Review of 2010 by Brian Oldreive
1 January 2011
The Lord was very generous to us, as always, in 2010. God reminded us once again that Foundations for Farming was and remains a sovereign call by Him and that there are several steps required for its fulfilment. With Isaiah 58 in mind, a loud and uncompromising call must given for:
- The nation to repent and turn back to God;
- Then to make a plan to remove the yoke of poverty and hunger,
- Through a focus on agriculture (this calls for faithfulness with our land) and,
- This will lead to the rebuilding of our national agricultural base, to which God will then allow the reconstruction of other sectors of the national economy.
Trumpet Call
We were greatly encouraged as we saw an advancement of this call in 2010. This was specifically evidenced through Trumpet Call for Transformation – a concerted effort to gather the wider church (represented through the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, and Zimbabwe Council of Churches) in unity, to act out the vision of Isaiah 58 with all sincerity. As the initiative got under way, in partnership with Foundations for Farming, there were several key highlights including:
- A big gathering in the first half of the year in Zimbabwe’s two largest cities, Harare and Bulawayo, to repent and turn to God and His ways
- A nation-wide gathering by the wider church on 26 September to continue in unity and repentance and a call for the Church to lead the way in growing enough food for our nation in the following agricultural season
- A world-wide prayer day held for Zimbabwe on 26 September
- Operation Trumpet Call, an extremely vigorous programme in 54 centres across Zimbabwe set up up model stations. These were established by farmers and pastors who not only provided demo plots but made teaching and training available to surrounding communities
Prisons
One of the highlights of 2010 was the Director of Prisons for Zimbabwe inviting us once again to teach Foundations for Farming in all prisons.
Ministry of Agriculture
Excitingly, the Minister of Agriculture embraced Foundations for Farming for the first time and asked us to teach it to all AGRITEX Extension Officials in his ministry.
Education
We were also invited to take Foundations for Farming to all agricultural colleges. This initiative was launched towards the end of the year at Gwebi Agricultural College. Meanwhile, in partnership with UNICEF, we were able to see the teaching of Foundations for Farming in government schools become more organised. And as the 2010/11 agricultural season was about to get under way, we saw private schools take an increased interest in Foundations for Farming.
Non-Governmental Organisations
Our partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) continued and we were able to conduct training within the NGO sector throughout the year
Establishment of Foundations for Farming Stations
Foundations for Farming stations in various stages of development are now in 12 centres including Bulawayo (three), Kezi, Juliasdale, Kadoma, Chegutu, Chibuwe, Hwedza, Chiweshe, Masvingo and Snake Park (just outside Harare).
Beyond Zimbabwe
The first Foundations for Farming Champions Conferences were held in Malawi in September and South Africa in October. Meanwhile, there is growing interest in Foundations for Farming not just in Zimbabwe but internationally and possible visits to India, Australia, Tanzania and the USA are in the horizon.
We have known such grace and favour in 2010 that it would be impossible for any of the milestones we have mentioned to have taken place except through the Lord’s faithfulness. We look forward to His continued faithfulness and guidance in 2011.
God bless you,
Brian Oldreive
Founder of Foundations for Farming