Field Scale Rural Farming for Our Third Year

Farming God’s Way is truly amazing. When a rural African farmer turns from conventional methods of plowing, winter burning and monocropping to Farming God’s Way, we can comfortably predict a 10 times yield increase in the first year! This really is the gospel — good news — with boots on!

But the story doesn’t end there. The first instruction to mankind was to cultivate and care for the garden (Genesis 2:15). We have far more power over the fate of the land than most of us realize. When we work with God’s creation, we become agents of healing of the soil. We even work with creation to make soil!

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It is an incredible journey to experience the healing of the land. This year, we were able to prepare the demonstration field for planting to an even higher standard, in less time.

And, in a season with less rain, the plants are doing better!

Why?

Because the soil is healthier.

It is being redeemed for God’s purposes.

The delicate bean flower was a feast for the blister beetle last year.

With such an assault from the blister beetle in 2014 the bean harvest was a failure.

You may recall that last year we had an infestation of blister beetles in the sugar beans and that, before we knew what they were or what they were doing, they had devoured all the flowers on the plants and wiped out the bean harvest. I am excited to report that I haven’t seen even one beetle in the beans this year. Why is that?

Well, the blister beetle only lays eggs where there are grasshopper or locust eggs. The reason for that is the beetle larvae feed on the grasshopper eggs. Grasshoppers lay their eggs in cracks in the ground. In August 2014, the chief had our demonstration field plowed, thinking he was doing us a favour. One of the results of plowing is opening up the soil — an ideal environment for grasshopper eggs. This year there was no plowing, and so no cracks in the soil, so no grasshopper eggs, and no blister beetles. God is good!

Hope you enjoy a photo journal update of our progress at the field…

The field crew was made up of representatives from each community garden in the Mdumezulu area.

This is Thulasizwe’s first year experiencing field scale Farming God’s Way.

Careful measurement of the row and plant spacing is essential.

A team can dig the planting stations quite efficiently with a hoe.

Beautiful example of the evenly spaced planting stations for maize.

A closer up view of a row of maize planting stations. 1 tsp of calcitic lime and one cup of compost is added to each station.

Lovely sunny day in a very dry spring season. The holes are now ready for inputs. The inputs were covered with soil and then we waited for rain.

Zeph is ready for planting after some much needed rain. November 10, 2015.

Planting started 2 weeks later than last year because we had to wait for sufficient moisture in the soil.

Farming God’s Way teaches to plant after a soaking rain… dry planting is not a good strategy.

3 seeds are planted in every maize station.

God was faithful to bring more rains as the plants began to get bigger.

We practice “gapping” to fill in the holes where plants did not germinate or got eaten by rodents.

Sanele carries mulch cut from outside the field.

The mulch is carefully laid down around the plants.

Some small plants start to emerge from our gapping. They will soon catch up to the others.

Rain levels have been significantly lower than last year, but the plants are coping well.

Zeph is happy to report no blister beetles among the beans.

A top dressing of ammonium nitrate is added for a nitrogen boost.

Healthy rows of beans… planted as part of our crop rotation plan.

Farming God’s Way methods work wonders even in a drought.

I think you’ll agree from the pictures that the crop is looking great. Keep in mind this is a much drier summer than usual. Those farming conventionally will not get a harvest. Pray with me that many turn to God’s ways as a result of this incredible example!

Sinethemba