. One person will be a “tree” rooted in the “vine;” a second person will be a “tree” NOT rooted in the “vine;” and the third person will be a “farmer” trying to learn how he can bear his own “fruit.” Do: Give each person the Role Play HANDOUTS; allow them to read the roles and directions, and ask any questions:

PERSON ROOTED IN THE VINE: This person is a very successful farmer. S/he has learned the lessons on how to take care of crops and animals. In particular, s/he has learned that having trees on her/his farm brings a great deal of benefit. This person has planted ___________, __________, and _________ trees (to be filled-in in accordance with what is locally beneficial). S/he knows the benefits of each tree and can tell her/his neighbors. S/he also has a plan on how to care for the trees so they will bear the fruit they were intended to bear. Her/his family is very prosperous. PERSON NOT ROOTED IN THE VINE: This person is NOT a very successful farmer. S/he does not see the value of learning more lessons about farming because s/he does only what her/his parents did before him. What was good for the parents is good enough for him/her. They made a decision long back to clear all the land to plant maize, and so s/he is doing the same. S/he does not know how the farm can benefit from the planting of trees. Her/his family is very poor. FARMER WANTING TO KNOW: This person is not a very successful farmer and is not very productive. S/he has learned some lessons about good farming, especially about planting trees, but has forgotten some and changed some so that the good results to be obtained when following what the extension instructors said have not been achieved. S/he is wavering. S/he wants to do better, but it is so difficult to follow all of those rules. S/he likes to give excuses for not putting into practice what s/he has learned. S/he has times when the family is prosperous but more times when they are not.

Directions for Play: Explain to the three that the situation is that the three participants have come together to talk over the various results they have had in their farming

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practices. The Farmer Wanting to Know begins the role with a question: How can I increase my output, increase the fruits of my labor? The Person Not Rooted in the Vine gives her/his point of view of doing it only the way the parents did, and argues very strongly. The Person Rooted in the Vine explains his/her practices and shows the others the results s/he has had. A lively discussion takes place among the three as to which has the appropriate practice. Do: Allow the play to go on for about 5-7 minutes. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 3: DEBRIEFING THE ROLE PLAY: Discuss: 1) What points were made by the person Not Rooted in the Vine? 2) What points were made by the person Rooted in the Vine? 3)What points were made by the farmer? Say: Let’s “vote” for the winner of the role play. Ask: How many of you feel the Farmer Wanting to Learn is the “winner” of the role play? How many of you feel the Person Not Rooted in the Vine is the “winner” of the role play? How many of you feel the Person Rooted in the Vine is the “winner” of the role play? Why? Discuss: Why do you think the one person was called “Not Rooted in the Vine”? Why do you think another person was called “Rooted in the Vine”? What explains the difference? Do you know any Bible verses that talk about being rooted in the vine? Refer to John 15:1-2, 4-7 in your discussion. Say: Just as when trees and other plants are rooted in a solid foundation, are cared for, and are given what they need to grow, so we grow in the same way. When we are rooted in God and His son, Jesus Christ, we are firmly rooted in the Holy Vine that gives us nourishment to grow and to produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 4: PLANTING AND CULTIVATING FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT: Say: Regarding farming, you can plant a seed and cultivate it, but God makes it grow. Regarding our “position” as trees in the God’s garden and bearing fruit for God, the “seed” can be planted by any person who shares the truth of God with you. Our understanding of God comes through our cultivation/understanding of the Bible. Do: Have participants form groups of between 3 and 5. Ask: What are some of the ways we can help “plant” and “cultivate” God’s garden so that we and others can bear “fruit”? That is, what can we do to come closer to God so that we can do the things He wants us to do? In your groups, come up with as many answers to these questions as you can. Response: Have a member of each group say what they could do. List these on a piece of flip chart paper headed with “Planting and Cultivating God’s Garden.” Say: We can all be trees in the Lord’s garden bearing fruit in His honor. As we continue with our lessons, we’ll learn more about how we can do that by honoring His diversity and performing His sacred work of farming. (Allow 20 minutes.)

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Note to Facilitator: Save this last flip chart paper and make a handout list for participants to remind them of the ways they might come closer to God, to be “trees” that “bear fruit.” Distribute this handout at a subsequent meeting. CONCLUSION: Do: Distribute the Poem HANDOUT. Say: To close, let’s read this poem about trees in God’s garden together: (allow 5 minutes):

Slowly, slowly, they return To the small woodland let alone; Great trees, outspreading and upright, Apostles of the living light. They stand in waiting all around, Uprisings of their native ground, Downcomings of the distant light; They are the advent they await. Receiving sun and giving shade, Their life’s a benefaction made, And is a benediction said Over the living and the dead. In fall their brightened leaves, released, Fly down and wind, and we are pleased To walk on radiance, amazed. O light come down to earth, be praised!8

8 Berry Wendell. 1996. Unnamed poem in Roberts, Elizabeth and Elias Amedon (eds.). Life Prayers from Around the World. San Francisco: Harper, p. 392.

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LESSON 4 – HANDOUT A – GROWING A FOREST

1) How shall we establish a tree nursery (as trees start from seeds)?

2) How shall we collect and store seed? (does it need to be treated?)

3) How shall we care for young seedlings in the nursery?

4) How shall we do the root pruning?

5) Where and how shall we plant out the tree seedlings?

6) How shall we care for the tree seedlings?

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LESSON 4 – HANDOUT B – ROLE PLAY

PERSON ROOTED IN THE VINE: This person is a very successful farmer. S/he has learned the lessons on how to take care of crops and animals. In particular, s/he has learned that having trees on her/his farm brings a great deal of benefit. This person has planted ___________, __________, and _________ trees (to be filled-in in accordance with what is locally beneficial). S/he knows the benefits of each tree and can tell her/his neighbors. S/he also has a plan on how to care for the trees so they will bear the fruit they were intended to bear. PERSON NOT ROOTED IN THE VINE: This person is NOT a very successful farmer. S/he does not see the value of learning more lessons about farming because s/he does only what her/his parents did before him. What was good for the parents is good enough for him/her. They made a decision long back to clear all the land to plant maize, and so s/he is doing the same. S/he does not know how the farm can benefit from the planting of trees. FARMER WANTING TO KNOW: This person is not a very successful farmer and is not very productive. S/he has learned some lessons about good farming, especially about planting trees, but has forgotten some and changed some so that the good results to be obtained when following what the extension instructors said have not been achieved. S/he is wavering. S/he wants to do better, but it is so difficult to follow all of those rules. S/he likes to give excuses for not putting into practice what s/he has learned. Directions for Play: Explain to the three that the situation is that the three participants have come together to talk over the various results they have had in their farming practices. The Farmer Wanting to Know begins the role with a question: How can I increase my output, increase the fruits of my labor. The Person Not Rooted in the Vine gives her/his point of view of doing it the way the parents did, and argues very strongly. The Person Rooted in the Vine explains his/her practices and shows the others the results s/he has had. A lively discussion takes place among the three as to which has the appropriate practice.

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LESSON 4 – HANDOUT C – CLOSING POEM

Slowly, slowly, they return To the small woodland let alone; Great trees, outspreading and upright, Apostles of the living light.

They stand in waiting all around, Uprisings of their native ground, Downcomings of the distant light; They are the advent they await. Receiving sun and giving shade, Their life’s a benefaction made, And is a benediction said Over the living and the dead. In fall their brightened leaves, released, Fly down and wind, and we are pleased To walk on radiance, amazed. O light come down to earth, be praised!9

9 Berry Wendell. 1996. Unnamed poem in Roberts, Elizabeth and Elias Amedon (eds.). Life Prayers from Around the World. San Francisco: Harper, p. 392.

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APPENDIX TO LESSON 4 Biblical Foundations God’s Creation of Trees and Warnings about One 1. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on

the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12.

2. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9.

3. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17.

Directions on Caring for Trees 1. When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not

destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them? However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls. Deuteronomy 20:19-20

2. He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18

3. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

Results of Caring for “Trees”/Trees as Trees and Trees as Metaphor for People 1. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for he

comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth. Psalm 96: 12b-13.

2. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:15-20

3. No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs form thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart,

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and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45

4. Then he told this parable: A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. Se he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” Luke 13:6-8.

5. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. Revelation 22:1-3

Jesus is the Vine 1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me

that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:1-2, 4-7.

2. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22

Bibliography Carter, Isabel. 2001. Agroforestry. A PILLARS Guide. Teddington, UK: Tearfund. ICRAF. 2004. Restoring Kenya’s Degraded Land. Annual Report 2004. www.worldagroforestry.org/ar2004/te_story02.asp Kenneson, Philip D. 1999. Life on the Vine. Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Moore, Beth. 1998. Living Beyond Yourself. Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press. Sharland, Roger W. 1994. The Stewardship of God’s World as a Basis for Rural Development Teaching. Nairobi: Rural Extension for Africa’s Poor. Any materials on the Greenbelt Movement led by Wangari Maathai.

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http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ar2004/te_story02.asp

Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 5 – AGRICULTURAL WATER CONSERVATION

AND USE


• Water resources • Water management • Water as a gift from God

Lesson Goal To understand how to be a good steward of the water God provides in being able to implement the water management strategies to create sustainable agriculture. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Discussed the role of water on their farms • Discovered different forms of water management • Committed themselves to water management practices/exercising stewardship of

God’s gift of water Related Topics / Teaching Principles

• How to access alternative sources of water • The use of appropriate technology (water pumps, irrigation) • Dealing with drought • Conservation and water harvesting practices • God provides rain for all of us

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Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development Abundance: Farmers are commanded by God to be fruitful and produce bounty from the land and animals that God has entrusted to them. God provides farmers with water so that they can experience abundant yields. Stewardship: Farmers are commanded by God to steward the land, natural resources, farm animals and crops that He has place in their care. Related Biblical Worldview Principles Abundance: Creation is an open system (all parts of creation interact with all other parts) and God’s desire is that bounty be created within that system. He provides all we need to create abundance. Stewardship: God created all things and they belong to Him. People are to be God’s stewards of all created things. Key Biblical Passages Genesis 2:4b-6: When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens – and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground . . . Deuteronomy 28:12: The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. Genesis 2:15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work and take care of it.

Why this Lesson is Needed Participants all understand that water is the lifeblood of their farming operations – water for crops, animals, and themselves. What they may not fully understand is that water is a gift from God and must be cared for in the same way that other gifts from the Father must be cared for. In other words, we must be stewards of the water that God gives us, and we can practice this stewardship through implementing different water conservation practices. Set-up Large group work, work in pairs, and small group work for each step, as noted. Materials Sheets of A4 paper, pencils/pens/markers, flip chart paper, tape, HANDOUTS A, B and C. Time Required Approximately 135 minutes (Part 1 – 70 minutes; Part 2 – 65 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 5 – AGRICULTURAL WATER CONSERVATION AND USE

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to understand more about water management and water as the lifeblood of your farming operations. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Do: Write on a flip chart: Water is the lifeblood of your farm. Read it to all. Discuss: What does this statement mean to you? Do you agree or disagree? Say: In Genesis, we are told how all of creation came to life:

Genesis 2:4b-6: When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens – and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground . . .

This is what we mean by lifeblood: without water, nothing will grow. Ask: What are the different water resources each of you relies upon for your farm operations? Response: Obtain answers from 3-5 participants. Say: For the most part we rely on rain for our field crops, and streams or wells for our garden crops. Today we are going to understand more about how we can make better use of any water resources we have. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 3: MAPPING WATER RESOURCES: Do: Distribute pieces of A4 paper and pencils/markers to each participant (if there is more than one participant from a farm, then have them share the paper). Say: On this paper, draw a picture of your farm. Note, specifically, all the water resources you have on your farm. These might include wells, streams, rivers, dams, even areas that become flooded during rain.

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Do: Allow some minutes for participants to complete these. Ask: With all of these sources of water, what are some of the ways you help conserve the water you have? Draw these on your pictures also. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 4: DEBRIEFING DRAWINGS: Say: Organize yourselves in groups of two. Share what you have drawn with your partner. If you learn of a new water conserving strategy, ask what it takes to use that strategy. (Allow about 10 minutes for sharing.) Ask: Has anyone learned something new to them? What is it? Response: Allow participants time to say anything new that they have learned. Write down on a flip chart headed “Water Conservation Strategies” all that participants share. Say: Now, hang your drawings on the wall. Then, walk around and look at each of the drawings. Notice two things: 1) what is similar, and 2) what is different. Do: Allow participants to observe all drawings. After a few minutes, while participants are still observing, create a discussion based on the two questions of similarity and differences. Say: There are some other water management practices we could follow (add to the list of practices you have already written down and talked about with the following and any other items you know about):

• water harvesting • planting certain trees, shrubs or crops • terracing your land • digging pits to collect water • digging irrigation canals • different cropping practices • building ponds • building dams • digging wells • building a water tank

Do: Go over each strategy, have farmers explain what they do, and then supplement what the farmers say with any new information you can provide them. (Allow 30 minutes.)

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Part Two STEP 1: OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO IMPLEMENTING WATER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: Say: We have discussed many ways we can improve our water management practices so that we can be good stewards of God’s creation. Some, you have already put to use on your own farms and some may be new to you. Now, I would like to have you think about what might be preventing you from putting some of these ideas into practice. Do: Have participants form into same-sex groups of 3-5. Distribute Overcoming Barriers to Water Management HANDOUT to each group. Ask: What are some of the barriers that would prevent you from putting to use some of the ideas you heard about today? How might you overcome some of these barriers? What would you need from us to help you? On your HANDOUT, I would like you to identify these three items and write them in the columns provided. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 2: DEBRIEFING BARRIERS: Say: One person from each group should report how their group answered the questions. Do: Have each person report their barriers, solution, and what is needed to further implement water management practices. Ask: Are there any differences between the ways women and men conserve water? What are they? What explains the difference? Response: Obtain at least one response from a woman and one from a man. Discuss: Overall, what seems to be the biggest barriers to overcome in water conservation? How would you overcome these barriers? How can we as an extension service help you? Say: Water management is something we can work on either individually or collectively. Since water shortage is a common problem, what are some of the ways we can act together as a group to help each other right now? Response: Elicit as many “group think” responses as participants can come up with. Say: As an extension service we will continue to help you in resolving these common problems. (Allow 20 minutes.) Note to Facilitator: Collect the charts and create a list of the different learning needs participants have. Use these as a source for planning a future lesson.

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STEP 3: GOD’S PROVISION OF WATER: Say: We have learned a lot today about how we can be better stewards of the water that is provided to us. We all have to remember, it is God who provides us with rain, and it is up to us to be good stewards of what He has provided. There are many verses in the Bible that refer to rain. Let’s read some of them. Do: Distribute the Bible Verses HANDOUT or Bibles (if you do the latter, write the Bible verses to be read on a flip chart). Assign a person to read each one. Discuss: What is God telling us about His provision of rain/water in these verses? What is God telling us about being a good steward of His creation in these verses? Response: Obtain the different ideas from participants and discuss. (Allow 20 minutes.) CONCLUSION: Do: Distribute the Dinka Prayer HANDOUT. Say: In concluding this lesson on water let’s close with a “Prayer for Rain” that the Dinka people in southern Sudan offer up to God. Let’s all pray this together. (Allow 5 minutes):

Give life to the grass by sending us rain. Give life to our earth by sending us rain. Give life to our crops by sending us rain. Give life to our children by sending us rain.10

Give life to ourselves, Lord, by sending us your living water. Grow us, Lord, in ways that will bring us closer to You. Rain on us so that we might be restored to Your image. Send us your living water, O Lord, so we might glorify You. Amen

10 Dinka People, Sudan. 2001. “Prayer for Rain” in Braybrooke, Marcus (ed.). The Bridge of Stars. 365 Prayers, Blessing and Meditations from Around the World. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, p. 51.

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LESSON 5 – HANDOUT A – OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO WATER MANAGEMENT

Barriers to Water Management

What Needed to Implement Water

Management

What Need to Know to Implement Water

Management

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LESSON 5 – HANDOUT B – BIBLE VERSES EMPHASIZING RAIN / WATER

1. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the Lord your

God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul – then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. Deuteronomy 11:13-14.

2. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your

land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 28:12. 3. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. He covers

the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. Psalm 147:7-9.

4. He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that

comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. Isaiah 30:23-24.

5. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those

for who it is formed receives the blessing of God. Hebrews 6:7.

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LESSON 5 – HANDOUT C – DINKA PRAYER

Give life to the grass by sending us rain. Give life to our earth by sending us rain. Give life to our crops by sending us rain. Give life to our children by sending us rain.11

Give life to ourselves, Lord, by sending us your living water. Grow us, Lord, in ways that will bring us closer to You. Rain on us so that we might be restored to Your image. Send us your living water, O Lord, so we might glorify You. Amen

11 Dinka People, Sudan. 2001. “Prayer for Rain” in Braybrooke, Marcus (ed.). The Bridge of Stars. 365 Prayers, Blessing and Meditations from Around the World. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, p. 51.

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Biblical Foundations Creation, the Lord and Water for Agriculture 1. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens – and no shrub of the field had

yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. . . Genesis 2:4b-6.

2. Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land – a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; . . . Deuteronomy 8:6-7

3. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul – then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. Deuteronomy 11:13-14

4. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 28:12

5. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. Psalm 147:7-9.

6. Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone. Zechariah 10:1.

The Results of Management of Water Resources and Being Obedient 1. 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. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing. Psalm 65:9-13.

2. He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. Isaiah 30:23-24

3. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord – the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Jeremiah 31:12

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4. Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:23-24

The Results of Sin 1. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the

earth languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Isaiah 24:4-6

2. Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads. The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads. Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass. Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals; their eyesight fails for lack of pasture. Although our sins testify against us, O Lord, do something for the sake of your name. For our backsliding is great; we have sinned against you. Jeremiah 14:2-7

3. I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord. Amos 4:7-8

4. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. Zechariah 14:17-18.

5. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is formed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Hebrews 6:7-8

Bibliography Bradshaw, Bruce. 2003. “On Dams, Demons, Wells and Witches: Managing the Message of Transformational Development,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wrights (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Cultivating our Roots. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 173-184. Ching, Lim Li. N.d. Sustainable Agriculture Pushing Back the Desert. www.i-sis.org.uk/desertification.php. Dinka People, Sudan. 2001. “Prayer for Rain” in Braybrooke, Marcus (ed.). The Bridge of Stars. 365 Prayers, Blessing and Meditations from Around the World. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, p. 51.

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http://www.i-sis.org.uk/desertification.php

Keyah, William. N.d. “Soil and Water Conservation by Shalawe Mwangi, Kenya” in Sustainable Agriculture Extension Manual. Nairobi: Catholic Diocese of Kenya. www.iirr.org/saem. Mumero, Mwangi. 2001. Environment: Water Pollution to be Tamed. Toronto: Inter-Church Coalition on Africa. www.web.net/~iccaf/humanrights/kenyainfo/kenyadev0301.htm.

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http://www.iirr.org/saem

http://www.web.net/~iccaf/humanrights/kenyainfo/kenyadev0301.htm

Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 6 – SOIL FERTILITY AND CONSERVATION


• What nutrients are needed to maintain soil fertility • What cropping and farming practices will enhance soil fertility • The Law of Sabbath rest for the land and how it enhances soil fertility

Lesson Goal To adopt agricultural practices that will increase soil fertility; to view ourselves as “fertile ground” for the Lord to plant His seeds. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Identified their own soil conservation practices • Discussed additional soil conservation practices • Identified any barriers they must overcome to adopt different soil conservation

practices • Discussed the Law of Sabbath rest as it applies to the land and themselves • Reinforced their role as stewards having dominion over creation • Identified the characteristics and behaviors of the different “soil” on which the

Lord’s seeds fall Related Topics / Teaching Principles While the parts of the lesson target specific activities, in the debriefing and discussion sections the following points should be raised:

• Various soil conservation practices • Practices that lead to degradation and practices that lead to redemption of the

land

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• Various practices to be used in long and short rains • Use of compost, manures, and fertilizers • Utilizing the range of God’s gift to maintain soil fertility • Showing love to God through Sabbath and Jubilee practices to let the land rest

Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development Dominion Principle: Farmers are commanded by God to have dominion over creation. Stewardship Principle: Farmers are commanded by God to steward the land, natural resources, farm animals and crops that He has placed in their care. Related Biblical Worldview Principles Dominion: As God’s image bearer, people are to exercise dominion over all areas of creation. Stewardship: God created all things and they belong to Him. People are to be God’s stewards of all created things. Key Biblical Passages Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Leviticus 25:3-4: Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. Deuteronomy 5:12-14a: Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Why this Lesson is Needed Farmers may not be well informed about the range of practices they can adopt to improve soil fertility and this lesson will help them understand their choices. As a metaphor for the work of the Holy Spirit in us, participants may also not understand how we can be “fertile ground” for God to work in us to produce a fruitful harvest. Set-up Same-sex groups of 3-5 people for each of the exercises. Materials Flip chart paper, markers, pictures of different soil conservation practices; 3 x 5 cards with soil conservation practices written on them; Bibles or a HANDOUT A of the verses

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addressing the Parable of the Sower; pictures of a path, a pile of rocks, a bunch of thorns, and good soil. Time Required 160 minutes.

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LESSON PLAN 6 – SOIL FERTILITY AND CONSERVATION

STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to understand how to maintain soil fertility in the face of increasing demands to produce more. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Ask: What is sustainable agriculture? Discuss: Define the term “sustainable” applied to farming and agriculture:

- Sustainable farming – farming that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.12

- Sustainable Agriculture - an agriculture that is economically viable, resource efficient, environmentally sound, promotes justice to both the human and non-human creation, and builds community while providing food and fiber for humans for long periods of time.13

Response: Obtain 3-5 responses. Say: Some farmers cultivate the same way their parents did; some cultivate using “organic” methods; some are industrial cultivators using high cost inputs, etc. But most farmers engage in a mix of farming practices. Let’s explore some of the sustainable practices you use. Do: Form people into same-sex groups of two. Draw a “Sunshine Wheel” on the flip chart. Distribute flip charts and markers to each group. Say: On your papers, draw what I have just drawn. In the middle of this sunshine wheel is write the word “Sustainability.” Draw rays surrounding the sun, and on each ray write one practice that you use on your farm that you believe is sustainable. These practices can relate to anything that you do on your farm. Draw as many rays as you have ideas. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 3: DEBRIEFING SUSTAINABLE FARMING PRACTICES: Say: I would like each group to talk about the sustainable practices they identified.

12 Adapted from Chrispeels, Maarten J. and David E. Sadava. 2003. Plants, Genes, and Crop Biotechnology (2d ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, p. 67. 13 Vos, Ron and Del Vander Zee. 1998. Signposts of God’s Liberating Kingdom. Pretoria, South Africa: Pochefstroome University Press, cited in Vos, Ronald J. 2003. “Social Principles for ‘Good’ Agriculture,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, p. 48.

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Do: Have each group hold up their drawing and explain what is on it. Comment on each practice and whether or not it is sustainable. If it is not, ask the group how it could be made sustainable. Then hang each of the sunshine wheels on the wall. Discuss: What are the differences in practice between men and women? What do you think explains this difference? (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 4: IDENTIFYING SOIL CONSERVATION PRACTICES: Do: Form people into same-sex groups of 3-5. Distribute about 10 3x5 cards to each group. Say: Now I would like us to get a bit more specific. Some of you noted things that you do with the soil that are very sustainable. That will be our focus for this exercise. On each of the cards I have given you, write down one soil conservation practice you employ to make sure that your children can also farm the land. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 5: DEBRIEFING SOIL CONSERVATION PRACTICES: Ask: What have each of you written down? Do: Have each group report out the practices they employ. As each group identifies their soil-conserving practice, have them post their cards on a flip chart. Supplement those cards with each of the following (these can be made up in advance) (add to this list from your own knowledge):

• soil testing and applying appropriate remedies to acidic, alkaline or saline soils

• knowing the water needs of each crop and providing it appropriately • planting protecting plants to prevent the soil from blowing away • contour plowing/ditches • mulching • composting • reduced tillage • ridge tilling • limited grazing • nutrient preserving practices • fertilizer replenishment (calcium, potassium, magnesium, nitrogen, sulfur, and

phosphorus, etc.) with organic (manure – cattle, sheep, goats, chickens; composting) or inorganic (chemicals) fertilizers

• planting crop varieties or landraces that need less water • a land Sabbath to give the land a rest • crop rotations • inter-planting, alley cropping, cover cropping • Sabbath rests during the week • Sabbath rests every seven years

Identify pictures that illustrate each of the above practices, and have other pictures ready to match with the practices that participants have talked about.

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Say: In addition to the soil-conserving practices you use, I have added a few others. Let’s talk about these. Do: Show the larger group the pictures of each of the practices you are adding. Ask: What kind of soil-conserving practice is in this picture? (Ask this for every picture.) Does anyone do this? Tell us about it. Discuss: As each person talks about the different practices, get very specific. Then, get a sense of how many participants actually include that particular practice in their farming system by asking them to raise their hands if they perform that particular function. As you discuss each of the points, weave in the Related Topics/Teaching Principles as well as comments on how these practices demonstrate our stewardship of creation. Finally, as each practice is discussed, ask if participants need to know more about this particular item. If they do, write this down on a piece of paper for yourself. (Allow 40 minutes.) Note to Facilitator: Compile a list of all of the points farmers said they need to know more about and use these as the basis for a future lesson on soil conservation. STEP 6: THE STORY OF THE SOWER – ARE YOU FERTILE SOIL? Say: Just as we have to maintain soil fertility so that crops will grow and a good harvest can be reaped, so too can WE be seen as fertile ground for God to work in. Do: Distribute the HANDOUT on “The Parable of the Sower.” above. Have each verse read by a different person. Then have participants form into four groups (if you have more than 20 people, then establish more groups and give repeated assignments, i.e., two groups do Group One, then two groups do Group Two, etc.). Distribute flip chart paper and markers. Say: In your groups, identify and write down the characteristics or behaviors that represent each of the different “soils” in which God tries to plant a message (give out pictures of each so that each group knows which role they are playing). At the top of your paper write what you are – path, rocks, thorns, or good soil, and beneath it write the characteristics, as follows:

Group One: The Path – What do people do/look like who would be characterized as the path? This is where the seed was scattered and birds came and ate it up. Group Two: The Rocks – What do people do/look like who would be characterized as the rocks? This is where the seed was scattered on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had not root. Group Three: The Thorns – What do people do/look like who would be characterized as the thorns? This is where the seed fell, and the thorns grew up and choked the plants. Group Four: Good Soil – What do people do/look like who would be characterized as good soil? This is where the seed produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Allow 30 minutes.)

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STEP 7: DEBRIEFING THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER: Do: Have each group present their findings on the characteristics and behaviors of people who can be characterized as: 1) the path, 2) the rocks, 3) the thorns, and 4) good soil. Ask: What other behaviors or characteristics would you add to this list? Do: Hang up the flip charts so all can see them. Say: We have identified the different “ground” that God tries to plant His seeds in. We all constitute a different type of ground at different times of our lives. Find a partner, and discuss with that person what you thought of this last exercise. Talk about how you can become fertile ground for God using different “conservation” practices, just as you use on your soil. What can you do to become more fertile and prepare yourself to receive God’s seeds? (Allow 30 minutes.) CONCLUSION: Say: May each of us resolve to be more fertile and prepare ourselves to receive God’s seeds. May the Lord bless you with fertility – of soil, of mind and of heart so that His words take root in your life and bear the fruit He intended. (Allow 5 minutes.)

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LESSON 6 – HANDOUT A – THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Matthew 13:3b-8, 18-23

1. A farmer went out to sow his seed. 2. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate

it up. 3. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. 4. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 5. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because

they had no root. 6. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 7. Still other seed fell on good soil where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty

times what was sown. 8. Listen to what the parable of the sower means: 9. When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it,

the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

10. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.

11. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 12. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the

word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

13. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it.

14. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

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APPENDIX TO LESSON 6 Biblical Foundations

Caring for the Soil 1. I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and

defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. Jeremiah 2:7 2. What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord

and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross? The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts.” Jeremiah 9:12-14

3. Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying. Hosea 4:1-3

4. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:20-22.

The Law of the Sabbath 1. For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the

seventh year let the land lie unplowed and used. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Exodus 23:10-11

2. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year will be food for you – for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten. . . . Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. Leviticus 25:2-7; 18-22

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3. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well may be refreshed. Exodus 23:12

4. Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Deuteronomy 5:12-14

Consequences of Obeying and Disobeying the Sabbath Principle 1. But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my

decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seeds in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. Leviticus 26:14-17

2. If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. Isaiah 58:13-14a.

The Sower and Finding Fertile Ground 1. A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along

the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. . . . Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13:3b-8, 18-23.

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Bibliography

Bradshaw, Bruce. 2002. Change Across Cultures. A Narrative Approach to Social Transformation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Carter, Isabel. 2001. Improving Food Security. A PILLARS Guide. Teddington, UK: Tearfund. Chrispeels, Maarten J. and David E. Sadava. 2003. Plants, Genes, and Crop Biotechnology (2d ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Lowery, Richard H. 2000. Sabbath and Jubilee. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press. Ouma, J., F. Murithi, W. Mwangi, H. Verkuijl, M. Gethi, and H. De Groote. 2002. Adoption of Maize Seed and Fertilizer Technologies in Embu District, Kenya. Mexico, D.F.: CIMMYT. Oye, Michael. 2003. “The Bible as Ethical Standard for Appraising Modern Agricultural Practices,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 187-202. Sharland, Roger W. 1994. The Stewardship of God’s World as a Basis for Rural Development Teaching. Nairobi: Rural Extension for Africa’s Poor. Thomas-Slayter, Barbara P. 2003. Southern Exposure. International Development and the Global South in the Twenty-First Century. Bloomfield, CT: Kumerian Press. Vos, Ronald J. 2003. “Social Principles for ‘Good’ Agriculture,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 43-63.

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 7 – CROP AND ANIMAL DISEASES AND PEST

MANAGEMENT



• How to prevent animal diseases and to care for animals once they are sick • How to prevent crop diseases and what to do for infestation • Integrated pest management • How to get rid of the “weeds” in our own lives so that we can grow spiritually in

God’s grace Lesson Goal To understand God’s plan for using ALL of creation in cropping and animal care so that expensive and environmentally costly inputs for both are not required; to understand that God commanded us to work and care for the Garden. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Identified the ways in which they care for animals and animals care for them • Identified the “natural enemies” of different crop pests • Committed to different biological/organic practices of integrated pest

management • Articulated their understanding of the Parable of the Weeds • Committed themselves to getting rid of the “weeds” that are “killing” them

spiritually Related Topics / Teaching Principles

• Pest control in the fields and in the storage bins • Sustainable pest management practices • Using “natural enemies” to fight disease and pests • Storage practices

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Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development Dominion Principle: Farmers are commanded by God to have dominion over creation. Stewardship Principle: Farmers are commanded by God to steward the land, natural resources, farm animals and crops that He has placed in their care. Related Biblical Worldview Principles Dominion: As God’s image bearer, man is to exercise dominion over all areas of creation. Stewardship: God created all things and they belong to Him. People are to be God’s stewards of all created things. Key Bible Passages Genesis 1:31: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 2:15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Psalm 8:6-8: You made [people] rule over the works of your hands; you put everything under [their] feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Why this Lesson is Needed Farmers may not realize that all of the plants of the earth and all of the living things on earth were created for His purpose. When the Lord gave dominion over the earth to people in Genesis, he handed over stewardship of all of these creatures. They were ALL for man’s use. If we understand the ways in which one plant acts as a “natural enemy” to other created things, we can use this principle in getting rid of crop and animal diseases and pests. Set-up Arrange participants into small groups of between 3 and 5 people. Provide the Animal Disease Chart and markers to each group for first exercise. Materials Flip chart paper, markers; animal disease charts; animal-shaped pieces of paper; crop pest charts; any illustrative pictures of plant and animal diseases and crops that are the natural enemies of pests and diseases; HANDOUTS A, and B; HANDOUT C on the Parable of the Weeds or Bibles; 3x5 cards; a container in which you can burn cards, matches. Time Required Approximately 245 minutes (Part 1 – 85 minutes; Part 2 – 80 minutes; Part 3 – 80 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 7 – CROP AND ANIMAL DISEASES AND PEST MANAGEMENT

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to understand more about how we can utilize ALL of creation more effectively in getting rid of crop pests and animal diseases and how we can be good stewards of creation. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Ask: In your small groups, identify the biggest threat to the well-being of your animals. (Allow for a few minutes of discussion.) Ask: What did you come up with? Response: Have each group report out what the key threats are to animals (Allow 10 minutes.) STEP 3: ANIMAL DISEASES AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THEM: Do: Distribute the HANDOUT Animal Disease/Threat Chart and markers to each small group. Say: In our first exercise today, take the Animal Disease Chart and do the following: 1) List an animal on the left column of the chart, 2) the threat to the animal’s well-being in the middle column, and then in the final column I want you to identify what we can do to prevent and/or treat these diseases or threats. In the final column we will demonstrate how we can be good stewards of our animals. (Allow 20 minutes.)

Animal Disease/Threat Chart Animal Threat to Well-Being Prevention/Treatment

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STEP 4: DEBRIEFING ANIMAL DISEASE/THREAT CHART: Do: Have each group talk about three different animals. Tell them to choose animals that have not been spoken about before. Ask: Does anyone have another way of treating this disease/threat? What is it? Do: Based on what participants report, explain the different methods of treating these animal diseases/threats that are more “animal friendly,” i.e., that will not affect the animals in the wrong way. Build on the different methods that participants already know about. If they have identified a good treatment method, then praise the participants for their good practices. Say: Caring for animals – respecting them – is a way we can all honor our God and His creation. (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 5: PLANNING A DISEASE/THREAT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY: Do: Distribute animal-shaped pieces of paper, place an assortment on each table. Say: We have discussed a lot of different animals and the different ways we have of treating animal diseases. Now, individually, think about what steps you might take to further ensure the health of a particular type animal you have on your farm. Take the cut-out of that animal and write on it the steps YOU can take on your own farm to improve the care of your animals. (Allow a few minutes for this to be completed.) Ask: What did you come up with? Do: Have participants each identify their personal strategy to improve the well-being of their animals. Group the response in accordance with types of animal, e.g., cattle/large ruminants, goats and sheep/small ruminants, chickens/fowl, pigs, rabbits, etc. As they talk about their strategies, make any suggestions as to how these might be improved. Specifically address the differing needs of baby vs. adult animals. Post each animal on a separate flip chart or on different places on the wall. (Allow 20 minutes.)

Part Two STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING PESTS AND CROP DISEASES: Say: We have to care for our crops, in and out of the ground (i.e., storage) in a similar way to caring for our animals so that we prevent pest infestation. What we care for our crops we are also following God’s command to care for creation. When we talked about cropping several weeks ago, we talked about the different needs that crops have in order to grow properly so that families can have a good harvest. This time, we are

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going to address how plant pests – also creatures of God – can be managed by understanding who is the “natural enemy” of that pest and how we can use these natural enemies to enhance the growth of crops. Ask: In your small groups, discuss some of the plant pests you have to address either for your crops to grow well or for your food to be stored appropriately? Ask: What did you come up with? Response: List responses on a flip chart. (Allow 10 minutes.) STEP 2: IDENTIFYING CROP PESTS AND NATURAL ENEMIES: Do: Distribute the HANDOUT Crop Pests and Natural Enemies to each group. Say: We are now going to do an exercise similar to the one we did for animals. Each group is going to be assigned two different plants/crops (assign them from the list, or add to the list so that each group has two plants). You will be known by that plant/crop. On the charts I have just handed you, write the name of the plant in the left-hand column, then the name of the pest of plant/crop disease in the second column, and in the final, right-hand column write down what you think is the natural enemy of that plant disease. By natural enemy, I mean that which would kill off the disease naturally. (Allow 20 minutes.)

Crop Pests and Natural Enemies Plant Pest/Disease Natural Enemy

STEP 3: DEBRIEFING PESTS AND CROP DISEASES: Do: Head a flip chart with “Crop Pests and Natural Enemies” with the three columns. Ask: What did you come up with? Do: Allow each group to provide their response to the pest/disease of a crop. As each is reported out, write these down on your chart up front. Then add to what participants are saying with what you know. Make the point that repeated application of pesticides frequently results in the development of pest populations that are resistant to the pesticide, and that pesticides kill not only the crop pests but also the insects, mites, and nematodes that function as natural enemies of the pest thus allowing another range of pests to infest the crop. (Allow 30 minutes.) As each group shares what they have, ask if others know of any other “natural enemies” they could use. Add the following to what they already know. Show pictures of each of these so that farmers become more familiar with them, if they are not already: (Allow 30 minutes):

• Storage of beans – coating beans with a thin layer of EDIBLE oil before they are stored is known to make it difficult for some insects to breathe. Shea butter can also be used. Beans must be soaked and washed well before cooking.

• Storage of grains – mixing grains with equal quantities of wood ash helps prevents pests from reproducing. Small quantities of lime can also be used. In both cases, wash the grains very well before cooking and eating.

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• Storage of grains – since pests cannot survive without oxygen, do this: Using a airtight storage container, fill the container with dry grain, place a candle firmly into the grain – making sure the candle has room to burn without setting fire to the grain – light the candle, and then put the lid on the container, making it airtight. The candle will continue burning until all the oxygen is used up. Pests will not be able to live in an environment where there is no air.

• Storage of grains – Neem (Azadirachta indica) and Cassia vine (Cassia nigricans) leaves can be dried and mixed in with grains. The leaves can also be powdered and mixed with traditional plaster and used to coat the inside of the grain store. Ginger roots and chilies can also be dried and powdered and mixed with grains.

• Storage of grains – the dried pulp of wild water melon or bitter apple (Citrullus colocynthis) at maturity (but not ripeness) can be mixed with grains or into plaster for coating grain stores.

• Fighting Stem Borer in maize – sprinkling a handful of humus over larvae; sowing corn together with molasses grass (Melinis minutifolia) and silver leaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) repels or pushes the borer out in the direction of napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and Sudan grass (Sorghum vulgare sudanense) that pull the borer toward them when planted on the field’s borders.

• Fighting Striga Weed in maize – a result of monocropping over a long period on the same field without fallow (producing depleted soil), planting leguminous tree crops during the dry period between the two rainy seasons will fix nitrogen in the soil and serve as a natural enemy to the weed. Desmodium also helps in fighting striga.

• Fighting Moths in Sesbania (Sesbania sesban) – by planting occasional rows of tephrosia trees (either Tephrosia vogelii or Tephrosia candida) keeps the moth in check.

• Fighting the Cassava Mealy Bug – introducing Aleiodes wasps into the field to lay their eggs on gypsy moth caterpillars that act as parasites in the larvae stage to eat their mealy bug host.

• Fighting Multiple Pests – instead of monocropping, leaving the field vulnerable to all the pests related to the crop, intercrop with soil-enriching crops.

(Many more sustainable practices have been identified by a range of local and international organizations. These should be accessed for this lesson.) STEP 4: PLANNING A PEST MANAGEMENT STRATEGY: Do: Have participants pair up. Say: We have talked a lot about different plant pests and diseases, and have also discussed what we can do about these. Now, identify one plant you grow on your own farms. What can you do to improve the production and storage of this plants/crops – how you can use “natural enemies” to rid the plants of any pests or diseases. How can you honor God and creation by taking care of these plants? Share your ideas with your partners. (Allow a few minutes for participants to finish.)

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Ask: Let’s hear about your plans for the crops. (Obtain responses from people in accordance with the crops they plant so that the whole group can hear of the different strategies.) Say: We are honoring God when we exercise dominion over all of His creation, even the pests and the weeds. (Allow 20 minutes.)

Part Three STEP 1: ANOTHER MEANING FOR WEEDS: Say: To round out this lesson on pests and animal disease, we are going to conclude with a different type of understanding of weeds that Jesus taught about. Do: Have participants open their Bibles to Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, or provide a HANDOUT of these verses. Say: Let’s read this parable together. Discuss:

• Who/what are the good seeds? • Who/what are the weeds? • Why did the man tell his helpers not to pull up the weeds? • What is the meaning of the harvest? • What is the meaning of the weeds being burned? • What is the meaning of gathering the wheat to bring it into the barn?

Generate a discussion of each of these questions to the point that everyone is satisfied that they understand the parable. (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 2: PREVENTING WEEDS FROM CHOKING US: Discuss: As farmers we must take care that the weeds that grow in our fields don’t kill our crops. What happens if we let “weeds” grow in our own lives? (They will “kill” us and separate us from God.) What are some of the steps we can take to prevent weeds from growing in our lives? What are some of the steps we can take to get rid of weeds once they are growing in our lives? Do: List the “steps” discussed in the above discussion for “prevention” and “getting rid of” under two headed columns. Hand out 3x5 cards to each participant. Say: On this card I am giving you, write one action you can take to either prevent Satan’s weeds from taking root in your life or that you can do to help get rid of Satan’s weeds already growing in your life. This is a commitment to stewardship you are making to God, so consider what you can do very prayerfully. (Participants may choose one thing that has been written down or write whatever they believe they should do that has not been mentioned before.) (Allow 20 minutes.)

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CONCLUSION: Say: You have each written down a commitment – a commitment to God to rid yourself of Satan’s weeds. Just as we have to help our animals get rid of their diseases, and identify natural enemies to get rid of plant pests and diseases, so too must we rely on God to give us help in getting rid of Satan’s weeds. I am going to read Psalm 8 now – a Psalm that praises God for His dominion over us, and how He has given us dominion over all of creation. As I read this Psalm, come up to this container and place your commitment in the fire so that the sweet smell of your offering reaches God. After you do this, return to your place and offer a quiet thanks to God for all His blessings. You can leave after your prayer. Do: Place some dry grass in the container and light it. Place a card in as an example and let it burn. Then invite others to do the same. Read:

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

(Allow 20 minutes.)

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LESSON 7 – HANDOUT A – ANIMAL DISEASE / THREAT CHART

Animal Threat to Well-Being Prevention/Treatment

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LESSON 7 – HANDOUT B – CROP PESTS AND NATURAL ENEMIES

Plant Pest/Disease Natural Enemy

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LESSON 7 – HANDOUT C – THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

1. Jesus told them another parable: 2. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 3. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the

wheat, and went away. 4. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 5. The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in

your field? Where then did the weeds come from?” 6. “An enemy did this,” he replied. 7. The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” 8. “No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up

the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. 9. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in

bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”

10. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

11. He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 12. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. 13. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the

devil. 14. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 15. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the

age. 16. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom

everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 17. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and

gnashing of teeth. 18. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

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Biblical Foundations

Creation is All Good 1. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule

over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” . . .God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:26-28, 31

2. What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Psalm 8:4-8

3. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Song of Songs 2:15

Blight, Pestilence and Animal Plague 1. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord,

the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field – on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.” . . . And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. Exodus 9:1-4, 6

2. If my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears, if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants, then let briers come up instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley. Job 31:39-40

3. I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 24:30-34

4. Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me. Amos 4:9

5. This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: . . . A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and

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donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. . . . This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Zechariah 14:12, 15, 19

Redemption – Pests and Animal Diseases 1. Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with

you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you – the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you - every living creature on earth. I will establish my covenant with you:”Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Genesis 9:8-11

2. A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10

3. I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. Joel 2:25-27

Another Meaning for Weeds 1. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while

everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?” “An enemy did this,” he replied. The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” “No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. Ay that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.” . . . Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

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Bibliography Burgi, Jurg. N.d. “Superstition and Science in the Fight Against Stem Borers.” www.syngentafoundation.com/science_superstition_stem_borer.htm Carter, Isabel. 2001. Improving Food Security. Teddington, UK: Tearfund. Chrispeels, Maaren J. and David E. Sadava. 2003. Plants, Genes, and Crop Biotechnology (2d ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Cooper, Jerry and Hans Dobson. 2002. “Managing Vegetable Pests in Kenya.” Natural Resources Institute. www.nri.org/cgi-bin Halweil, Brian. 2003. “Biotechnology, African Corn & the Striga Weed,” in Bread for the World Institute. Agricultural Biotechnology. Can It Help Reduce Hunger In Africa? Conference Proceedings. Washington, DC: Bread for the World Institute, pp. 39-42. Nelson, Sherri. 2005. “A Matter of Survival. Caring for Animals,” in World Ark – Heifer International, May/June, pp. 6-17. Onsando, James. A brief on pest control in tea. www.unilever.com/ourvalues/environmentandsociety/peopleprofiles/JamesOnsando.asp Pearce, Fred. 2001. “An Ordinary Miracle.” www.biotech-info.net/ordinary_miracle.html Simpson, Beryl Brintnall and Molly Conner Ogorzaly. 2001. Economic Botany. Plants in our world. 3d ed. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill. Van Dyke, Fred, David C. Mahon, Joseph K. Sheldon and Raymond H. Brand. 1996. Redeeming Creation. The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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http://www.syngentafoundation.com/science_superstition_stem_borer.htm

http://www.nri.org/cgi-bin

http://www.unilever.com/ourvalues/environmentandsociety/peopleprofiles/JamesOnsando.asp

http://www.biotech-info.net/ordinary_miracle.html

http://www.biotech-info.net/ordinary_miracle.html

Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 8 – AGRICULTURAL LABOR


• Farming is a high calling from God • The sacredness of agricultural labor in the Lord’s garden • Who performs what work on the farm • Men’s work and women’s work – not better or worse, just different • The role of children on the farm

Lesson Goal To understand God’s original and redemptive intention in the division of labor; to understand and appreciate the different labor contributions made by men, women, boys and girls to the farming enterprise. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Identified the work roles of men, women and children in farm households • Through a role play, determined how the division of labor in the farm household

might be altered to reflect a greater sharing of each other’s burdens • Discussed God’s division of labor


• Farmers are co-laborers with God • Farming is a calling to both men and women

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• Men and women were both created in the image of God so both require respect and dignity to undertake the work they do

• Children are God’s gift to us and should not be exploited • Management of labor is to be done with love, respect, and dignity because all

people are created in God’s image • Traditional labor party practices demonstrate mutual help and caring

Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development High Calling Principle: Those who practice agriculture have a high calling from God, which is full of dignity and purpose. Sacred Work Principle: Those who practice agriculture should strive to honor and glorify God through their work. Related Biblical Worldview Principles High Calling: God created men and women in His image. Sacred Work: Work is sacred and God has given people a mandate to work. Key Biblical Passages High Calling:

Genesis 2:15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Psalm 8:4-8: What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

Sacred Work: I Corinthians 10:31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Division of Labor: Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Colossians 3:18-21: Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do no embitter your children, or they will become outraged.

Why this Lesson is Needed Different groupings of people have developed traditions over time about the division of labor, leadership, ownership of property, etc. Sometimes these practices are rooted in a patriarchal belief that men are superior to women. These beliefs and practices can

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run counter to Biblical truth. This lesson is needed to increase participants’ awareness of the Biblical and redemptive basis for work and the division of labor so that they might examine their own practices, challenge tradition, and create a new, more redemptive order in work roles on the farm. Set-up For the first exercise and the role play, organize participants into at least four groups (if there are more participants you can have two groups for each topic) – females, males, female children, and male children. You might have a fifth group of female-headed households if your larger group includes several. You can direct this in two ways. Women can be women and girl children, and males can be men and boy children, or you can switch the two: women can be men and boy children, and men can be women and girl children, depending on what level of awareness you believe your group has. Materials HANDOUTS A and B; flip chart paper, markers; colored A4 paper (at least 5 different colors). Time Required Approximately 210 minutes (Part 1 – 70 minutes; Part 2 – 70 minutes; Part 3 – 70 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 8 – AGRICULTURAL LABOR

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to understand more about God’s redemptive plan for work and the division of labor on your farms. To do this, we have to understand how sin has entered into the way we divide the work on the farm and how disproportionate women’s work roles often are on the farm and in the farm household. We will begin where we are – in the way in which work is divided on the farm. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Ask: How do you decide which work is done by whom on the farm? Response: Have two women and two men respond. Discuss: Where did the idea of men’s work and women’s work come from? If a man wants to do the work that women do (e.g., grow a garden), what will happen? If a woman wants to do the work that men do (e.g., plow a field), what will happen? Say: You have outlined some very practical reasons why men do some types of work and women do others. But we must remember that these ideas about the division of labor are not “law” in any way but the result of the belief systems of people who lived long back. We need to understand the influence these traditional beliefs have on households and how we organize work on the farm. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 3: APPRECIATING THE WORK ROLES OFMEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN: Say: In this exercise we will be identifying all the different types of work men, women and children do to support the farm. This work includes cropping, caring for animals, caring for trees or flowers, caring for the household, marketing, attendance at cooperative meetings, etc. Do: Organize participants into same-sex groups of between 3 and 5 people. Appoint at least one women’s group to take on the role of girl children, and appoint at least one men’s group to take on the role of boy children. Distribute a different color paper (A4) to each group (e.g., yellow for women, and green for girls, etc.), pens/markers to each group. Say: In your groups, identify every type of work you do from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night. Put on the top of your paper whether you are men or women, girl or boy children. (Allow 20 minutes.)

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STEP 4: DEBRIEFING WORK LISTS: Do: Have participants exchange their lists, i.e., women give their lists to men, and men give their lists to women, boy children give their lists to girls, and girl children give their lists to boys. Discuss:

• Is there anything on these lists that is surprising to you? What? • Were you aware that women/men/children performed all these tasks? How are

the tasks allocated differently in female-headed households? • How do you show appreciation for each other’s work? For women’s work? For

men’s work? For children’s work? • Is there sufficient labor on your farm to accomplish all you need to in the time you

need to do it? If not, what do you do? • How does your need for labor affect the work your children do on the farm? • On what basis are the work tasks accomplished? I.e., do women traditionally do

specific things? Does someone in the household work outside of the farm to earn an income?

• What is the one most difficult work/labor issue you have in managing your farm? In leading a discussion on these points, make sure to cover the following:

• Farming is a calling from God to both men and women • The work that each person does is no better or worse than what the other person

does, so there must be mutual respect for what each person does • Children should not lose time in school to work on the farm • The “traditional” divisions of labor were not founded in God’s plan for farming, but

were developed by people for different reasons. Determine what these reasons are and discuss them in light of different ways of working

• Emphasize the labor burden that women have when that burden isn’t shared with another (e.g., widows, single mothers)

• Address the issues of the deployment of labor in cash crops vs. subsistence crops; emphasize that both are needed

Do: After you have finished the discussion, distribute the HANDOUT with the above points on it. Form participants into pairs. Say: Read over the points on this HANDOUT. Circle the one point that stands out to you most. Share your reasons for circling that point with the other person. (Allow a few minutes for this exchange.) We have learned a lot about each other’s work as well as how God views all of the work that glorifies Him when you exercise stewardship over His creation. (Allow 30 minutes.)

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Part Two STEP 1: ROLE PLAY ON SHARING EACH OTHER’S BURDENS: Do: In advance, put the role of each individual on a card accompanied with a picture of what that person might look like; this is the role HANDOUT. Identify five individuals, two men and three women, who will play a husband, a wife, a female who heads a household, a boy child and a girl child. Distribute the HANDOUTs of the roles to each of the participants and allow them a few minutes to think through how they want to play the role. Give them any guidance they need. The main point of the role play is to determine how work can be reallocated so that each person does not feel so overburdened. Say: Now let’s practice some of the principles we have just learned. We are going to do a role play in which we will understand how we can help each other in accomplishing all the work of the farm.

ROLE OF MAN: You are considered the head of the household. You make the final decisions about what is to be grown in the field, where the animals should be taken for feeding, how income is to be spent, whether a new house should be constructed, etc. You are trying to be a Godly man in making these decisions and in participating in the actual work of the farm because you love your wife and children and don’t want to see them overworking. You are open to making some changes but some things your wife is asking you to do have been done by women and you don’t know how you would look to your neighbors if you took on these tasks. ROLE OF WOMAN: You are a married woman who gets up very early in the morning to get the family started each day. You wake before 5:00 each morning to see to it that the cows/goats are milked and to start preparing breakfast. Before you do the farming work you have to walk your youngest child to school as the way is a bit challenging and s/he is still small. When you return, you work in the garden to make sure there are vegetables to eat. Then you go out to the fields to do weeding. You come back to the house late for lunch and your husband has not eaten. You hurriedly prepare something for him and then prepare a snack for the children to eat when they come home from school. You have a meeting you need to go to at church and you must prepare for that. There is always so much to do in the day; there never seems to be enough time to do everything. You want to raise the point of overwork with your husband.

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ROLE OF WOMAN/FEMALE-HEADED HOUSEHOLD: You are a middle-aged woman who is raising her children on her own. You are responsible for all the work to be done on the farm. You are trying to keep you children in school, but it is difficult because there is so much work to be done. Your day is even longer than that of a married woman because you must see to it that traditional men’s work is done in addition to your work in the fields, garden and in the household. You are beset with the specific problem: clearing the field before planting. You meet your friends – the husband and wife in the role play – and ask them for advice on how to get this work done. ROLE OF GIRL CHILD (about 12 years old): Every school day morning you are awakened by your mother to help her make the tea for breakfast. It is still dark outside, and you always feel sleepy. You hear your baby brother crying, and your mother asks you to tend to him while she tends to her chores. You wrap him on your back and cuddle him so he goes back to sleep. You have some chores to perform before school, and you do them before eating breakfast. After you eat, you go to school. You are there until 2:00 pm, when you come home, have a snack, and then help your mother in the garden or in the fields, or in preparing dinner. You take care of your baby brother also. As the day is ending, you do your homework, and then go to bed. You always feel so tired because there is so much to do in the house, and by the time you do your homework you are too tired, and you haven’t been out to play with your friends.. ROLE OF BOY CHILD (about 12 years old): Every school morning you are awakened by the clanging of pots and pans being organized by your mother and sister as they prepare breakfast. You are responsible for milking the cows/goats every morning, so you must get up in a timely manner. After the milking, you have your breakfast and then walk to school. After school, you are required to check on all the cows, goats and sheep – they have to be taken to the grazing area. As you herd them, you meet with your friends and their herds. While grazing the herds, you play with your friends. At dusk you bring the herd back to the homestead, have your dinner, do your homework and then go to bed. You are not happy with the long hours you have to work, in addition to going to school, and you want someone else to do the work so you can concentrate on your school work and play.

THE SCENE: 1) In the evening when everyone is coming into the home to have dinner, which is late because the wife/woman has returned home from her meeting late. The man is hungry and is waiting for his dinner, the girl is feeding her baby brother with some porridge she has cooked for him, and the boy is just coming in from the grazing area and needs to do his homework, but is hungry. As you all sit down to eat your dinner, your neighbor – the widow from the next farm –comes to visit you. (Allow the play to go on for 15 minutes.) (Allow 30 minutes for this step.)

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STEP 2: DEBRIEFING THE BURDENS: Say: Thank you for your excellent performance (clap your hands as you do this and encourage the “audience” to do the same). Discuss:

• How realistic was this situation? • What are some of the obstacles or barriers in managing the work of the

household? In a male/female headed household? In a female-headed household?

• How might some of these obstacles or barriers be overcome, i.e., how can the work be re-allocated so that each person’s burdens are shared? What traditional beliefs and practices would you have to overcome to share each other’s burdens?

• If everyone is already working at their peak, what can the man do to appreciate what the women and children do? What can the woman do? What can the children do? Who can appreciate the widow’s work?

• In households where there isn’t this same collection of workers (i.e., in female-headed households), what would you recommend they do to get the work done? (Allow 40 minutes.)

Part Three STEP 1: UNDERSTANDING GOD’S DIVISION OF LABOR: Do: Write Genesis 1:27-28 on a flip chart. Say: The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:27-28: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Ask: What does being made in the “image of God” mean to you? Is it different for men and women? Response: Ask two men and two women for responses. Ask: What does God say to men and women and work? Response: Ask two men and two women for responses. Say: In God’s creation, there was no difference in providing dominion to both men AND women: ALL work is sacred. It is a matter of culture – man-made practices – that created the type of division of labor we have today. (Allow 20 minutes.)

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STEP 2: PLANNING HOW TO SHARE THE BURDENS: Do: From Part One, hang up all the colored papers from each group on the wall and have participants walk around to look at them to refresh their recollection of what they have written. Provide a piece of opposite-colored paper to each group, i.e., men receive the women’s color, women receive the men’s color (also for the woman who head the household), girls receive the boys’ color, and boys receive the girls’ color. Say: Earlier, we identified and discussed the different ways we organize labor on the farm. We then discussed God’s ideas about work – that it is all sacred when we perform it in His name. Now that we have some different ideas from the role play and our Biblical discussion, let’s reconsider how the work of the farm might be divided differently so that we can share each other’s burdens. On your new sheets of colored paper, write what you think is the appropriate work of each person: male, female, female head of household, girl child, boy child. Head the paper with the particular identity you have for this exercise. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 3: DEBRIEFING PLANNING HOW TO SHARE THE BURDENS: Say: What did you come up with? Do: Have each group share what they came up with. Discuss: For each point raised, ask: Why did you identify that item? Who performed this work before? What kind of challenges will the person face to do this work? Do: When finished, hang each color up next to the sheets from Part One. Have participants walk around to observe what the differences are. Discuss: Do you notice any startling differences? What happened? Say: Of all the items discussed today about who does what on the farm, which specific lesson will you take home and work on? (Allow 30 minutes.) CONCLUSION: Say: We have been reminded in this lesson that God is the creator of all and that He has given us dominion over His creation. He wants us to share each other’s burdens, to respect each other’s work, and to not frustrate our children with so much work that they cannot learn. In these closing few minutes, let’s pray silently to God to help us understand His will for our work. Do: Pray silently for a minute, and then dismiss the group. (Allow 5 minutes.)

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LESSON 8 – HANDOUT A – WOMEN’S AND MEN’S WORK

1. Farming is a calling from God to both men and women 2. The work that each person does is no better or worse than what the other person

does, so there must be mutual respect for what each person does

3. Children should not lose time in school to work on the farm

4. The “traditional” divisions of labor were not founded in God’s plan for farming, but were developed by people for different reasons. Determine what these reasons are and discuss them in light of different ways of working

5. Women in female-headed households generally have a higher labor burden than

women who have husbands

6. Labor is needed in growing both cash and subsistence crops, but it is unevenly distributed

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LESSON 8 – HANDOUT B – ROLES FOR SHARING EACH OTHER’S BURDENS ROLE PLAY

ROLE OF MAN: You are considered the head of the household. You make the final decisions about what is to be grown in the field, where the animals should be taken for feeding, how income is to be spent, whether a new house should be constructed, etc. You are trying to be a Godly man in making these decisions and in participating in the actual work of the farm because you love your wife and children and don’t want to see them overworking. You are open to making some changes but some things your wife is asking you to do have been done by women and you don’t know how you would look to your neighbors if you took on these tasks.

ROLE OF WOMAN: You are a married woman who gets up very early in the morning to get the family started each day. You wake before 5:00 each morning to see to it that the cows/goats are milked and to start preparing breakfast. Before you do the farming work you have to walk your youngest child to school as the way is a bit challenging and s/he is still small. When you return, you work in the garden to make sure there are vegetables to eat. Then you go out to the fields to do weeding. You come back to the house late for lunch and your husband has not eaten. You hurriedly prepare something for him and then prepare a snack for the children to eat when they come home from school. You have a meeting you need to go to at church and you must prepare for that. There is always so much to do in the day; there never seems to be enough time to do everything. You want to raise the point of overwork with your husband.

ROLE OF WOMAN/FEMALE-HEADED HOUSEHOLD: You are a middle-aged woman who is raising her children on her own. You are responsible for all the work to be done on the farm. You are trying to keep you children in school, but it is difficult because there is so much work to be done. Your day is even longer than that of a married woman because you must see to it that traditional men’s work is done in addition to your work in the fields, garden and in the household. You are beset with the specific problem: clearing the field before planting. You meet your friends – the husband and wife in the role play – and ask them for advice on how to get this work done.

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ROLE OF GIRL CHILD (about 12 years old): Every school day morning you are awakened by your mother to help her make the tea for breakfast. It is still dark outside, and you always feel sleepy. You hear your baby brother crying, and your mother asks you to tend to him while she tends to her chores. You wrap him on your back and cuddle him so he goes back to sleep. You have some chores to perform before school, and you do them before eating breakfast. After you eat, you go to school. You are there until 2:00 pm, when you come home, have a snack, and then help your mother in the garden or in the fields, or in preparing dinner. You take care of your baby brother also. As the day is ending, you do your homework, and then go to bed. You always feel so tired because there is so much to do in the house, and by the time you do your homework you are too tired, and you haven’t been out to play with your friends.

ROLE OF BOY CHILD (about 12 years old): Every school morning you are awakened by the clanging of pots and pans being organized by your mother and sister as they prepare breakfast. You are responsible for milking the cows/goats every morning, so you must get up in a timely manner. After the milking, you have your breakfast and then walk to school. After school, you are required to check on all the cows, goats and sheep – they have to be taken to the grazing area. As you herd them, you meet with your friends and their herds. While grazing the herds, you play with your friends. At dusk you bring the herd back to the homestead, have your dinner, do your homework and then go to bed. You are not happy with the long hours you have to work, in addition to going to school, and you want someone else to do the work so you can concentrate on your school work and play. THE SCENE: 1) In the evening when everyone is coming into the home to have dinner, which is late because the wife/woman has returned home from her meeting late. The man is hungry and is waiting for his dinner, the girl is feeding her baby brother with some porridge she has cooked for him, and the boy is just coming in from the grazing area and needs to do his homework, but is hungry. As you all sit down to eat your dinner, you neighbor – the widow from the next farm –comes to visit you.

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Biblical Foundations “Very Good” Creation and the Fall 1. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male

and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:27-28

2. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:20b-24.

3. To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:16-19

Why Do We Work? 1. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced

this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18

2. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. John 9:3-4

3. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. I Corinthians 3:8-9

4. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. I Corinthians 15:58

Ethics in Work/Men’s and Women’s Work 1. Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son?

Give us property among our father’s relatives. So Moses brought their case before the Lord and the Lord said to him, “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right.

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You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and turn their father’s inheritance over to them.” Exodus 27:4-7

2. If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants when they had a grievance against me, what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? Job 31:13-15

3. A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her task. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her work bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31:10-31

4. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” II Thessalonians 3:6-10.

Redemptive Relationships – the Nexus for the Division of Labor 1. He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the

truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-4

2. And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. Mark 9:42.

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3. In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. I Corinthians 11:11-12

4. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 2 Corinthians 12:14b.

5. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. Galatians 6:2-4

6. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Ephesians 5:25-28

7. Fathers, do no exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

8. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become outraged. . . . Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. Colossians 3:18-21, 23-25.

Bibliography Bilezikian, Gilbert. 1985. Beyond Sex Roles. What the Bible Says About a Woman’s Place in Church and Family (2d ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. Grady, J. Lee. 2000. 10 Lies the Church Tells Women. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House. Van Leeuwen, Mary Stewart. 1990. Gender and Grace. Love, Work and Parenting in a Changing World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Verma, Ritu. 2001. Gender, Land, and Livelihoods in East Africa. Through Farmers’ Eyes. Ottawa, Canada: International Development Research Center.

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 9 – INCOME GENERATION


• The many different ways open to them to generate an income • How to mobilize savings and gain access to capital • How to use their God-given giftedness to support themselves and their families • Work is God-given • By stewarding God’s creation, we are given the ability to feed and take care of

ourselves and our families Lesson Goal To appreciate the multiple ways in which farm families can generate an income for family survival. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Identified a diversity of ways farm families can generate an income • Rank ordered the most and least desirable of these strategies • Identified the costs associated with each income generating activity • Identified the obstacles they experience in generating an income (including

shortage of capital) • Identified ways in which participants gain access to capital • Determined that God expects us to use the gifts He has given us to generate an

income/work to take care of ourselves and our families

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• God is the First Farmer • Work is a blessing • The many different ways farmers can generate an income on the farm • When we are good stewards of God’s creation, he provides us with the bounty

we need for survival • Earning an income is a function of the blessing of work

Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development First Farmer Principle: God is the First Farmer, the author and initiator of agriculture. Stewardship Principle: Farmers are commanded by God to steward the land, natural resources, farm animals and crops that He has place in their care. Bounty Principle: Farmers are commanded by God to be fruitful and produce bounty from the land and animals that God has entrusted to them. Related Biblical Worldview Principles First Farmer: God exists and He created the universe. Stewardship: God created all things and they belong to him. People are to be God’s stewards of all created things. Bounty: Creation is an open system and God’s desire is that bounty be created within that system. Key Biblical Passages First Farmer:

Genesis 2:8: Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

Stewardship: Genesis 2:15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Bounty: Genesis 1:28a, 29: God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. … I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

Why this Lesson is Needed Farmers may not understand the options they have to generate an income and how God wants them to be “fruitful” in all they do. Many farmers may see growing a cash crop as the only source of income they have; others may see that their only choice is for a family member to migrate to the city to find a job. What is important to understand is

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that when we are faithful stewards of His creation, God provides the “fruit.” In this lesson, we will try to understand how God has gifted farmers in different ways that will help them to be fruitful, generate an income, and support their families. Set-up For the first exercise, organize participants into same-sex groups of between 3 and 5 people. Provide each group with a piece of flip chart paper and markers. Explain that each group should divide the paper into two columns. Materials Flip chart paper, markers; HANDOUT A. Time Required 160 minutes.

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LESSON PLAN 9 – INCOME GENERATION

STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to understand more about the different ways God provides for us when we take care of His creation. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Ask: What are some of the ways we have learned that have helped us to grow our crops better and take care of our animals? Response: Obtain 4-5 responses from those who were present for the lessons on stewardship of the land, plant and animal diseases, and water. Say: When we take good care of the land, our crops, and our animals, when we exercise good stewardship, we have a better chance to earn an income from the work we do on our farms. Ask: What are some of the ways we can generate an income on the farm? Response: Obtain responses from at least two men and two women. Ask: How are the ways we generate an income different for men and women? Response: Obtain responses from at least two men and two women. Say: Many of the ways we generate an income are grounded in beliefs about women’s work and men’s work. Let’s take a deeper look into ways income can be generated on the farm. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 3: UNDERSTANDING OUR INCOME GENERATING OPTIONS: Say: In this exercise we will try to gain an understanding of all the income generating options that are open to you. Do: Distribute pieces of blue paper to groups of men and pieces of red paper to groups of women. Tell them to draw a line vertically down the paper. Say: Think about all the different ways you currently and in the future could generate some sort of income. List these on the left hand side of your paper. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 4: THE COSTS OF DIFFERENT INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES: Say: Some income generating activities have strong implications for the rest of the family. So, for instance, if the male head of household leaves the farm to go to the city for a job, that means the decision-making responsibility also leaves, unless it is

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delegated to his wife. It also means that the labor of that man is lost to the family and the rest of the family members must somehow make due or find a replacement in hiring someone – which will cost the family. Ask: What are the different types of cost to the family for each of the income generating activities they have identified? Write these in the right-hand column next to the income generating activity. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 5: DEBRIEFING OPTIONS AND COSTS: Do: Have each group report out what they listed for income generating activities and the costs to the family of each of these activities. As you debrief a women’s group and then a men’s group, comment on the different income generating options employed by either men or women. As you debrief, have participants reflect on which activity is the more “costly” in terms of labor, actual cash outlay, and/or whether the activity is sustainable, i.e., can it be sustained on the income generated alone? Following is a partial list you might use to make comments when debriefing:

• Cash Crops – more family labor needed (generally women’s); high cost of inputs; marketing cooperative membership

• Milk – labor for animal husbandry; need to join a marketing cooperative; containers

• Butter – labor to make; containers; coolers; time and location to market • Yogurt – cultures; labor for making; storage containers; coolers; time and location

to market • Eggs – labor for collecting; cool storage facility; time and location to market • Chickens – feed; construction of chicken coop; immunizations; time and location

to market • Garden Crops – labor for cultivating; water for irrigation; time and location to

market • Flowers – labor for cultivating; water for irrigation; need to join marketing

cooperative or contract with buyer • Beekeeping and Honey – taking care of hives; labor for collecting; storage

containers; time and location to market • Charcoal – labor to gather wood; equipment to fire the wood; sacks;

transportation to selling location • Firewood – labor to gather wood; transportation to selling location • Hiring Out One’s Labor – loss of labor to the farm; absence of person who hires

out • Selling Medicinal Plants – labor to cultivate; knowledge of how used; containers;

time and location to market Ask: From what you have written and what we have discussed, which are the top five desired means for generating an income? Response: Write down on the left-hand side of a flip chart what participants say. Have them explain why. Ask: What are the five least desired means for generating an income?

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Response: Write down on the right-hand side of a flip chart what participants say. Have them explain why. (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 6: EXPLORING BOTTLENECKS IN INCOME GENERATION: Ask: From the lists we have just created, what are any obstacles you face in generating an income in that particular way? Response: On another flip chart headed “Obstacles to Income Generation” write down what participants say on the left-hand side. Obtain responses from as many participants who have them. Ask: In your small groups, take each of these obstacles (assign one or two to each group) and identify ways you think these obstacles can be overcome (allow 5 minutes for discussion). Response: Write down what participants say in the right-hand column. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 7: CAPITAL SHORTFALL: Say: One of the underlying bottlenecks that you have (or may not have explicitly) identified is money - the shortage of capital to make any changes you want to on the farm. Ask: Does anyone participate in a ROSCA – a revolving savings and credit association in which each member of the group gives a certain amount every day/week to a specified individual? The one who receives the amount rotates until all the members of the group have received, and then the cycle begins again. Many rural and urban people use this strategy so that each person can have a specified amount of capital on a regular basis. Discuss: Generate a discussion on the different ways that farmers can access capital to start their own businesses or to meet expenses. Record their responses on a flip chart. Responses might include:

• Participation in a ROSCA • Participation in an informal savings society • Participation in a village banking or solidarity group lending program of a

microfinance organization • Obtaining loans from money lenders (ask how much interest they charge) • Obtaining loans from family members • Obtaining loans from cooperative societies • Obtaining loans from banks or credit unions

Ask: What is your preferred way of gaining access to capital? Why? (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 8: REDEMPTIVE INCOME GENERATION: Ask: What are the ways that you think God has given you, as a farmer, to generate an income? Response: Obtain any/all responses from participants.

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Do: Distribute HANDOUT of Bible verses or use Bibles. Read these Bible verses together. Ask: What do you think God is saying to you about income generation? Response: Obtain any/all responses from participants. Say: God wants us to be good stewards of all of creation. To receive His blessing, we must do our part. Ask: How can some of the ways of generating an income that we have already identified demonstrate that we are being good stewards of what we have received and bring us closer to God? The following are a few examples:

• Joining a ROSCA – joining in community for mutual benefit/helping each other • Mixed Cropping of Cash and Subsistence Crops – helping maintain the fertility of

the soil • Selling Fruits from Trees – interacting in the marketplace where one can trade

fairly • Selling Milk – participating in a cooperative with others for mutual benefit/helping

each other Response: Get as many responses as you can. Ask: In your small groups, discuss one way that you, in particular, can come closer to God in generating an income (allow 5 minutes for discussion). Say: God provides us with the opportunity to generate an income for many purposes, but largely so that we can come closer to Him. (Allow 20 minutes.) CONCLUSION: Say: In closing, let’s look at the final Bible passage on your HANDOUT. Let’s read this together:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Luke 12:22b-27

Ask: On whom do we rely for all we need? Response: God. Say: Our “job” is to be faithful in obeying God, to be a good steward of His creation, and the blessing will come. When we feel ourselves becoming anxious about money, don’t turn to money for your help, but turn to God. He has given us the labor of our hands and wants us to be fruitful with that labor. Let’s close with a minute of silent prayer offering ourselves and our labor to God to honor and thank Him for His blessings. (Allow 10 minutes.)

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LESSON 9 – HANDOUT A – BIBLE VERSES

Ecclesiastes 5:18-19: Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God. Romans 2:6: God will give to each person according to what he has done. Closing: Luke 12:22b-27: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin.

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Biblical Foundations The Ethics of Earning an Income 1. Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a

brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin. Deuteronomy 25:14-15

2. Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. Ezekiel 34:2b-4

3. Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you have failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. James 5:1-6

4. Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. Ecclesiastes 5:10

5. Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” Haggai 1:5-6

Redemptive Behaviors and God’s Provision 1. One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,

and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. Psalm 62:11-12

2. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God. Ecclesiastes 5:18-19

3. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:24

4. “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open our eyes

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and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” John 4:34-38

5. God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reflect the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. Romans 2:6-8

6. Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. Romans 4:4

7. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. . . . And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:12-13, 19

8. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

9. Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. Revelation 22:12

Bibliography De Haan, Greg. 2003. “Redeeming Agriculture and Economics through Worldview Transformation,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Cultivating Our Roots. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 267-291. Kok, John H. 2003. “Affinity, Dominion, and the Poverty of Our Day: Calling and Task of Agriculture in a World that Belongs to God,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Cultivating Our Roots. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 123-138.

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 10 – WORKING WITH MY NEIGHBOR


• Who is “my neighbor” • How to glorify God when working in cooperation with other farmers

Lesson Goal To understand the Biblical idea of “Who is my neighbor” so that farmers might share and work together with others in a way that honors God. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Identified traditional beliefs and values about how one should treat his/her neighbor

• Analyzed several Bible verses on how God’s people should treat their neighbors • Identified different challenges they might be having with groups in their

community • Decided to honor God by addressing any obstacles to demonstrating neighborly

love • Committed themselves to act as a loving neighbor


• Love your neighbor • Attend to the needs of the poor • Share the knowledge and blessings you have with others • Utilize traditional work/self-help practices when they demonstrate love for

neighbors

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Biblical Principle for Agricultural Development Neighborly Love Principle: Those who practice agriculture should treat their neighbors as they would wish to be treated themselves. Related Biblical Worldview Principle Neighborly Love: God commands us to love others as He loves us. Key Biblical Passages Matthew 22:37-29: Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” I John 3:18: Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions in truth. Why this Lesson is Needed The broken world is full of broken relationships: with our God, with our families and friends, with our neighbors. Farmers realize the value of having a good neighbor because many things can easily go wrong and help is always needed. Participants may not realize, however, how critically important having good relationships with your neighbors is in God’s redemptive plan. This lesson seeks to increase this understanding. Set-up Part 1- Distribute the roles to each of the participants. Give them a few minutes to decide on how each person wants to play his/her role, and then begin. Materials HANDOUT A with vignettes to be used for role plays; HANDOUTS B and C; flip chart paper, markers; four colors of paper or cards; several sets of pictures of people interacting with each other in helpful ways. Time Required Approximately 230 minutes (Part 1 – 115 minutes; Part 2 – 60 minutes; Part 3 – 55 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 10 – WORKING WITH MY NEIGHBOR

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to understand more about why we should have good relationships with our neighbors. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Ask: What are some of the traditional beliefs or values that we use to guide our relationships with others? In your area, what are some of the ways you are taught to treat neighbors? Friends? Strangers? For instance, how are children to relate to elders? How are women supposed to relate to men? How are men supposed to relate to women? Response: Obtain about 4-5 responses and promote a discussion among participants (Allow 10 minutes.) STEP 3: AM I A GOOD NEIGHBOR? Ask: What are some examples of when a neighbor was good to you? Describe the situation to us and tell us what you did. Response: Call on 4-5 participants to share their stories. Discuss:

• What do you think of your neighbor? • What did you do in return for your neighbor? • How does this connect with the Bible’s idea of loving your neighbor? • Can you think of any Bible verses that cover those behaviors (refer to the Bible

verses in Step 5 and others participants provide)? (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 4: BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR ROLE PLAY: Do: Distribute the role play vignettes to participants. Allow them time for each vignette to understand and ask questions about their particular roles. Say: In our activities today, we are going to see a number people talking together. Note the following: What are behaviors you think are OK? What are behaviors you think are not OK? Why? (Allow 75 minutes, 5 minutes for each vignette, and about 10 minutes for each discussion.)

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Vignette 1

Woman 1: It is the afternoon. You are on your way home. You see a single sheep on the path, but don’t see anyone around. You walk a little way, and then meet another woman, a neighbor. You stop and have a conversation with her. Woman 2: You see your neighbor coming toward you. In the distance, you also see a single sheep on the path. You stop and talk to your neighbor. After giving traditional greetings, you talk about the sheep. What should you do about it? Debrief Vignette 1: Discuss:

• What did the women decide to do about the sheep? • Do you think this was OK? Not OK? Why? • What else could she have done?

Say: We have some Bible verses that cover this situation: Deuteronomy 22:1-4: If you see your bother’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to him. If the brother does not live near you or if you do not know who he is, take it home with you and keep it until he comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. Do the same if you find your brother’s donkey or his cloak or anything he loses. Do not ignore it. If you see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen on the ground, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet.

Vignette 2

Man 1: You have just suffered a temporary financial setback because you had to pay some medical bills for your family instead of using your money for the farm. You have some more bills that are due next week. You don’t know how you will make the payments. You decide to go to your neighbor and ask him if he can help you out. Man 2: You have a large herd of cattle and are generally considered to be wealthy. You have earned your wealth by making very clever business decisions. Some people have borrowed money from you, but you demand much more payment in return. You have heard of your neighbor’s problems, but you don’t think much of them. You see your neighbor coming toward you. Debrief Vignette 2: Discuss:

• What did the wealthy man decide to do about the loan to his neighbor? • Do you think it was OK? Not OK? Why? • What else could he have done?

Say: We have some Bible verses that cover this story:

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Psalm 15:2-5: He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man, who despises a vile man, but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

Vignette 3:

Man 1: You have a child studying abroad. S/he has told you in a previous letter that s/he was sending you a gift for Christmas. To receive mail, you use a neighbor’s mail box number as that neighbor goes to the post office often for his business. You head over to your neighbor’s to determine if the box has come yet as it seems to be overdue. Man 2: You went to the post office last week and found a package there for your neighbor. You have kept hold of the package because you have heard from someone that your neighbor has been letting his cattle feed in your grazing area. You see him coming toward you and have to decide whether to give him the package or accuse him of using your land. Debrief Vignette 3: Discuss:

• What did the man with the post office box do? How did he do it? • Do you think it was OK? Not OK? Why? • What else could he have done?

Say: We have some Bible verses that cover this story: Proverbs 3:27-30: Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow” – when you now have it with you. Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. Do not accuse a man for no reason – when he has done you no harm.

Vignette 4

Woman 1: You go out to where you have hung your wash to dry to collect the garments. As you had a lot of wash to do that day, you do not notice that a shirt is missing. As you are walking back to your home, you notice that a neighbor child has a shirt on that looks very similar to the one you washed this morning. You believe that the shirt is yours. Another neighbor has told you that the mother of this child has taken other items from other neighbors. You intend to find out from your neighbor if she has done it again, this time to you. Woman 2: You see your neighbor coming over to you. She has a very dark face. You are happy today because yesterday you were able to buy a new shirt for your child in the marketplace. The vendor said he had many of the same

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shirts, and so he was able to sell it to you for a lower price. You greet your neighbor with a smile on your face. Debrief Vignette 4: Discuss:

• What did the woman who thought she was missing the shirt do? How did she do it?

• Do you think it OK? Not OK? Why? • What could she have done differently?

Say: We have some Bible verses that cover this story: Proverbs 25:9-10: If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man’s confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation.

Vignette 5

Wife: The widow down the road has called a community work party to help her in the fields as her crop needs weeding. This woman does not always come to work parties when they are called by other families, and you are trying to decide whether to go. You raise the point with your husband. Husband: You are experiencing some difficulty on your farm. You have a lot of work to do but are not sure where to find the labor you need. You resolve to talk over the problem with your wife. Debrief Vignette 5: Discuss:

• What advice did the husband give to his wife? What did he do about his problem?

• Do you think it was OK? Not OK? Why? • What could have been said/done differently?

Say: We have some Bible verses that cover this story: Matthew 7:12: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

STEP 5: OVERALL DEBRIEFING OF VIGNETTES: Say: Each of these stories illustrates a verse in the Bible and tells us more about how we are to treat our neighbors. Two verses in particular tell us how we are to act with our neighbors: Do: Write the following verses on the flip chart, or distribute Bibles and have participants look up the verses:

Matthew 22:37-29: Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

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I John 3:18: Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions in truth.

Ask: What do these verses mean to you for how we treat our neighbors in our farming communities? Response: Call on as many people as have answers. (Allow 10 minutes.)

Part Two STEP 1: IDENTIFYING CHALLENGING SITUATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY: Do: Organize participants into same-sex groups of between 3 and 5 people. Distribute four colored cards or pieces of paper (one color for each question) and markers to each group. Ask: What sort of groups do people belong to in this community? For example: membership in a church, membership in a choir, in a cooperative, in a savings group, in a self-help group, in a work group, etc. Response: Get as many responses as you can. List these on a flip chart. Say: When we work together in groups, sometimes we act differently from when we are just on our own. In your groups, think about a specific group you belong to and then answer the following questions (write each question at the top of four flip charts):

• How is the group led or managed? • What are some of the benefits of participating in this group? • What are some of the challenges of participating in this group? • Are you satisfied with this group? Why? Why not?

Discuss each of these points as you write them down. (Allow 30 minutes.) STEP 2: DEBRIEFING CHALLENGING GROUP SITUATIONS: Ask: What did you come up with? Response: Have each group report out what they have written, one question at a time. After they report out, have them come to the front and paste it on the appropriately-headed flip chart. Ask: What brings you satisfaction when you are working together in a group? Response: Obtain a sample of responses. Ask: What makes you unhappy about working together in a group? Response: Obtain a sample of responses.

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Ask: In your small groups, discuss the following question: When you are unhappy about working together in a group, what do you think can be done to help improve the situations? (Allow a few minutes for the discussion.) Ask: What did you come up with? Responses: Have one person from each group give you a response. Ask: Do you know any Bible verses that would help you out in these situations? Response: Obtain responses; supplement with the key Bible verses:

Matthew 22:37-29: Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” I John 3:18: Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions in truth.

(Allow 30 minutes.)

Part Three STEP 1: THE GOOD SAMARITAN: Do: Identify five people in advance. Give them the story of the Good Samaritan. Choose one to be the priest, one to be the Levite (person of the law), one to be the person who was beaten up, one to be the Samaritan, and one to be the innkeeper. Give them instructions on how to act out the story. Tell them that as participants in the “audience” read the story, the 5 can act it out. Ask: Does anyone know any stories from the Bible in which we learn more about who our neighbor is and how we should act towards our neighbors? Response: Obtain any responses participants have. Say: A favorite of mine is the story of The Good Samaritan. Do: Distribute HANDOUTS of the Bible verses or pass out Bibles and have participants turn to Luke 10:30-37. Choose participants to read each part of the story and have the 5 people act it out. Say: This story is important because Samaritans were enemies of the Jewish people. Discuss:

• What do you think of the actions of the priest? • What do you think of the actions of the Levite – a man of the law? • What do you think of the actions of the Samaritan? • What do you think God is telling you about actions toward others? (Allow 20

minutes.)

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STEP 2: LOVE IS THE BASIS: Do: Distribute HANDOUT with Bible verses on love. Have participants read these verses out loud in the larger group. Ask: Do you know any other Bible verses that refer to love? What are they? (If they know the Bible verse, have them recite it. List the references on a piece of flip chart paper.) Ask: How does God demonstrate His love for YOU? Response: List all of these on a flip chart. Do: Have people form into single-sex groups of between 3 and 5 participants. Distribute pieces of flip chart paper and markers to each group. Distribute pictures of people interacting with each other in helpful ways. Say: Divide your flip charts into three parts (show them how to fold the flip chart in three parts). Then, in each section, answer the following questions. Choose a picture that illustrates what you are saying and put it at the top of the column.

• How do we demonstrate our Love for God? • How do we demonstrate our Love for our neighbor? • How do we demonstrate our Love for ourselves? (Allow 30 minutes.)

STEP 3: DEBRIEFING DEMONSTRATIONS OF LOVE: Ask: What did you write? Response: Have each group present what they have written. Raise any of the points in the Related Topics to emphasize God’s love for us as we interact with others. Ask: What do we have that enables us to demonstrate love for our neighbors and ourselves? Response: God’s love. Say: We are able to love because God loved us first. Through His power, we can carry out His directive: To love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Allow 15 minutes.) CONCLUSION: Say: In all the work we have done, we have learned that our neighbor is anyone to whom we can demonstrate the love of God. Let’s close by thanking God for His love and asking Him to show us how we can be more loving to our neighbors. (Allow 5 minutes.)

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LESSON 10 – HANDOUT A – ROLE PLAYS

Vignette 1 Woman 1: It is the afternoon. You are on your way home. You see a single sheep on the path, but don’t see anyone around. You walk a little way, and then meet another woman, a neighbor. You stop and have a conversation with her. Woman 2: You see your neighbor coming toward you. In the distance, you also see a single sheep on the path. You stop and talk to your neighbor. After giving traditional greetings, you talk about the sheep. What should you do about it?

Vignette 2

Man 1: You have just suffered a temporary financial setback because you had to pay some medical bills for your family instead of using your money for the farm. You have some more bills that are due next week. You don’t know how you will make the payments. You decide to go to your neighbor and ask him if he can help you out. Man 2: You have a large herd of cattle and are generally considered to be wealthy. You have earned your wealth by making very clever business decisions. Some people have borrowed money from you, but you demand much more payment in return. You have heard of your neighbor’s problems, but you don’t think much of them. You see your neighbor coming toward you.

Vignette 3:

Man 1: You have a child studying abroad. S/he has told you in a previous letter that s/he was sending you a gift for Christmas. To receive mail, you use a neighbor’s mail box number as that neighbor goes to the post office often for his business. You head over to your neighbor’s to determine if the box has come yet as it seems to be overdue. Man 2: You went to the post office last week and found a package there for your neighbor. You have kept hold of the package because you have heard from someone that your neighbor has been letting his cattle feed in your grazing area. You see him coming toward you and have to decide whether to give him the package or accuse him of using your land.

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Vignette 4 Woman 1: You go out to where you have hung your wash to dry to collect the garments. As you had a lot of wash to do that day, you do not notice that a shirt is missing. As you are walking back to your home, you notice that a neighbor child has a shirt on that looks very similar to the one you washed this morning. You believe that the shirt is yours. Another neighbor has told you that the mother of this child has taken other items from other neighbors. You intend to find out from your neighbor if she has done it again, this time to you. Woman 2: You see your neighbor coming over to you. She has a very dark face. You are happy today because yesterday you were able to buy a new shirt for your child in the marketplace. The vendor said he had many of the same shirts, and so he was able to sell it to you for a lower price. You greet your neighbor with a smile on your face.

Vignette 5

Wife: The widow down the road has called a community work party to help her in the fields as her crop needs weeding. This woman does not always come to work parties when they are called by other families, and you are trying to decide whether to go. You raise the point with your husband. Husband: You are experiencing some difficulty on your farm. You have a lot of work to do but are not sure where to find the labor you need. You resolve to talk over the problem with your wife.

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LESSON 10 – HANDOUT B – BIBLE VERSES ON LOVE

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your

mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40

2. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

3. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must

love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

4. Love does not harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:10. 5. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a

resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I Corinthians 13:1 6. The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Galatians 5:14 7. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on

him, how can the love of God be in him? I John 3:17. 8. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves

has been born of God and knows God. I John 4:7. 9. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love

is made complete in us. I John 4:12. 10. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. I John 4:16b.

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LESSON 10 – HANDOUT C – THE GOOD SAMARITAN

Luke 10:30-37 1. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of

robbers. 2. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 3. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he

passed by on the other side. 4. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other

side. 5. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was and when he saw him,

he took pity on him. 6. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. 7. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 8. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 9. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra

expense you may have.” 10. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands

of robbers?” 11. The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” 12. Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

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Biblical Foundations Who is My Neighbor? 1. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of

robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:30-37

What Should My Actions Be Toward My Neighbor? 1. If you see your brother’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it

back to him. If the brother does not live near you or if you do not know who he is, take it home with you and keep it until he comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. Do the same if you find your brother’s donkey or his cloak or anything he loses. Do not ignore it. If you see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen on the ground, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet. Deuteronomy 22:1-4

2. He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man, who despises a vile man, but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15:2-5

3. How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard . . . For the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. Psalm 133.

4. Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow” – when you now have it with you. Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. Do not accurse a man for no reason – when he has done you no harm. Proverbs 3:27-30

5. If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man’s confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation. Proverbs 25:9-10

6. Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” Proverbs 26:18-19

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7. Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you – better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. Proverbs 27:10

8. So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

9. We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:1-8

10. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Ephesians 5:25

11. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6

Love is the Basis 1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your

mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40

2. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

3. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

4. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10.

5. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I Corinthians 13:1

6. The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14

7. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? I John 3:17.

8. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. I John 4:7.

9. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. I John 4:12.

10. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. I John 4:16b.

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 11 – SHARING AGRICULTURAL BOUNTY


• How income is allocated • How those in need must be considered in how we allocate income • The unlimited bounty of God provided to those who obey Him

Lesson Goal To understand how God’s bounty can help in serving others. Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Explored a new way to allocate portions of their “bounty” to God • Identified ways they could be of assistance to the poor, orphans, and widows,

especially those affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic • Experienced how God recognizes faithfulness in giving

Related Topics / Teaching Principles While parts of the lesson target specific activities, in the debriefing and discussion sections the following points should be raised:

• The relationship between production and tithing • Honoring God with the “firstfruits” of our harvests • Serving the poor • Gratitude to God • We demonstrate our love for God by giving to Him and people in need

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Biblical Principles for Agricultural Development Bounty Principle: Farmers are commanded by God to be fruitful and produce bounty from the land and animals that God has entrusted to them. Neighborly Love Principle: Those who practice agriculture should treat their neighbors as they would wish to be treated themselves. Related Biblical Worldview Principles Bounty: Creation is an open system and God’s desire is that bounty be created within that system. Neighborly Love: God commands us to love others as he loves us. Key Biblical Passages Genesis 1:28a: God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” Matthew 22:37-39: Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14: The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” II Corinthians 9:6-7: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Why this Lesson is Needed Participants who do not know/understand the Bible very well are not aware that because God created and gives us everything, that everything really belongs to Him. Hence, when we harvest, or when a new animal is born, we are to think first of how we can thank God for His provision. Set-up Provide everybody with 10 kernels of maize or 10 beans for the first part of the lesson. Organize participants into groups of between 3 and 5. Materials Enough kernels of maize or beans to provide 10 per person; HANDOUTS A (charts), B and C; flip chart paper and markers; tables to sit around; 3x5 cards or papers cut for about that size. Time Required Approximately 130 minutes (Part 1 – 55 minutes; Part 2 – 75 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 11 – SHARING AGRICULTURAL BOUNTY

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to understand more about how we can be grateful to God for providing us with our daily bread and more, and how we might share our bounty with those less fortunate – the widows, orphans, and others – who do not have the means to grow anything. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2 – OPENING QUESTION: Ask: When we receive any income from selling our crops, animals, or animal products, or from our labor, what do we do with it? Response: Obtain about 4-5 responses from respondents. Say: For many of us, the first thing we think about is paying our bills. Today we are going to consider other ways we can use our income or the bounty that God has provided us. (Allow 10 minutes.) STEP 3: “BUDGETING” OR STEWARDING GOD’S BOUNTY: Do: Organize participants into single-sex groups of between 3 and 5 people. Distribute the Expense Chart HANDOUT. Ask: What are the different items in your family budget? That is, what are all the different things you spend your income on? List all of these as a group in the first column of your chart. Do: Distribute 10 kernels of maize or 10 beans to each person. Say: These kernels/beans are your income, the source of your budget. For every expense item you have identified, put a kernel/bean in your numbered column next to that item. For instance, one kernel/bean might go for school fees, one kernel/bean might go to buying clothes for the family, one kernel/bean might go to purchase inoculations for your animals, etc. If you have several children in school, you might wish to place two kernels/beans in the box opposite school fees, or if your animals have been sick and you had to buy medicines, you might put two kernels/beans in that box, etc. Not everyone will have all expenses; it just depends on your particular household. If you have any kernels/beans left over, create another item under “expenses” and call this “savings.” ( NOTE if any have identified tithes to the church or donations to poor people as an item.) (Allow 20 minutes.)

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STEP 4: DEBRIEFING ALLOCATIONS: Say: Each person, identify which expense item actually uses up the largest portion of your money (even though they may not have allocated more than one kernel/bean for that item). Talk to the other members of your group about this expense and why it is the highest. Mark this item with a star (*) on your chart. Ask: What items are the highest for you? Response: Obtain about 4-5 responses and determine if there is a pattern among participants. Ask: Why is this (are these) item(s) so high? Response: Obtain about 4-5 responses. Address any issues that come up about each expense item. Ask: How many of you would have found this exercise easier if I had given you 20 kernels/ beans? Raise your hands. Response: Of those who raised their hands, ask why they would have found it easier. Say: Regardless of how much or how little we have, we have to manage well what we have been given and we must be content. How do we do that? (Allow 20 minutes.)

Part Two STEP 1: SHARING GOD’S BOUNTY – THE STORY OF RUTH: Say: Part of God’s management plan for the farm is to reserve some of the harvest for those less fortunate. Ask: Who knows the story of Ruth from the Bible? Response: Have participants relate the story. If they do not recall the story, summarize that:

• Ruth is Naomi’s daughter-in-law • Both Ruth and Naomi widows • They are poor • They have no fields of their own • The practice in those times was for more wealthy farmers to not take every grain

from the field but to leave some for the poor Do: Distribute Bibles to participants, or HANDOUTS with the appropriate verses on them. Have participants turn to Ruth 2:2-17.

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Discuss: • What were the needs of Ruth and Naomi? • How did they satisfy those needs? • What was the attitude of Boaz? • What did Boaz do for Ruth? • How do the actions of Boaz demonstrate what God wants us to do? (Allow 30

minutes.) STEP 2: HOW WE CAN SHARE GOD’S BOUNTY: Ask: What are some of the traditional ways that people in your community help each other and help those who are having a difficult time? Response: Have 4-5 participants respond. Do: Distribute about 10 3x5 cards to each group. Ask: On your cards, answer the question: What are some other things can we do to honor God and to help the poor? Write one answer per card. Response: Have each person tell what is on their cards, and then come and post them on a piece of flip chart paper headed with “How We Can Honor God and Help the Poor.” Be sure to weave in Related Topics/Principles, especially in giving to God and tithing. Say: Let’s consider these strategies. Think for yourself, what will I be able to do myself to help the poor. Choose one of the strategies and adopt it as your own. Make a promise to yourself – and to God – to honor God and help the poor in this way. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 3: GOD’S BOUNTY IS NOT LIMITED: Say: When we obey God’s Word, honor Him with our bounty and help the poor, the Bible says we are to experience many blessings. As a final task, in your small groups, identify different ways in which the Lord has blessed you and answered your prayers. Then discuss how you have passed those blessings on to others. (Facilitator, start this off with your own testimony of how the Lord has blessed you.) Ask: What did you come up with? Response: Write down on a piece of flip chart paper headed “Sharing the Blessings” the blessings 4-5 people (or more) have experienced and how they passed them along. Be sure to raise the point that all things come from God, all things are owned by God, and it is our responsibility to give it back to Him in ways that He sets out in the Bible. Say: God’s bounty is not limited, nor should we be limited in sharing that bounty with Him and with others in need. (Allow 15 minutes.)

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CONCLUSION: Do: Distribute a HANDOUT with the words to this hymn. Say: We will close today with a song/prayer to God. May we all follow what it says: (Allow 10 minutes):

We give Thee but Thine own, Whatever the gift may be: All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee. May we Thy bounties thus As stewards true receive, And gladly, as Thou blessest us, To Thee our first-fruits give. And we believe Thy word, Though dim our faith may be: Whatever task we do, O Lord, We do it unto Thee.

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LESSON 11 – HANDOUT A – EXPENSE CHARTS

Expenses Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5

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LESSON 11 – HANDOUT B – RUTH

1. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”

2. Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3. So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. 4. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was

from the clan of Elimelech. 5. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be

with you!” 6. “The Lord bless you!” they called back. 7. Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is that?” 8. The foreman replied, “She is the Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi.

She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

9. So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

10. At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. 11. She exclaimed, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me – a

foreigner?” 12. Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law

since the death of your husband – how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

13. “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant – though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls.”

14. At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”

15. When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.

16. As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.

17. So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.

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LESSON 11 – HANDOUT C – CLOSING HYMN / PRAYER

We give Thee but Thine own, Whatever the gift may be: All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee. May we Thy bounties thus As stewards true receive, And gladly, as Thou blessest us, To Thee our first-fruits give. And we believe Thy word, Though dim our faith may be: Whatever task we do, O Lord, We do it unto Thee.

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APPENDIX TO LESSON 11 Biblical Foundations Serving the Poor 1. For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the

seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. Exodus 23:10-11

2. When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:9-10

3. If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Deuteronomy 15:7-8

4. When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 24:19

5. When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 26:12

6. If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless – but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow – if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things. Job 31:16-23

7. If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13

8. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. Galatians 2:10

9. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Ephesians 4:28

Giving of Your Firstfruits 1. A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees,

belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Leviticus 27:30

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2. Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 14:22-29

3. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10.

4. As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

5. Now about the collection for God’s people. Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. I Corinthians 16:1-2

Everything Belongs to God/Store Up Treasures in Heaven 1. Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. I Chronicles 29:10b-13

2. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

3. “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and

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my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who store up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

Results of Redemptive Behavior in Giving 1. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious

talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:9b-11

2. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:10-12

3. Give and it will be given to you. Luke 6:38a. 4. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever

sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. II Corinthians 9:6-11.

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Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum LESSON 12 – INVESTING IN THE FUTURE



• What they have learned so far about “Redemptive Agriculture” • How to invest in their future as farmers • How they can be God’s co-laborers in bringing about His plans • How to trust God for His provision • How to come closer to God as the First Farmer

Lesson Goal To understand the Lord’s “big” plan of reconciliation and redemption and each person’s role in bringing this about.

Lesson Objectives By the end of this activity, participants will have:

• Reviewed the main points of the previous lessons • Identified the different guidelines involved in planning/investing in the future • Developed a redemptive plan for their farms • Developed a redemptive plan for themselves • Acted out their trust in the Lord • Made a commitment to become closer to the First Farmer and follow the

redemptive plans for themselves and their farms

Related Topics / Teaching Principles While parts of the lesson target specific activities, in the debriefing and discussion sections the following points should be raised:

• God’s plan for redemption and reconciliation • Trusting in God’s provision • Ethical behavior in farming • Our relationship with God as the First Farmer

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Biblical Principle for Agricultural Development First Farmer Relationship Principle: Those who practice agriculture need to have a good relationship with the First Farmer – God.

Related Biblical Worldview Principle First Farmer Relationship: People are fallen rebels, but God is working through history to redeem them and restore everything that was broken as a result of the fall.

Key Biblical Passages Genesis 3:17-19: To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Romans 8:19-20: The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. Colossians 1:15, 19-20: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. . . . For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.

Why this Lesson is Needed Farmers may experience a degree of fatalism resulting from hard work but poor returns. In this lesson, farmers will regain their hope because they will understand more of how to plan WITH God FOR the redemption of God’s creation, including themselves. Farmers need a source of hope, and that hope is in the Lord.

Set-up See each part/step.

Materials HANDOUT A; HANDOUT B of lessons for review; flip chart paper, markers; “shape” cards – squares, circles, triangles (for different “angle”) and question marks (you can just write these on a card – you don’t have to cut out question marks).

Time Required Approximately 435 minutes (Part 1 – 140 minutes; Part 2 – 135 minutes; Part 3 – 120 minutes).

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LESSON PLAN 12 – INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

Part One STEP 1: INTRODUCTION: Say: We are here today to have your hopes in the future increased. (Allow 5 minutes.) STEP 2: OPENING QUESTION: Do: Distribute the HANDOUT sunshine chart to each participant. Ask: What are five hopes that you have for your future? Write these on the sunshine chart I have just given you. (Allow a few minutes to complete this.) Ask: What are some of the hopes you have written down? Response: Obtain several responses. Do: Have participants post their sunshine charts on several flip charts you have posted around the room, each labeled hopes. Say: All of these hopes (make a sweeping gesture with your hand indicating all the sunshine charts) are possible because we have a God who loves us and cares for us. In fulfilling these hopes, we have a part to play also. And that part is based in having a good grounding in what we have already learned and understanding how all of what we have learned contributes to God’s plan for redemption and reconciliation of His creation – of bringing us closer to Him, of listening to Him, and obeying Him so that His plan for creation can be fulfilled. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 3: REVIEW OF LESSONS LEARNED: Do: Distribute the Lesson Chart HANDOUT to each participant.

Lesson Number Picture Title

Practical Lessons Learned

Biblical Lessons Learned

1

The Earth and All It Contains

Challenge personal and/or ancestral ownership of land

God is creator, owner and sustainer of all. All praise is given to Him

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2

Producing Abundant and Diverse Crops

Diversity in cropping patterns is good for creation

ALL of creation was given to humans to enjoy and it is up to us to maintain God’s diversity

3

God’s Animal Kingdom

Animals must be treated properly as they provide the farm with many inputs and they are part of God’s creation

The Lord is our Shepherd and we are His sheep; he cares for us as we must care for animals

4

Trees and Their Fruits

Planting trees of all varieties bring many benefits to farmers

We are the Lord’s “trees” and must bear fruit to His glory – the Fruits of the Spirit

5

Agricultural Water Conservation and Use

Different practices for water retention in fields

Jesus is the “Living Water” we must seek for our redemption

6

Soil Fertility and Conservation

Soil conservation practices

The Sabbath year of rest, and creating the “fertile soil” of our minds to receive God’s Word

7

Crop and Animal Diseases and Pest Management

Use of the strategy of “natural enemies” to enhance growth of crops and animals

“Weeds” kill our Spirit; we must manage the evil of weeds so that we are open to God’s Word

8

Agricultural Labor

A variety of practices on how labor can be managed more effectively and efficiently without overburdening women

We are all co-laborers in God’s vineyard; God gave men AND women dominion and the co-labor with the Lord to produce the fruit of the Spirit

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9

Income Generation

Several strategies on how to increase farm income

How to trust in the Lord for His provision

10

Working with My Neighbor

Guidelines for farmers on how to interact with their neighbors to their mutual benefit

How to love the Lord, how to love my neighbor, how and to love myself

11

Sharing Agricultural Bounty

How to budget income from farming

Tithing and helping the poor

Say: We are beginning our lesson today by going over what we have learned in the past lessons. By asking some questions about each lesson, we’ll have a good picture of the road of reconciliation and redemption we have traveled together. Do: Organize participants into small groups of between 3 and 5 people. Distribute a few “shape” cards – square, circle, triangle, question mark – to each group. Write the number and title of each lesson each on a flip chart (11 of them), and hang them up around the room. Assign 1-2 lessons per group, depending on how many groups you have. Say: In your small groups, first read over out loud the title of each lesson, then the Practical Lessons Learned, and finally the Biblical lessons learned. Talk among yourselves. Discuss what about this lesson stands out most in your mind and why? For each of the lessons, ask the following questions (write these on a flip chart) (as you write the questions down, show the particular shape they should use). Write your answers to these questions on the appropriately shaped card.

• What “squares” with what you already know? That is, are you confident in the practical and biblical lessons learned? (SQUARE)

• What completes a “circle” of understanding for you? That is, what are the key lessons you learned on that point? (CIRCLE)

• What has you looking at something from a different “angle”? That is, perhaps you knew these points before, but the presentation of the lesson had you look at it from a different angle. (TRIANGLE)

• What still puzzles you? That is, what questions do you still have about this lesson? (Allow 40 minutes.) (QUESTION MARK)

STEP 4 – DEBRIEFING LESSONS LEARNED: Say: Let’s go over what you have just done. Do: For every lesson, have groups identify the four different shapes/answers they have written. Post the shapes on the lesson number flip chart. Discuss any points that they

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raise. Ask if others in the other groups have any “shapes” they would like to fill out. Have them do so and respond to their shapes. Say: This was an excellent response to all that we have learned so far about how God is trying to bring His creation in line with His plans (redeem) and bring creation and all that is in it to Him (reconcile). It is in Him that we have our Hope and it is through Him we can plan for the future. (Allow 5-7 minutes per topic, for a total of 80 minutes.) Note to Facilitator: Collect all the flip charts. Develop a list of the question marks – questions participants still have about the lesson. Use these for any future lessons you will teach on the subject.

Part Two STEP 1: GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING THE WAY FORWARD: Say: In this exercise, we are going to plan our way forward. Based in the hope we have in God, we will project forward what our hopes are for our farms and our families. We begin by thinking through the guidelines we will use in planning, and then undertaking an actual plan. Write all these capitalized letters on a piece of flip chart paper. Ask: How does all planning begin? Response: With prayer, as “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails,” (Proverbs 19:21). We want to plan WITH God as our partner. Do: Write the words in capital letters in different color markers so that each stands out.

Say 1: We begin with the end in mind. What is the VISION we have for our farm? What do we want our farms to look like in the future that we will plan? Say 2: We have a reason for being in farming? What is this? Is it survival? Is it to earn an income? What is our PURPOSE or MISSION in farming? Say 3: We have in mind the way we are going to accomplish this purpose in our families. What are the VALUES we will use in putting our plans into action? Say 4: We have certain specific outcomes we want to achieve. Is it just a good harvest of a particular crop, or is it land that will continually be able to produce? So we must identify a GOAL. What do we really want to achieve? Say 5: We have a process in mind as to how we are going to achieve this goal. This process is our STRATEGY. Overall are we going to plant cash crops in single rows, or are we going to intercrop, or develop some other strategy? How are we going to employ animals? Labor?

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Say 6: We have some time lines in mind as to when we must accomplish what tasks. This is our ACTION PLAN. Who needs to do what by what time in order that we can achieve our purpose.

Say: These are the guidelines we have in planning. Now let’s get started on doing just that. (Allow 20 minutes). STEP 2: BEGINNING WITH PRAYER: Say: Let us begin our planning process with a word of prayer:

Oh, Lord, creator and giver of all things. Blessed be your name in all of your creation! You know our hearts, Lord, and you know our hopes. We hope in you Lord for all things in the future. Come, Lord, we invite you into our hearts. Show us your plan for each and every one of us so that we might work in your will. Open our hearts and our minds to what you want to tell us for our future. Guide our footsteps and every one of our actions. Show us your heart, Lord, so we may be a part of your plan for the redemption and reconciliation of your creation to you. Show us how we can help accomplish your goal. Amen. (Allow 5 minutes.)

STEP 3: CREATING A VISION - DRAWING OUR FARM OF THE FUTURE: Do: Distribute flip chart paper and markers to all participants. If husbands and wives have come together, then one paper for the family is sufficient. Say: While we have outlined a number of steps in conducting our planning exercise, time does not allow us to go through every different step. So, we are going to focus on our vision and our action plans for this particular exercise. In the next few minutes, draw a picture of what you believe is your ideal farm – one in which you have taken into account all the lessons you have learned, and are thinking of how you can reconcile – bring your farm and your family closer to God – to make your farm as God intended it to be. Don’t be concerned about your ability to draw; just do the best you can. Then label what you have drawn by writing what crops, animals, etc., you have on your drawing. (Allow 20 minutes.) STEP 4: WRITING UP AN ACTION PLAN: Say: Now that you have your vision for what you want your farm to look like, I would like you to write an action plan as to how you will achieve that vision. To write your action plan, answer the following questions (write the questions on a flip chart) (Allow 30 minutes):

1. What fields or gardens will I plant? Where? 2. What crops will I plant? How? 3. What animals will I have? How will I use them and take care of them? 4. What trees will I plant? Where and for what purpose? 5. How will I provide water on my farm? 6. Where will I conserve the soil? 7. What can I do to prevent pests from infesting my crops? How can I take care of

my animals? 8. Who will do which work? 9. What are the results I expect?

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STEP 5: DEBRIEFING VISIONS AND ACTION PLANS: Do: Have participants form into groups of two (three or four if husbands and wives are working together). Say: Each of you has developed a plan based in the hopes you have in God. Share your plan with your partner. Do: Walk around and listen to what each group is saying. Make any encouraging comments about hope and trust in God. Say: Let’s just hear from a few of you as to what your plan is for your farm and your family. Do: After each one shares, make different points on how each practice may or may not be reconciliatory/redemptive and ask participants how the plans might be improved to bring the farm more in alignment with God’s original design. Refer to the different lessons learned previously so you can continue the review process. (Allow 60 minutes.)

Part Three STEP 1: DEMONSTRATING TRUST: Do: Take people outside if you are not already there. Say: In this part of the lesson we are going to demonstrate what trust is. Organize yourselves into pairs. One of you will first be a “blind” person and the other one will be the leader. Later you will switch roles. Here are the instructions: You are to walk around for five minutes, the blind person with his/her eyes closed all the time, and the leader carefully leading the person on the walk. The leader must warn the blind person of anything in their way so that they can act accordingly. The blind person should ask any questions they feel necessary, but their eyes must remain closed the whole time. After five minutes, I will tell you to switch, so that the leader becomes the blind person and the blind person becomes the leader. Then you follow the same directions. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 2: DEBRIEFING THE TRUST WALK: Do: Bring everyone back to the larger group. Discuss:

• What did it feel like to be the blind person? • What did it feel like to be the leader?

Ask: After having a practical example of what it is like to trust, what does it feel like to be trusting in and following God in all you do?

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Response: Obtain responses from 4-5 people. Emphasize the Related Topics in your discussion. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 3: TRUSTING IN GOD: Say: The reconciliation of creation is based on a trust we have in the Lord that He will not only hear our prayers, but guide us along the path He wants us to travel, and provide us with the rewards He has in mind if we obey Him and His Word in all that we do. What are some verses we can rely on in the Bible about trusting Him that can encourage us? Response: Write these verses down as they are said. If participants are quiet, write down the following verses on the flip chart:

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. John 14:1: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

Ask: What do these verses mean to you? Response: Obtain between 4 and 5 responses. Discuss the general meaning of trusting in God and his son, Jesus Christ, for all that is to come. (Allow 15 minutes.) STEP 4: FOLLOWING GOD’S RECONCILIATORY AND REDEMPTIVE PLAN FOR OUR LIVES: Do: Read to participants the following Bible verse:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20.

Say: This is God’s plan for all of creation, for all of us – that we should be reconciled to Him through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. His plan is the perfect one in which we and all of creation will return to the way He intended it to be in Genesis 1 – “Very Good.” We are co-laborers in this redemptive work. Do: Organize participants into 11 groups, to match the number of lessons in the curriculum up to this point. Provide several half-sheets of A4 paper or 3x5 cards. Assign one question per group; refer to the review HANDOUT you provided participants in Part I of the Lesson. Hang 11 flip charts around the room, each headed with the title of the different lessons. Ask: We have talked about the many ways to be co-laborers with God in caring for His creation and His people over the course of all of these lessons. What is our responsibility to help in the redemption of creation as a co-laborer with God? What is our job? Write one answer per sheet I have given you. (Allow some time for this task to be completed. Ask: What did you come up with? Do: Have participant-groups report out what they have written for each lesson. Discuss each point in terms of how their co-labor with God in this area will help in the

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redemption and reconciliation of the land and all that He has created to Him. Have them place their card/paper on the appropriate question. Say: Let’s all take a walk around and look at what each group has said. Prayerfully, consider what you read and identify key ways in which you can act to be God’s co-laborers. (Allow 60 minutes.) CONCLUSION: Say: We began this lesson with what our hopes are for our farms and family. As we had these hopes take shape in creating a plan for our farm and family, we began with prayer. We planned, with God at our side, and then we learned about how we trust Him to implement the perfect plan. We then identified different ways we can act on God’s redemptive plan and work with Him to bring creation back in line with His original plan. It is now our responsibility to commit to the different ways that we can be co-laborers with God in fulfilling that plan. Let us close this lesson, and all our lessons in the Redemptive Agriculture curriculum, with a commitment to discerning and following God’s will for reconciling creation to Him through His Son. Let’s close with individual prayers for this very commitment. Then we will close with a hymn/prayer of commitment. Do: Write the following on a flip chart. Allow participants to offer up their individual prayers. If they are not forthcoming, then offer one up yourself. Close with the following prayer/hymn. (Allow 15 minutes):

Have Thine own way, Lord, Have Thine own way. You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, Savior, I pray, Have Thine own way, Lord, Have Thine own way.

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LESSON 12 – HANDOUT A – SUNSHINE HOPE CHART

HOPE

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LESSON 12 – HANDOUT B – LESSON CHART Lesson Numbe

r Picture Title

Practical Lessons Learned

Biblical Lessons Learned

1

The Earth and All It Contains

Challenge personal and/or ancestral ownership of land

God is creator, owner and sustainer of all. All praise is given to Him

2

Producing Abundant and Diverse Crops

Diversity in cropping patterns is good for creation

ALL of creation was given to humans to enjoy and it is up to us to maintain God’s diversity

3

God’s Animal Kingdom

Animals must be treated properly as they provide the farm with many inputs and they are part of God’s creation

The Lord is our Shepherd and we are His sheep; he cares for us as we must care for animals

4

Trees and Their Fruits

Planting trees of all varieties bring many benefits to farmers

We are the Lord’s “trees” and must bear fruit to His glory – the Fruits of the Spirit

5

Agricultural Water Conservation and Use

Different practices for water retention in fields

Jesus is the “Living Water” we must seek for our redemption

6

Soil Fertility and Conservation

Soil conservation practices

The Sabbath year of rest, and creating the “fertile soil” of our minds to receive God’s Word

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7

Crop and Animal Diseases and Pest Management

Use of the strategy of “natural enemies” to enhance growth of crops and animals

“Weeds” kill our Spirit; we must manage the evil of weeds so that we are open to God’s Word

8

Agricultural Labor

A variety of practices on how labor can be managed more effectively and efficiently without overburdening women

We are all co-laborers in God’s vineyard; God gave men AND women dominion and the co-labor with the Lord to produce the fruit of the Spirit

9

Income Generation

Several strategies on how to increase farm income

How to trust in the Lord for His provision

10

Working with My Neighbor

Guidelines for farmers on how to interact with their neighbors to their mutual benefit

How to love the Lord, how to love my neighbor, how and to love myself

11

Sharing Agricultural Bounty

How to budget income from farming

Tithing and helping the poor

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APPENDIX TO LESSON 12 Biblical Foundations

Choosing Life 1. See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I

command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life. . . Deuteronomy 30:15-20

2. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. I Peter 1:18-21

A Call to Invest 1. Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted

his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents. See I have gained five more.” His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” The man with the two talents also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see I have gained two more.” His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well, then, you should have put

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my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” Matthew 25:14-29

2. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:10-13

Planning the Investment 1. In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs

16:9 2. Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21 3. Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their

work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” Isaiah 29:15 4. “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that

are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my spirit, heaping sin upon sin. . .” Isaiah 30:1

5. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

6. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

7. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. John 14:1-4

8. Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this and that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

A View of the Returns on Investment 1. Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be

remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of

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crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord. Isaiah 65:17-25

2. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:18-25

3. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Colossians 1:15-23

Bibliography Moe-Lobeda, Cynthia. 2003. “A Christian Ethical Framework for Debate on Agricultural Biotechnology,” in Karanja, David D. (ed.). Agricultural Biotechnology. Can It Help Reduce Hunger in Africa? Conference Proceedings. Washington, D.C. Bread for the World Institute.

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Oye, Michael. 2003. “The Bible as Ethical Standard for Appraising Modern Agricultural Practices” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 187-202. Wibberley, E. John. 2003. “Integration towards Ethical Agriculture: Challenges, Principles and Practice in International Perspective,” in Evans, David J., Ronald J. Vos and Keith P. Wright (eds.). Biblical Holism and Agriculture. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, pp. 203-248.

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Redemptive Agriculture: Working the Land God Entrusted to Us

FARMING PRACTICES AMONG ETHNIC GROUPS IN KENYA

INTRODUCTION The many ethnic groups in Kenya, located in different microenvironments, have developed a range of farming practices related to their cultural beliefs and environmental resources. What follows are brief descriptions of the farming practices that each group has undertaken, as identified in the literature. These descriptions are not meant to be comprehensive, but rather a starting point on each group from which you can add information that will help you in delivering the twelve lessons in the curriculum. While some literature upon which this writing is based is very old, the reader can gain an initial understanding of the practices and constraints that have guided each group over the years and then build upon them for the purposes of ministering to these people. The reference for each of the groups noted is provided in a footnote. Gusii14

Land and Land Tenure: Women gain access to land through marriage. With the increasing number of irregular unions that are not made legal, women are losing their rights to land. The land is generally cleared and then cultivated for two years, with a fallow of between six and seven years. Division of Labor: Traditionally, men cleared new land and women planted and hoed. Men also helped in weeding and harvesting. Now, men have deeds to their property, shared with his brothers. Small amounts of land can be accessed by women to grow subsistence crops. However, if bridewealth has not been paid, women cannot gain access to land.

14 Thomas Hakansson. 1986. Landless Gusii Women: A Result of Customary Land Law and Modern Marriage Patterns. Uppsala, Sweden: University of Uppsala, African Studies Program, Department of Cultural Anthropology.

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Iteso15

Land and Land Tenure: The “Patron” of the area controls the distribution of land, although he does not own it. Land can be withdrawn from someone in case of accusations of wizardry. A husband can assign a field to a wife. Each adolescent and adult usually has his or her own fields. Animals: Cattle are a source of bridewealth, milk, prestige. Oxen are used for plowing. Cows are loaned out for milk, but they and their offspring must be returned. The Iteso believe they can use any land for grazing. Cropping Patterns: The Iteso grow cassava, Eleusine (millet), sorghum, green bananas. Women also grow green, leafy vegetables in gardens close to the homestead. For cash, they grow maize and cotton. Men grow more cash crops than women. Soil Conservation: Fields are generally cultivated for four or five years until they are exhausted, and then they are let to lie fallow. Water Management: The Iteso live in high-rainfall savannah (the area receives between 50 and 65 inches per year), although the amount is localized and varies from year to year. Division of Labor: Men prepare the land and plow; women do all else with regard to cash cropping. A husband is not required to prepare fields for his wife’s cash crops, but a woman often uses a fallowed field of her husband. Community Participation: Members of the neighborhood are called together to provide agricultural labor at peak periods. The family calling the party brews beer for the workers. Kalenjin16

Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: Asiis, the Kalenjin god, is interested in all areas of life, and is the giver of abundance. Prayers are offered to Asiis, or Chebokimabai, at times of weeding. Asked for: rain, to withhold hail and disease, and to give an abundant harvest. An offering is proffered; milk and grain were poured; and beer was made and drunk. At harvest, thanksgiving is offered (primarily led by women). After all the harvest is in, a large festival is held led by a “priest.” The harvest of the first day cannot be eaten, but must be offered to Asiis. The first harvest is then blessed. A cleansing ritual is undertaken on the fields if the harvest was not adequate or the actual crop was defective. This ritual is performed by women. The cleansing will also allow people to eat a bad crop. 15 Ivan Karp. 1978. Fields of Change among the Iteso of Kenya. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. 16 Burnette C. and Gerald W. Fish. 1995. The Kalenjin Heritage. Traditional Religions and Social Practices. Kericho, Kenya: African Gospel Church.

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Cropping Patterns: Eleusine millet is grown, as is peek, a small millet. It is not subject to being infested with weevils and it can be kept up to five years. Seeds are scattered by a selected group of men who are very knowledgeable about how to scatter. Animals: Cattle, sheep, goats used as food source (milk and blood, sometimes for meat for a celebration); hides for clothing, sleeping mats, and rings and bracelets for ceremonies. Animals are wealth for dowry or could be sold for cash. In ceremonies: tails for fly whisks, fat for anointing, entrails read for omens, blood for cleansing. An owner does not reveal the number of animals he has for fear of jealousy. Donkeys used for carrying loads. As cattle are sacred, they are not used for plowing. Men and boys care for herds and live in a small house in the pastureland. Ceremonies are performed to keep the herds healthy. Ceremonies are performed to protect the herd when it is moved in seasonal rounds. During the sod smoldering/burning time, the tails of lambs are cut and eaten. After harvest, animals are allowed into the field to graze. Cattle belonging to someone else are also allowed into each field only at this time. Soil Conservation: An old field is to be left at least three years before being used again; four or five years is better for developing good sod. Division of Labor: Men can be active in plowing and harvesting crops; women do all the digging and weeding. Men and boys generally care for the herd and travel to outstations while women remain in one location and cultivate. Men or women can dig sod. After drying thin slabs of approximately two feet by four feet, women insert smoldering ashes into the pile that is let to burn and smolder for two or three days. Selected men scatter seeds. Women are responsible for weeding. Women are responsible for a broad range of rituals related to cropping. For instance, women must pray for rain to Asiis and often fast before the prayer to give it added strength. Medicine men are less effective in praying for rain. Women also pray to stop the rain if too much is coming down or coming down at the wrong time. Community Participation: Women practice a tradition form of cooperation – morik – in working by rotation in other’s fields.

Kamba, Akamba (Kitui)17

Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: The Kitui Akamba believe in one high god and refer to him with the following names:

• Mulungu – creator and possessor of all things; one who stays along; transcendental and mysterious

• Mumbi – creator • Ngai Mumbi – powerful God; where power is manifest in creation • Ngai - God

17Richard Gehman. 1989. African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective. Kijabe, Kienya: Kesho Publications. Michael F. O’Leary. 1984. The Kitui Akamba. Economic and Social Change in Semi-Arid Kenya. Nairobi: Heinemann Educational Books.

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Ngai cannot be known; he is greatly feared; Ngai saves people from calamity, but only with the help of the ancestral spirits. Ngai can give permission to the aimu to kill someone. He is omnipresent, shields people from danger, is morally good, kind and loving, but has no personal interest in people. Mulungu is not worshipped, not prayed to as the living dead are prayed to. Only when there is extreme difficulty or good harvest is Mulungu sought. During extreme drought, children used to be sacrificed to Mulungu to get rain. Spirits are resident in plant and animal life, and are mediated through specialists. Virtually all negative events (e.g., poor harvest, sickness) are explained by witchcraft. A witch can plant a charm in the field to ruin the crops. There are three levels of medicine/wise men: 1) prophets - predict the future and can decipher dreams; they are possessed by the ancestors; 2) diviners – determine what is wrong and prescribe a treatment; and 3) Cleansing herbalists – provide cures and purification for different illnesses. Magic is used to seek protection as well as wealth and employment. The aimu are the spirits of the departed and pervade all of life through the possession of people. The living dead are the elders of the senior living elders and the guardians of tradition. The ancestors are very easily angered and often wreak havoc. Each homestead has a central shrine to their ancestors. Before planning, seeds are taken to the medicine man. He plants some, and then gives women the rest in preparation for rain. Medicine men determine what causes drought. Land and Land Tenure: Limited; farmers work on small plots. Married sons may not have land due to shortages. Cropping Patterns: Millet, cow peas, maize, green grams (these four are cash crops). Plowing occurs after rains start in order to limit the growth of weeds. It is also less strenuous for the oxen who are in a weaker condition after the dry season. Millet, cow peas, pigeon peas, oranges, guava, mango, sisal are also grown; bananas, sugar cane, onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage are grown in riverine environments. Not all households have plows. Farmers barter with each other for their use. Animals: Cattle, goats, and sheep are kept in home grazing grounds, in fenced paddocks, and in communal and unfenced rangeland. Cattle are also taken to state pastures. Farmers consider the carrying capacity of each grazing area and may split their herds accordingly for grazing. Neighbors get together and determine how to divide herds. Cattle are taken in seasonal rounds to distant grazing areas where there are watering pans. Cattle also graze in fields that have been harvested. Soil Fertility: Cultivation is continuous. Generally, more than 15 years passes before fallow is allowed for the garden. In one location, terraces were constructed by forced labor.

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Water Management: There are many wells that are used to keep a trough filled for cattle. The troughs and wells must be cleaned regularly due to silt build-up. Men with their herds congregate at these troughs, and women have set up small tea shops to sell tea to the men. Pests: Weeding takes place two or three times about six weeks after the rain. The work is accomplished by women who call work parties. There is always a labor shortage to accomplish the weeding, but it generally coincides with school holidays. In forming work parties, kin have an obligation to help each other. Division of Labor: Each married woman has her own garden. Men cut down trees and clear area in preparation for planting; they help women in sowing. Men plow, weed and harvest. Threshing is a collective activity, which includes children. If there is a good crop, threshing parties are held at night with dances, which are especially for the young and unmarried. Women might have many small, dispersed plots to tend to due to land inheritance patterns. Men and boys herd the cattle. The peak time of their labor is during the dry season because the cattle have to be herded to distant lands where camps are set up. A son-in-law must plow for his mother-in-law. Since many plots are very small, farmers of either sex hire themselves out during peak agricultural times. Kamba, Akamba (Machakos)18

Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: Two types of gods: Engai or Mulungu is the impersonal god, vaguely living in the sky. Aiimu are spirits of the ancestors. Before any crop can be eaten, an offering of the first fruits must be made to the aiimu. A very old man and woman make supplications to aiimu for permission to eat the crops. A dance is held, and a woman possessed is the sign that the aiimu have given permission to eat the crop. Planting areas may be inhabited by aiimu and a crop will fail if it is planted in these areas. The Aiimu are of different types: aiimu ya kitombo are disembodied releases of people who have killed their neighbors and have been banished into the woods by the Supreme Being. People can be attacked by this aiimu in their fields. A goat must be sacrificed to atone. Every woman is the wife of a man as well as the wife of an aiimu. A woman’s fertility is dependent on her spiritual husband. At death, the living-dead go to the “country of the departed,” almost an exact replica of where they came from, but it is perfect and very fertile. Almost all misfortunes are attributed to the living-dead. So sacrifices are made to the living-dead of a single color goat, sheep or 18 Linnell E. Davis. 1968. The Use of the Bible in the Kamba Tribal Setting. M.A. Thesis, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. C. W. Hobley. 1910/1971. Ethnology of A-Kamba and Other East African Tribes. London: Frank Cass. C. W. Hobley. 1938. Bantu Beliefs and Magic. London: H. F. & G. Witherby, Ltd. John N. Mbiti. 1971. New Testament Eschatology in an African Background. A Study of the Encounter between New Testament Theology and African Traditional Concepts. London: Oxford University Press. John Middleton and Greet Kershaw. 1972. The Central Tribes of the North-Eastern Bantu. London: International African Institute. Mary Tiffen, Michael Mortimore, and Francis Gichuki. 1994. More People, Less Erosion. Environmental Recovery in Kenya. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons. Barbara Thomas-Slaytor, Charity Kabitha, and Richard Ford. 1991. Traditional Village Institutions in Environmental Management: Erosion Control in Katheka, Kenya. Nairobi: World Resources Institute.

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cow. Blood is used as a libation. Sacrifices are a sign of fellowship, hospitality and remembrance of the living-dead. Before planning, the medicine man is consulted. Elders and women meet, men bring a goat and women bring milk and a grain offering of the village. The goat is killed and the blood is used for a libation. The cereals are offered with a prayer for a good crop. Then planting occurs. Many medicinal plants are grown: wala for stomach and eye ailments; wimbi is boiled and drunk for fever; kikuungate is for fever and headache; ithunga is for gonorrhea and swelling. The Kamba believe that animals also have souls. Land and Land Tenure: Traditionally, the first person to clear land for a farm could sell it, give it away, or leave it to his sons. Cultivation did not have to be continuous to maintain rights over the land cleared. The average field size has decreased from 0.24 ha to 0.17 ha, or 30% less (between the years 1981-85). Because of the shortage of land, there has been a move into lands that have less natural potential. The shortage of land has led farmers to seek off-farm income. Cropping Patterns: Cash crops include: coffee, French beans, vegetables, trees, cotton, paw paw, tomatoes, lemons and other citrus, maize, peas, mangoes, cotton, pigeon peas, grams, and sorghum. Planting takes place along water catchment cut-off contours. This has replaced broadcasting of seed, so weeding can be done by plow. There is generally a double crop. Cotton is grown on larger farms; smaller farms must plant food. Animals: In Mbooni, dairy cows are cross bred with other cows. Cattle are kept under zero grazing with planed fodder. The shortage of draught oxen is due to a shortage of grazing land. This gives rise to a shortage of manure for cropping and a decline in soil fertility. Cattle have mostly a practical value now – plowing, manure, food security, milk. They are no longer seen as prestige items or used for bride price. They are generally confined to enclosed permanent grazing land belonging to the farm, or tethered. Trees: Planting of fruit trees and wattle are the most desired. Euphorbia and Lentana cassia border grazing land. Terminalia brownii produces termite-resistant timber for houses, oxen yokes and tools. Tress grown include lemon, banana, orange, mango, and pawpaw. Tree planning and cultivation is based in the division of labor. Soil Conservation: Manure is purchased from ranches as not many households can keep cattle due to the limited space for grazing. Maize residues are used as coffee mulch. Some time back terraces were constructed on many farms. Now when they are needed farmers must hire labor. When not constructed properly or poorly maintained, gullies can be formed and channel silting occurs.

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Water Management: Farm households have varying water rights. They have developed bench terracing with cut-offs that bring water to the top of the terracing system. Cut-offs are planted with banana and other trees. Dry tillage catches the first rains and stores the water. Ridges increase surface water retention thereby reducing run-off and increasing infiltration. Mulching retains surface vegetation to reduce evaporation. Division of Labor: Mweytha, or work groups, used to be called along clan lines as family is supposed to help each other. Now, women call work groups that are composed of anyone who comes. They can construct conservation terraces, weed. Men contribute to all stages of crop production, but many men have off-farm jobs. Parents have taken over the jobs of children because they are in school. Women form self-help groups to do farm labor and gain access to resources. Men plant trees for timber (eucalyptus for building poles), fuel, windbreaks, hedgerows and for ornamental shade or amenity purposes (jacaranda, grevillea). Women favor fruit trees to add to the household food supply. Men exercise right to timber, and women use trimmings and dead wood for fuel. Men make charcoal. Income Generation: In addition to crops sold for market, farm households generally have at least one member who has gone to “town” for a job. Households also sell livestock and make charcoal. Income generated off the farm is used to purchase fertilizer, manure and increased soil conservation practices. It is also used to purchase labor. Kikuyu, Gikuyu19

Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: Many words for God: • Ngai • Mwene Nyaga – Possessor of brightness • Ngine – Owner • Murungu – Mysterious, merciful God • Githuri – Elder • Mumbi – Creator; molder of earth (also name of first woman) • Mogai – Lord of nature

God is everywhere at all times – in the air and wind – and is invisible. God’s resting place is in certain mountains, Mt. Kere Nyaga or Mt. Kenya. He is the most powerful in heaven and earth. He is able to do all things and is the source of all power. He is 19 Samson K. Gitau. 2000. The Environmental Crisis. A Challenge for African Christianity. Nairobi: Acton Publishers. Sammy Githuku. 2001. “Taboos on Counting,” in Mary Getui, Knut Holter and Victor Zinkurature (eds.). Interpreting the Old Testament in Africa. New York: Peter Lang. Jomo Kenyatta. 1965. Facing Mount Kenya. New York: Vintage Books. John Middleton and Green Kershaw. 1972. The Central Tribes of the North-Eastern Bantu. London: International African Institute. Julius K. Murikwa. 1981. A Study of the Kikuyu Culture and the Communication of the Gospel. Master of Theology Thesis. Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. Nding’u David Mwango. 1976. Kikuyu and Christianity in Kenya. M.A. Thesis, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.

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stronger than curses. He has power over all natural events. The Kikuyu turn to God in times of crises. They sacrifice to him for rain. God is the source of all created things, the originator, architect of creation. Animals were given by God to the Kikuyu. There are sacred groves, especially of fig trees, where sacrifices are made. It is taboo to graze or cultivate in these groves. God is the exclusive source of goodness. All must follow God’s regulations; if one does not, the whole community can be endangered. All components of the universe are related and all-dependent on God. Eating fish causes ritual uncleanness. If one transgresses God’s rules, s/he is punished. God is the provider and sustainer of his creation. If God withholds rain, the reason must be determined, generally for believers, through prayer. Humanity is not master over nature. Man is in partnership with the animal kingdom. God loves or hates people according to their behavior. He lives in the sky but has temporary homes on earth on mountains. Visits to earth are for general inspection and giving blessings. He cannot be seen by mortal eyes. He does not take an interest in people’s daily lives and is called upon only during crises. Ceremonies invoking his presence are birth, initiation, marriage, and death. Ngai is appealed to during drought. Ngai manifests himself through the sun, moon, stars, rain, rainbows, lightning and thunder. If a man is struck by lightning, it was done because he transgressed a taboo not to look to the heavens during a thunderstorm. If all is going well, Ngai is happy so there is no need for prayers – one shouldn’t bother Ngai needlessly. Ngai has the power to give and take away. Sacrifices are made only in extreme circumstances. Illness is generally caused by the ancestors. Ngai can withhold rain if he is angry. To make restitution, a perfect lamb must be sacrificed. The older men and women never partake of food or drink without putting a morsel of one and a few drops of the other in the ground for the spirits of the departed. This is an act of offering food and libation to the dead for help. The Kikuyu have a very rich creation myth in which the first man and woman were given domain of the earth. Male were given ownership of cattle and because of their irresponsibility with animals, women were not to have any contact with them. A certain portion of land was given by Ngai to the Kikuyu. When they had grown to such a large number, they integrated with the Ndorobo through trade and purchase of land. Life is eternal and after death a person’s spirit goes to a “spirit world” and thereafter referred to as the living dead. In this state, they have the same personalities as they did in the flesh. They visit the living through dreams, visions and trances. People commune with the living dead, generally around the hearth. But prayer and worship are only for God. The living dead can be bribed to do things people want done. While God is merciful, the living dead are often greedy, selfish and cruel. The living dead offer security to people as they are said to surround people. They can provide peace of mind and diminish the fear of the unknown as they interact daily with people. The living dead can be used as intercessors to God as God is also the father of long-dead ancestors.

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Communion with the ancestral spirits is perpetuated through contact with the soil in which the ancestors of the soil lie buried. Earth is the “mother” of the tribe. The soil feeds the child through lifetime and nurses the spirits of the dead for eternity. It is taboo to count human beings and domestic animals as misfortune will befall the one who counted. If a man’s herd increases to 100 cows, he is required to slaughter a bull to be eaten by his relatives and other members of the community before he is allowed to drink any milk. If he fails to do this and drinks milk, his animals will die. Infractions of taboos are handled by medicine men and ancestors. When planting, seeds from all crops are obtained and mixed with the contents of a lamb’s stomach that was sacrificed for rain. The mixture is given to a woman who plants the seeds in a selected field while intoning a prayer. Once the ritual has been completed, everyone else can plant (this may not be followed any more due to the acceptance of Christianity). Ngai is paid tribute with a handful of the harvest to pay tribute to him who owns all things. Ancestral spirits can be the father or mother who communicate with the family directly; they can also be clan spirits who act collectively in administering justice to the family; there are also age-group spirits. They become angry when they are forgotten, and when this happens a medicine man must be consulted to determine the problem. The spirits require the same courtesies that are due to living members of the community. Land and Land Tenure: Land is owned by the family – mbari – and individual plots are allocated by the head of the family. Each “house” (or wife) has her own plot, animals and crops. Every Kikuyu family has a land right. No man can cultivate another’s land without permission. The first to clear a plot of forest land “owns” it – this can be either a man or woman. Land is inherited by the sons. As families grow and land is limited, sons may obtain cultivation rights from others. A man cannot sell his land without the approval of the elders as it is his son’s inheritance. The first-born son is the “administrator” of the land when his father dies. If a brother wants to sell his share of the land, he must go first to the other brothers. If land is sold, a ceremony of “marking the boundary” must be undertaken in which testimony as to the ownership of the land is taken. The contents of a ram’s stomach is splattered along the boundary. Cropping Practices: Maize, pigeon pea, European potatoes, manioc (cassava), banana, sugar cane, yams, arum lily, fruits, tobacco, coffee, castor oil, tea, pyrethrum, sweet potatoes. Many of these are planted in the two crop cycles of the year. Cereals are planted in one “block” with each house responsible for certain portions. Animals: Animals graze on pastureland that is held under common usufruct. One can graze his own animals on his own property also.

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Trees: The fig tree is considered sacred and must never be cut down. Certain trees are also medicinal. Property owners might demarcate their land with a boundary of trees. Water Management: Since the early 20th century, the Kikuyu have been digging irrigation channels. They terraced their hillsides with wattle or stone barriers. Water is considered life for everyone and should not be polluted. Soil Conservation: After harvest, men uproot the grain stalks and burn them to fertilize the soil. The Kikuyu practice shifting cultivation, with periodic “abandonment” to allow the ground to rest. They have an intimate knowledge of soil types and which is suitable for which crop. They use animal manure and vegetable waste for fertilizer. They plant nitrogen-fixing plants in a mixed cropping pattern to stabilize soils. They also intercrop. Pests: Two or three new moons after planting, the herb makori is put on crops to protect them from insects. Division of Labor: Only men and boys herd cattle. Women cultivate as a group on the block of land, but each woman has a certain portion for which she is responsible. Men’s work: herding cattle and other animals; clearing fields; planting banana, yam, sweet potato, sugar cane and tobacco; scaring birds; pruning bananas; uprooting grain stalks after harvest and burning to fertilize ground; collecting honey. Women’s work: planting maize, millet, beans, etc.; hoeing, weeding, harvesting; storing and caring for food supply; grinding grains; pounding sugar; making beer; tending hives and making honey; trading in grains (this latter occurred until grains became a cash crop, when the sale of grains became a man’s activity). Women do not inherit land but have plots to cultivate through their husbands. Luo20

Spiritual Beliefs/Practices: All living and non-living things have some sort of power. People and animals possess spirits, a soul, and a shadow. The spiritual attributes of people continue after death. It is the elders of the spirits that determine human destiny. The spirit world is organized as follows: God is at the top; clan, ancestral and living dead spirits follow; the human beings graded in a community follow (religious specialists, elders, adults, youth, children, infants, in that order); animals; plants; inanimate objects. As humans are at the center of a cosmic process, many rituals are undertaken. God is known by many names and has many attributes:

• Nyasaye – God the supreme creator, source of everything

20 Alov Osotse Mojula. 1990. “The Traditional Religious Universe of the Luo People of Kenya: A Preliminary Study,” in Philip Steve and Ernst R. Woodland (eds.). Bridging the Gap. African Traditional Religion and Bible Translation. Reading, UK: United Bible Societies, Monograph Series No. 4, pp. 154-174.

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• Jackwech – maker, molder, creator • Jackwath – herder, guardian • Were – kind, merciful one • Nyakalaga – omnipresent one • Jyok – supreme spiritual being

The Luo believe that God is far removed from everyday life, although they pray to him for help and protection. The spirits really dominate people’s lives. There is a great reverence for natural things as they could be inhabited by the spirits. Maasai21

Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: God is named Enkai – the unseen/unknown one. He is the originator of rain. He made males and females. He is morally upright and merciful. He is the source of all that exists in the universe. He is the creator. All things manifest the presence of the creator. Enkai gave the Maasai their animals, and they consider themselves to be the rightful owners of all cattle. Snakes are sacred and manifest the spirit of the departed so they are never killed. Enkai is the source of all plants, especially grasses that cattle eat. Enkai is the source of all goodness. Sacrifices are offered to him to maintain good relationships. If something goes wrong (e.g., drought, famine, locusts, earthquakes), someone must have offended Enkai and sacrifices must be made to restore the relationship. The regulation of society was set down by Enkai, and these include collective responsibility, mutual obligation, and solidarity. At times a cow is sacrificed to ensure the welfare of the community. Purification ceremonies are held from time to time to avert supernatural misfortunes. Maragoli22

Spiritual Beliefs/Practices: If family members are not buried properly, the deceased can create havoc with the living. If people continue to “dig” during a funeral, the land they are working will be cursed and not produce. Land and Land Tenure: Land is viewed as “home,” where birth gives one membership in a social group and a resting place after death (unmarried women are buried on their father’s land). Land is men’s property and it provides them with long-term personal security. Access to land is through inheritance, rights of usufruct, and statutory tenure. Women are allocated land for use by their fathers-in-law upon or soon after marriage. Cropping Patterns: Bananas, common beans, napier grass, maize, sweet potatoes, cassava, sorghum, French beans, tea, finger millet, coffee, groundnuts, Bambara nuts, sesame. Maize is double-cropped. Women are responsible for vegetable production. 21 Samson K. Gitau. 2000. The Environment Crises. A Challenge for African Christianity. Nairobi: Acton Publishers. 22 Ritu Verma. 2001. Gender, Land, & Livelihoods in East Africa. Through Farmers’ Eyes. Ottawa, Canada: International Development Research Institute.

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Animals: Farm animals (cattle, goats) are zero and roadside grazed. Soil Conservation: Men plant trees on the borders of their property (bananas and hedges). Once planted, women manage the trees and hedges. Banana leaves are used in green manure and for livestock fodder. Pests: Trenches are dug in fields to create a break in the burrows of moles by inundating these passages with rainwater. Division of Labor: Women strategically focus their energies, time and labor on certain microniches on the farm where they have long-term security, and on labor enterprises that are economically lucrative and in which they control the products of their labor. In light of male labor migration, women have taken on more farm labor responsibilities. Women collect fodder for cattle and their manure for the fields. Women clear the land, plant and weed. Men “break ground” to plant a new field. Women like to work with tea (they can carry the baskets into which tea leaves are harvested; men do not carry baskets) as they can generate an income from the harvests (tea plants are not registered and “owned” by men, as is the case with coffee, so whoever turns in a harvest gets paid). Meru23

Spiritual Beliefs/Practices: God is the creator and sustainer of all life, but he is very far away and is not to be disturbed by daily life. He lives on top of Mt. Kenya and is manifested in natural phenomena. There are several names and attributes of God:

• Murungu/Ngai – creator and sustainer of all life • Mweni Inya – all powerful • Mwene Keao - merciful

The ancestors are more intimate and involved in everyday life. They maintain equilibrium. They are the guardians of tribal ethics. Every calamity is attributed to an angered ancestor. Disaster is attributed to God’s anger for human transgression. Sacrifice and prayer right the upset relationship with God (generally a lamb). Before planting and harvesting, a sacrifice must be given (sheep). Laws were given by God. Water Management: The Meru made box terraces with garden trash.

23 Marian Ferry. 1981. An Example of the Traditional, Social, and Moral Values of the Girls of North Imenti Meru District, as Revealed through the Education System and the Changes Brought About through the Arrival of the Missionary. M.A. Thesis, Department of Communications, Wheaton College (Daystar Communication), Wheaton, IL (and Nairobi, Kenya).

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Mijikenda24

Social Organization: The Mijikenda are a composite of nine smaller groups, with each located in their own towns/villages along the coast. Land and Land Tenure: A variety of ownership: deeded, on loan from another, traditional rights of usufruct, and rented from another. Cropping Patterns: Crops include maize, sorghum, cassava, cowpea, green gram, Bambara nut, groundnuts, sesame, sunflower, coconut, cashew nut, citrus fruits, mango, banana. All are planted in different “belts” or zones in accordance with the needs of the crop. They practice mixed cropping in accordance with topography and soils. Animals: The Mijikenda keep cattle, goats, sheep, chickens and ducks. Soil Conservation: Very limited use of manure fertilizer; very low soil fertility; exhausted soils. Pests: Noxious weeds threaten soil fertility and production. Division of Labor: 47% of men work full time on the farm; 37% work off the farm. 92% of women work on the farm; 5% attend school; 2% work off the farm. Women grow the least attractive crop (maize) and lack the education to improve farming. They cannot calculate or read simple leaflets or labels. Farm Technology: They use the short handled hoe, machetes, knives, mortars and pestles. They hire tractors for plowing. Pokot25

Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: The Pokot believe in one God, Tororot, who is equated with the sky. He hears and listens to all, which enables him to know and notice requests made by people for rain, grass, children, etc., and to notice the curses of enemies and diseases. He effectuates the words of people. There is no limit to his rule. He is the final and ultimate cause of everything that concerns man. He is the keeper and protector of all things. He supports the whole world and earthquakes occur when he is changing the “pillar” on which the earth rests. He is the molder and maker of

24 Henk Waaijenberg. 1994. Mijikenda agriculture in Coast Province of Kenya: Peasants in between Tradition, Ecology, and Policy. Wageningen, the Netherlands: Royal Tropical Institute. 25 Rorke B. Bryan. 1994. “Land Degradation and the Development of Land Use Policies in a Transitional Semi-Arid Region,” in Rorke B. Bryan (ed.). Soil Erosion, Land Degradation, and Social Transition. Cremlingen- Destedt, Germany: Catena Verlag, Advances in GeoEcology 27. Johannes Jacubus Visser. 1989. Pokot Religion. The Netherlands: Hendrik Kiraemer Instituit.

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man. Tororot also snatches life from babies. He is also the ultimate cause for barrenness as well as beauty. Tororot can be made into “Asis,” who is the one who sees everything. Asis can be prayed to to find an animal lost in the bush; Asis can see when children are naughty; Asis sees thieves; people abstain from sexual intercourse during the day so that Asis cannot see them. Asis can cause the death of a person. Asis is a natural phenomenon and represents the eyes of Tororot. Ilot are lesser beings who reside normally in bodies of water. Perceived of as a type of large bird, Ilots find water and transfer it to where it is needed. The flapping of its wings make thunder and wind. The rainbow is the spear of the Ilot and people fear rainbows. Ilot can become angry and create destruction. Onyot is an evil spirit that can be equated with Satan. He cheats, causes people to drop things, disturbs dreams, can inhabit a baby and must be removed through divination. The “spirits of the below” have a link with patrilineal ancestors. The spirit of a person may appear as a snake and is appeased with milk and tobacco as it is often hungry. If the ancestors are not appeased, a household member may die. Sorcerers are people with “the eyes” or the evil eye who have the ability to spoil good things with their eyes. Cropping Patterns: Now sedentary farmers, the Pokot need to rotate or intercrop with legumes, or increase the use of fertilizer or manures. Because of their lack of a long history of cropping, the Pokot need to be trained in all manner of cropping. Animals: The amount of rangeland available for grazing has been severely reduced due to sedentarization and the construction of schools, markets, and homesteads. There is a scarcity of fodder for small stock. Stock needs to be controlled and prevented from going into seeded pastures. Fences need to be constructed and water harvesting implemented. Water Management: In 1985 a dam was built in the area. Soil Management: In Baringo there is no topsoil. The agricultural potential is limited by steep slops and erosion. There is also little grass for grazing. Division of Labor: Children are not available for the traditional tasks fulfilled by boys and girls because they are in school.

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Rendille26 Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: Believe in people with potentially good or evil power – upire. People have a totemic relationship with animals, with curses bring the totem into action. They hold ceremonies at the new moon. They have a seven-day ritual cycle that begins on Fridays, and they have a seven-year cycle that serves as the basis for age grading. There is also an annual cycle in which there are ceremonies for all the months. There is also a lunar cycle with ritual celebrations. Social Organization: Women, children, and married men are in settlements. Camels are kept in larger settlements. Generally eight camels are exchanged in bridewealth. Animals: Camels; suffer from salt deficiency. Camels kept for milk, though in smaller herds that cattle. Keep sheep and goats for meat, milk. Their feet get infested in the rainy season. Goats drop their kids in the field and leave them. They keep some horses. Division of Labor: Men and boys herd the animals in camps in seasonal rounds. Samburu27

Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: Samburu believe in the efficacy of rituals. They believe in a god, Nkai, but also in a collection of spirits who order the universe. Ceremonies are performed to prevent misfortune. Individuals have guardian spirits, but they can abandon their hosts if they are cursed by another. Ritual specialists can determine if certain objects or acts are propitious or not. Diviners and sorcerers have acquired wisdom and a mystical aura. They are more intimate than guardian spirits as they know when a man has been cursed. One communicates with the guardian spirit through dreams. Witches are said to be families with potent curses, generally related to blacksmiths or metalworkers. Social Organization: Live in small settlements comprising six or seven huts. Each family is independent. If one family’s herd is too big, it will be divided and people will relocate to graze. Generally 8 cattle are required for bridewealth. A husband may give a cow from the wife’s portion of the herd as a gift to her clansmen. Upon the death of the husband, the eldest son inherits his herd, though other sons may expect the gift of a heifer from that herd. Animals: Cattle are kept for milk; oxen are ceremonially slaughtered off when meet is badly needed during the dry season. If milk is scarce, blood is drawn from cattle and drunk. Their pastureland has deteriorated over the years. Keep sheep and goats, but

26 Paul Spencer. 1973. Nomads in Alliance: Symbiosis and Growth among the Rendille and Samburu of Kenya. London: Oxford University press. 27 Paul Spencer. 1973. Ibid.

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have the same problems as the Rendille. They keep donkeys for pack animals and horses. Division of Labor: Women milk the cattle two times per day. Women water donkeys and horses two times per day. A portion of a man’s herd is allotted to his wife at marriage. Turkana28 Spiritual Beliefs and Practices: The Turkana take a common-sense point of view of life with cause and effect being limited to a more practical reality. There is a hierarchy of spirits, however: At the apex is the high god, Akuj, who is the creator and lives in the sky. He is the all-powerful sustainer of life. He is not really interested in all that happens on earth. People pray to him, but it is not clear if he acts accordingly. He is benevolent, responsible for rain, and is only approached in times of need. Next, there are evil spirits who are blamed for illness and misfortune. To signify their presence, the Turkana will construct a pile of sticks or stones. A diviner is said to be the go-between for god; he also foretells the future and conducts healing rituals. The Turkana also believe in private magic symbolized in their use of charms. They conduct purification rituals when a clan taboo has been breached. If asking god for rain, a particular chosen animal must be sacrificed.

28 Raymond H. Davis. 1978. Church Growth & Culture Change I Turkana: A Study of the Africa Inland Church among Kenya’s Turkana People. M.A. Thesis, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA.

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Redemptive Agriculture: Working the Land God Entrusted to Us

A SPECIAL NOTE TO PILOT FACILITATORS We are delighted that you have agreed to pilot the Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum developed by Food for the Hungry, Inc. We thank you for agreeing to take on this task in the interest of bringing God’s messages to farmers on ownership and stewardship of creation. Because you are the first to use this curriculum, we ask several things of you. As you prepare for and implement each lesson: 1. Develop a list of supplemental Bible verses you use in understanding the main

theme of the lesson (so that we can add these to the Key Biblical Passages and/or Biblical Foundation).

2. Identify any supplemental materials you use to further develop the main theme of the lesson (so that we can add these to the Lesson Plans).

3. Identify any different learning approaches or learning tasks you use in implementing each lesson (so that we can add these to the Lesson Plans).

4. Identify any additions to the lesson you make that would extend the time of the lesson and approximate the time it takes to include this material (so that we can add these to the Lesson Plans and adjust the “Time Required” for each lesson).

5. Keep track of the amount of time you use to accomplish each step (so that we can adjust the “Time Required” for each lesson).

6. Identify any difficulties in implementing each lesson (so that we can make the “script” more clear).

7. If you believe a topic should be dropped and another added, or two topics combined, please let us know (so that we can change the curriculum itself).

8. Provide a brief profile of participants – include ethnicity (so that we can add to the “Farming Practices” paper), gender, education level achieved (approximate), and whether or not they are Christians (so that we can adjust Biblical content).

Use the above plan of review in writing your comments; that is, for example, if you have made any additions to the lesson (4 above), write down the item number – 4 – and describe what you did to which part of the lesson. We appreciate your taking the time to provide us the feedback we need to strengthen this curriculum. Please provide your comments to: [email protected] and [email protected]. The final version will take your comments into account. Thank you very much for your willingness to undertake this pilot testing of the Redemptive Agriculture Curriculum! Food for the Hungry, Inc. - February 2006

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working the land god entrusted to us - disciple nations

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