Country Reports

Canada

Chris Hornibrook | Foundations for Farming Canada

Key Highlights

Chris was able to visit FFF stations in the USA in England over the past few months. Operating in the other countries is so fascinating to see how diverse the work is yet the focus on Jesus is what we have in common.
We continue to work a lot with the homeless and near homeless, and many have mental health and drug addiction issues.

New Joys and Challenges

We are in the process of asking some of our core volunteers to take a stronger interest in committing to the firm.

As God continues to lead people to join our team, we aim to prioritize training and development in the coming years."

Recent Testimony

"Our focus is assisting homeless individuals struggling with mental health conditions and substance abuse. One young man who frequently stayed with us over the summer is now heading south to seek warmth and safety."

Malawi

John and Mary Beth Flippen | Crown Malawi Foundations for Farming International

Key Highlights

Blantyre Malawi created, planned and hosted their first ever Shepherding School! After an IWH training, our shepherds visit their villages monthly for one year. At the conclusion of a year, 12 Lead Farmers from four of our IWH villages were chosen to participate in a leadership training. This training focused, not only on the four F’s (Farming, Finance, Family and Faith), but equipped them to be shepherd themselves and find their own sheep.

New Joys and Challenges

Our biggest joy is the demand for more trainings, which is also our biggest challenge - growth!

"Lead Farmers & the Shepherds sing Psalms 23 together at the Graduation Ceremony"

Shepherds and Director of Training pray over the new Lead Farmers.

RECENT TESTIMONY

Not only did the Lead Farmers, but our own Shepherds felt that the Shepherding School was instrumental and equipping them to lead others. The training gave them tools to handle challenging situations, how to approach others with solutions and ways to offer encouragement. We concluded the training with 1 Peter 5:2-4 as a model of following Jesus, the chief Shepherd. One Shepherd reported that during a field visit AFTER this training, he had confidence in his leadership ability and the courage to stand up against gossip.

Malawi

Mark and Ronel Beckett | Kusintha Farm, Crown Stewardship Training Centre, Mzuzu

Key Highlights

Johann van der Ham visited our center to train Mark, Ronel, and Tiyesi to facilitate the Africa Money Map Game. We engaged 6 local couples in this interactive game, sparking conversations about financial stewardship. Additionally, Johann captured footage of Henry's inspiring story for the Africa Money Map, which captivated our local "actors" (neighbors and staff).

We hosted two 5-day Foundation for Farming workshops at the center, welcoming participants from diverse backgrounds: Mission organizations, Discipleship movement ministries, and churches located up to 8 hours away from Mzuzu. We're thrilled to partner with these groups, united by a common goal: equipping and mobilizing communities with the knowledge that Christ is the foundation of all life and that good stewardship can break the chains of poverty.

During daily devotions and evening sessions, participants deepened their spiritual understanding, prayed together, and sought answers to their faith journeys. Many left with a renewed sense of a loving Heavenly Father and a renewed commitment to applying biblical principles as good stewards.

New Joys and Challenges

Our main challenge is that it will be difficult to follow up some of the groups who are far from Mzuzu.

Johan recording Henry's story

Beekeeping training during 5- day FFF

Compost Training during 5-day FFF

Learning and thriving together

South Africa

Johan and Frieda Grobler | Rehoboth Foundations for Farming South Africa

Key Highlights

We are so encouraged by the group of Makoko. Most of them attend every shepherding visit. Manual, the champion of that area also reports that church attendance has changed radically after their training and most people are attending on Sundays.

Sower Ministries has a weekly program for this group where they all get together and participate in all the necessary work set out for them. The attendance during these visits are also very good.

RECENT TESTIMONY

"The Church at Makoko is full on Sundays as the people who attended the I Was Hungry training go to church every Sunday."

On Time

At Standard

Without Waste

Challenges and New Joys

A challenge we are facing is the need for sponsorship. Many people who want to attend the trainings, cannot afford them.
The joy is that there is an abundance of interest in the I Was Hungry trainings.

South Africa

Hanneke du Preez | Amazing Graces

Key Highlights

We have been doing one-day Food Farming trainings monthly in the following areas: Orange Farm & Katlehong; (Gauteng province); Rathoke & Thokoza (Mpumalanga) Masakaneng (Limpopo).

We follow a 7-part program: 1. Vegetables 2. Soil&Water 3. Trees 4. Herbs 5. Maize 6. Nutrition 7. Farming for tomorrow. We use our illustrated flip files for the theory-part and bring seedlings etc for the practical part.

Challenges and New Joys

Joys: Lots of joy as people all over are now catching on to the idea that the 'government' is not going to save them from hunger, but that God has empowered each individual to live a full life. (And that includes a full stomach.)

RECENT TESTIMONY

Local people are now being trained to be trainers themselves, using the flip files as their aid.

NEW Foundations for Farming News Letter - FfF International- Nov 2024 - Mac Elsa van den Berg.docx

South Africa

Mac and Elsa van den Berg |Foundations for Farming Stewardship Centre. Eagles Nest Christian School - Polokwane

Key Highlights

During the FfF trainings, seeing the heart change of trainees after the message of hope and the character of Jesus Christ (His humility, unselfishness, and faithfulness) is shared with them.

Challenges and New Joys

Joys: to see a community being equipped to plant their own veggies and make their own compost heap in a marginalized community

Challenges: The distance to visit all the trainees.

Compost Training with David

Gathering the components together for composting

Laying down the first components

Success - to standard

Recent Testimonies

Some of our trainees shared and helped old "Gogos"/grandmothers at a community nursery school to make a compost heap, planted a Pfumvudza plot, and a herb garden! The Gogos were uplifted, and they are taking ownership of their new plot!
The Crown Money map game with the biblical principles was inspiring for our Eagles Nest learners. They enjoyed playing the game and learning some values of life!

South Africa

Evn D. Erskine (Ph.D.) | Datya Ministries Intl

Key Highlights

Concerning Foundations for Farming, quite a lot has happened. We have built the Training Centre Veggie Garden, Bee tree, Chicken & Duck coups and started on the fish breeding section.
God has also sent donators to help with the materials to build & restore some of the buildings of Datya Ministries Int, on the Farm – Storage space, Training Centre class room, Kitchen and the Datya Fellowship area & Students physical Training area.

Storage Build and Extension progression

The chicken coop

Our boys caring for the poultry

Contented ducks

The start of a fish breeding project

The Bee Tree

Lyn's garden project

Lyn's garden flourishing

God's goodness

and more...

Challenges and New Joys

We are so grateful to God and His Kingdom Family for the answered prayers & people who have volunteered to assist in building & renovating the buildings & facilities we need to train up Missionaries, Evangelist & Students in the year program as well as getting the Datya/Foundations for Farming Training Centre ready to train up the local pastors, rural leaders, schools, teachers and who ever God sends to us, in Foundations for Farming. We are especially thankful that Chane (our daughter) has prayerfully decided to join us full time at Datya Ministries as the Foundations for Farming Trainer.

All Glory to Abba Our Father!

United States

Noah Sanders | Redeeming the Dirt

Key Highlights

We hosted a 5-day training in October with attendees from multiple states and countries. In addition to training Foundations for Farming through our Well-Watered Garden curriculum we were able to add some Crown training for the first time thanks to Rosie Adams who helped create a resource applicable for our setting. Locally we have been working with leaders to help provide training in regenerative for school students and community members. We were really encouraged by a visit from Johann and Retha Van der Ham. What a blessing to have them in the US for a season!

Enjoying the Van Der Ham's

Training the community in regenerative gardening practices

Graduates!

Recent Testimony

This is a report from a training that was conducted during the time Hurricane Helene hit the eastern US:

Our training last weekend was, without a doubt, a 100% God thing. I live in the mountains of NC, east of where the worst of Helene hit. Our topography is more gentle, allowing floodwaters to rise slowly and keeping water levels in check.

Nine people attended, five of whom were from Florida. I was amazed they still wanted to come with Hurricane Helene approaching their state. Three attendees schedules changed so they were able to leave early and drive during daylight hours the day before Helene hit. The last 2 from Florida were on the last flight that landed in Charlotte. They had a white knuckle drive up the mountain, but safely arrived after midnight.

A lady from Vermont was driving in Friday morning as Helene was battering our area. Her GPS route was sending her down a horrible country road with overhanging trees, multiple creek crossings, and no drainage for heavy rains. Praise God a tree had fallen across the road where she was to enter so she took an alternate, and much safer, route.

As Helene peaked, we praised and worshiped. It was such an awesome experience, having God’s peace settle into our space.

The air bnb the attendees rented never lost power. We spent the entire day Friday in that house, searching our hearts for motivation. I told Brian’s story and shared my own. We learned about living soil (I thought one lady’s head would explode) and the basics of thermal composting.

On Saturday, after my husband had cleared our 1/2 mile of farm road of fallen trees and floodwater debris, we put into practice what we had discussed. Our compost pile was a work of art and the WWG bed very satisfying. I did a similar training last year and they could see how the soil in a WWG was transformed during a growing season. There are so many details of how God protected our time. I know that God purposed something to occur during this training. I’m thankful for your teaching and your obedience. ~In Christ, Amy

Challenges and New Joys

Our biggest challenges right now are related to stewarding our time and focusing our efforts. We want to hear God's strategic ways he wants our family to facilitate the growth of a training network here in the US. Our biggest joys are seeing our family grow and seeing the fruit in our trainer's lives.

Zambia

Ben Frampton | Foundations for Farming Zambia

Key Highlights

FfF is used by a wide range of organisations in Zambia to share the love of Jesus. In 2024

Zambia suffered one of its worst droughts, so the harvest was extremely poor and the need

for hope and help in rural communities is great. The FfF network of ministries in Zambia has

been extremely busy in the last months helping people overcome the drought and prepare

for the new season and we have all followed a similar journey.

It started with helping people build a livelihood again by making compost, like in Moffat and Katherine and team from Mushingashi Conservancy in around Kafue National Park.

At the same time promoting winter gardens for food security like Dawn Trust team in Ndola.

In many areas the interest in FfF has grown because of the drought, so there was great need for training. Kasempa Foundations have done there best to meet demand around Kasempa in NW Province.

Then we had to prepare our own fields On Time as shining examples, like Pastor Stephen Lukeki from Charis in Action in Lusaka.

After trainings it is also crucial to get out and visit farmers and see how their land preparations are going, like Bwando Farms did around Lusaka and they found people who have been trained are spreading the message of hope further, even into their local schools.

But all the time encouraging people not to just stop at digging holes. Mulch is so crucial to overcome drought so we as trainers have to lead by example and make sure our plots are shining examples for our communities, like Pastor Jabez Zulu who has been champion FfF in Kasama for many years.

As the rains approach some people even make last minutes visits to FfF demo plots to learn something new, like a school visiting the Gospel Central demos in Chisamba and meeting Brian!

The rains have started to fall in Zambia, please pray the farmers are ready and faithful with what God sends and that it is a good season. The journey continues…

ZIMBABWE

Darryl Edwards | Foundations for Farming Zimbabwe

Praising Jesus for a great year at Clouds End!

Team Zimbabwe wrapped up an intense, arduous 3 month of training for the national roll out! We salute Darryl, Hazel and the whole team!! "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matt 5v16)

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