I've raised £1000 to provide funds for teaching effective farming methods to communities in Africa, by undertaking the 3 Peaks National Challenge.
Organised by Alan Muscat
Story
Our aim is to raise money that will be used to help fund the charitable work as set out below.
Providing training in Foundations for Farming conservation agricultural techniques to: orphans and vulnerable children, widows, the deaf, leper communities and families in displacement camps in the central regions of Nigeria.
Conservation agriculture maximises the potential yield of food crops by employing sustainable, low input, low cost management systems that protect and enrich the soil and enable more efficient interception of the African rains. The techniques are simple to apply using traditional hand tools and as such are easy to adopt by those with limited resources.
The training provides skills for life that have the potential of breaking the cycles of poverty.
Yields of maize (a staple food) achieved by subsistence farmers, are commonly less than 1 tonne per Ha. Yields of 7-10 tonnes per Ha are very achievable where conservation agriculture techniques are adopted, even with limited access to compound fertilisers and high quality hybrid seed varieties. With these enhanced yields it possible to grow enough maize to feed a family of six, for a year, on as little as 1/16 of a Ha. This allows surpluses to be sold to provide an income for the family and for a wider range of crops to be grown, allowing a better balance of diets.
The systems taught are sustainable, significantly reducing soil erosion and provide better protection of the environment by maintaining the biodiversity of the agricultural ecosystems.
Other skills are also taught within this project.
Bridgnorth Baptist Church serving vulnerable children and adults in Nigeria,
Partnering with City Ministries, King’s Kids; Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Monies raised will be managed by the Bridgnorth Baptist Church which sends manpower, knowlegde and skills in suppport of this work.
