Growing Hope equips church leaders with Farming God’s Way, click here to find out more . GH gifts vegetable seeds and some equipment to rural churches and provides training and encouragement to start and continue vegetable gardens near the church for each church family participating.

Farming God’s Way is not an organisation but a resource to teach improved and sustainable conservation agricultural methods to local farmers, based on Biblical principles. Farming God’s Way helps to address the problems of food poverty that families face, especially in these rural areas. It supports the churches we link with, with spiritual aspects of poverty, supporting them with biblical messages and at the same time providing knowledge and tools for sustainable methods of farming, supporting improved harvests and nutrition for families. Through promoting Farming God’s Way we hope and believe that agriculture will be changed in Mozambique for the benefit of the people who need it most, families living with daily food poverty.

Mozambique has a population of 30.37 million people. The majority still live in extreme poverty due to the inequalities between the south and north regions, poor education in schools and rural vs urban employment opportunities. In rural areas, unemployment is higher. People need to grow their own food to survive and Farming God’s Way explains how to improve quality and yield. We equip churches that then support their church families and some go on to support families in the wider community.

We begin by supporting each church to grow a vegetable garden near to the church. The Pastor and other leaders are trained and they encourage others in the church to learn and help. The following year we support individual families to establish vegetable gardens next to their homes. Many of the churches take the programme to their wider community who do not attend the church but are interested.

The majority of Mozambicans can only hope to feed their families through subsistence farming. Staple foods are imported, which makes buying food expensive and much of the time impossible for many families. A good rainy season and abundant sunshine should mean that families have the ability to grow plenty of food to sustain them throughout the year but poor farming practices and lack of knowledge have left fields in poor condition, and families failing to find enough to eat.
Plus in recent years rains have been erratic, some years very late and others a drought or extreme weather with more flooding than is considered usual.
Janet’s vision is to equip churches and for them to equip families by introducing Farming God’s Way, working with local, rural churches to bring the hope of the gospel and for improved staple crop production to fight food poverty.

Rotation – God’s blanket/mulching – Zero Tillage – No Burning

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature.
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself….. Genesis 1:26

Farming God’s Way explains why it is productive to use these farming methods. Pastors and families find it encouraging to understand farming in the context of God’s word. It is a necessity for families to grow their own food and it is hard work, needing much of the family resources. Understanding the biblical messages becomes a gift from God and makes clear His love for all. Preparing compost and improving soil quality is Creation Care. Improving soil quality improves crop harvests, helps to improve the environment and it empowers people in this work.

The Growing Hope vision is to support more successful farming and better nutrition for families by equipping churches and supporting them to equip and encourage others. In 2022 we were working with 22 churches and they in turn with 196 families.

Teaching the six biblical keys is hugely encouraging for Pastors and they are able to teach these in their churches. One or two leaders are emerging to teach and encourage the others with the biblical messages and we will support them with further training.

We aim to support churches for three years to
Start a church garden
Encourage church families to help with this and start their own
Reach out to community families to introduce them to Farming God’s Way
Teach the biblical messages in their churches and reach out to other Pastors and invite them to link with Growing Hope

Other opportunities are possible for the churches in these areas of food insecurity.
We aim to support them also to grow seed banks, produce seedlings for sale and have an educational programme for children and adults around nutrition.
Pastor Pires has received training to lead this and we hold meetings for Pastors and leaders at least twice a year.