Henry Kagweya stands out in his village. His neighbours often express amazement that, despite his age, Henry, a 75-year-old farmer and retired pastor, is able to provide stable food for his household. He credits his success to conservation agriculture techniques which he learned through a local farmer field school supported by World Renew and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Henry says that new methods like minimum tillage help him in a number of ways. He shares, “Considering my age, it would be so difficult for me to open even up to an acre of land using the deep tillage method that we used to do in the past. Now that I have learned a better way of farming, I start my gardening activities early.”

Two months before the rainy season begins, Henry starts preparing his land for planting. This is also surprising to his neighbours. “The community members around me wonder why I’m wasting time yet the rain has not started. My wife and I keep on encouraging them that the dry period is for land opening while the rainy season is meant for planting.” This way, he gets the most out of a short and unpredictable season.

Henry and his family have two acres of cassava crop which they grow for home use. This year, his goal is to expand to five acres: two to sell and the rest to feed his family. He’s also passing these methods on to his 10 children and hopes to inspire others. He says, “My family shall remain a light for other families to ensure that conservation agriculture is carried forward to the next generation.”

• We give praise to God that despite the long drought in Kenya, we are finding new opportunities to strengthen our programs and make them more integrated, holistic, and impactful for the long haul.
• We are grateful for a new country director in Tanzania. Please pray for God’s wisdom and strength for Fredderick Urembo in this role.
• We celebrate the generosity of donors who support our work in East Africa, including the donation of 100 new laptops from Mr. and Mrs. McLaurin of the United Kingdom. This support and service greatly encourages our teams to continue serving.