A thriving farmer leading by example

Alberto Elias, 50, has been farming his entire working life. The married father of eight children, lives with his family in rural Mozambique where many farming families are facing challenges related to unpredictable weather patterns.

For a long time, part of Alberto’s regular farming practices included making ridges and burning trash in his fields. He did not know these practices were making his fields more vulnerable to soil erosion. Despite long hours spent working, his crop yields were just not adequate to support the basic needs of his family and he had to do piecework in other people’s fields whenever his family struggled to have enough to eat.

Through World Renew’s local partner, ESPANOR, Alberto was able to take part in conservation agriculture training. He learned how to top-cover soil with dry grass or compost and discovered the importance of rotating his crops. He also discovered that it was better to give his crops time to grow and make use of everything in his fields, rather than make ridges and burn trash.

Alberto began to practice what he learned on a small section of his farm and harvested more in this section than he had ever harvested on bigger plots using traditional ways of farming. Now Alberto has more hope in his heart as he heads out to farm his fields each day. He plans to help other farmers improve their yields and transform their livelihoods. “I have become a good example in the community,” he says.

By Steve Sywulka

• Praise God for the opportunity to gather with our regional partners in Mozambique to discuss our partnership. Pray that God will continue to align us with partners committed to pursuing justice and mercy.
• Pray for God’s guidance for World Renew and our partners as we work to address hunger, poverty and injustice, and share God’s love in Southern Africa.
• Because of agricultural production shortfalls, high food prices, and the impacts of Cyclone Freddy, the United Nations is expecting food insecurity to persist across most of southern Malawi; pray for God’s provision for the most vulnerable.