Preparing Land for Planting

 

Friday was Zambia's National Day of Prayer and fasting for confession and reconciliation.

Saturday morning almost all (33) of the Bible College students, several pastors and teachers and the church district overseer went to the mission lands to continue cleaning fields for planting - what will mostly be corn but also soybeans and sunflowers.

 Some of the students were up all night for prayer so a few arrived late and in their church clothes.

I collected 3 soil samples for lab analysis to determine fertilizer and lime requirements.

There were more workers than tools. 

Work ended early at 10am but one of the goals is to remind the neighbors that we are serious about farming the land this year so they can't start preparing it. 

The neighbors have been using the land but haven't been paying rent like they were supposed to. They have other land they can shift to.

Free range cattle look hungry eating pods under a
 "monkey bread"tree.

Thursday Patrick, the principal and I visited the local district commissioner about hiring government equipment.

The government is working hard to increase crop production. The official was happy to hear our plans to plant about 55 acres of corn and noted that we are the first to ask about equipment use this year. 

The government requires them to report how much the equipment is used and they want to generate more demand, so there may be some publicity involved.

Interesting name choice.
We bought a small bag of an early variety 
to get some corn sooner for corn
on the cob grilled or boiled

They plan to have the tractors serviced and rental rates determined this week. They said they could prepare, plant and fertilize the whole 55 acres in one day.

Please pray for favor that they give extra subsidy in the rental rate as resources are very scarce due to the drought. Normal to above normal rains are predicted this year. If the harvest is good it will be very profitable. The worst drought in 100 years also gives exceptional opportunity. Everyone's, including the governments large food stocks are depleted and Zambia is now importing corn instead of exporting.

Production costs are low. The government sets the corn price each year. The main cost is seed and fertilizer. Excellent hybrid corn seed from companies like Pioneer, Dekalb (Bayer) and Zamseed is only about $1.50 per pound and 25 pounds are planted per acre. Oxen plow for about $7 per acre but not enough are available for the short planting season due to the short rainy season. The government has equipment for hire that doesn't cost much more than doing the same with oxen.

Corn is about $8 per bushel government price, the market is currently a few dollars higher and current USA price is about $4.  I was told we may harvest about 160 bushels per acre. Seems too good to be possible for farming, brings the verse to mind:

Ephesians 3:20 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

It is encouraging to see God creating an effective team to work together toward a large harvest to support the work of the church, helping it break free from dependency and poverty.

Rev. Patrick, like most of the rural pastors, has experience growing fairly large corn fields to support himself. So it is very reassuring having him as assistant manager of the agriculture project as I don't have  experience growing commercial grains.

Just the food needs of the lunch programs of the Wesleyan schools and medical work can provide a big market in the future for cornmeal, (the staple food of Zambians), sunflower oil, vegetables and chickens.

We hope to have the Global Partners Agriculture Project ready in the next week or so to help fund getting the Ag. Project established.

The new borehole was tested but the pump rope (150 foot long, water table at 90') and wire was too short so we are not very confident of the results. The drilling company reported 22 gallons per minute with a good water strike at 180 feet but the test gave about 5. At least it held steady for an hour and should give more when a pump is installed at least 30 feet deeper.