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Diocese of Hereford Council for World Partnership and Development
Living in Harmony with Our Earth --- Food Farming and Environment
For two weeks in July the Diocese of Hereford was host to Mr Mugove Nyika who is helping them to realise their objective of greening the eastern coast of Tanzania through Diocesan links with local schools, farms, parishes and communities. Mr Nyika, an expert on environmental education with a special knowledge of sustainable agriculture - or permaculture, has been helping schools in Africa turn bare hard ground into an abundance of fruit and vegetables within a few months. His visit highlighted the importance of growing our food in a sustainable way, but most importantly, as we see famine spreading in the Horn of Africa, he showed his audience how to grow good supplies of healthy food in semi-arid lands by using simple and cheap farming techniques.
The Council for World Partnership and Development within the Diocese arranged for him to give two seminars - one for teachers and one for farmers - to inspire local commitment to working in partnership with our link Dioceses on growing more food. Bishop Anthony Priddis gave his full support to the initiative, inviting Mr Nyika to see the vegetables in his own garden as an example of home-grown produce.
Bishop Anthony Priddis, Mr Mugove Nyika and Revd Dr Anne Bayley in the Bishop's garden
Revd Dr Anne Bayley, a local priest and Mr Nyika have co-authored a book, 'More and Better Food', showing how to grow food in a simple and uncomplicated way. A shining example of just what can be done was seen at the garden of Pat Gordon and Heather Percy who run a vegetable delivery business, Growing Local, from the fruit and vegetable farm at Tillington. They also have a thriving and productive garden which encourages local children to learn how to grow fruit and vegetables.
Mr Walter Nyika, Mrs Jenny Barnes, Adviser on international development to the Diocese,
Revd Dr Anne Bayley in the children's garden at Growing Local
Mr Nyika visited local schools, (Lugwardine Primary School, St Mary's High School and the Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School) and local farms and farming businesses (Caplor Farm, Tillington Fruit Farm and Hill Cottage Market Garden)
The Diocese is looking for schools, farms, parishes and communities who are interested in developing food and farming links with their link Dioceses in Tanzania to promote growing food in a sustainable way to feed people who are hungry now and to help avert future famines as seen in the Horn of Africa.
Anyone interested should contact Jenny Barnes at jg.barnes@btinternet.com
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Ludlow Conference Centre, 20th July
This seminar, following on from the CWPD workshop on Food Farming and Environment held in Tanzania last year, was intended to encourage us to take more care about our food: where it comes from, how it is grown, how nutritious it is, and how it is produced in harmony with the environment.
This seminar was relevant to farmers and farming businesses:
- Interested in growing healthy food here in a sustainable way
- Keen to encourage the availability and consumption of healthy food
- Interested to link with farmers in Tanzania who are farming in a sustainable way
- Willing to develop local networks to promote sustainable farming and life-style
Keynote speaker: Mugove Nyika
In 1997, Mr Nyika facilitated the setting up of the Schools and Colleges Permaculture (SCOPE) Programme within the Curriculum Development Unit of the Ministry of Education which has worked with over 200 schools in all districts in Zimbabwe. The fruits of this work led to the establishment of the Regional Rescope Programme set up in 2007 in Blantyre, Malawi. He is passionate about growing more and better food in a sustainable way, and helping communities determine their own future.
The programme for this event was ...
Farmers: Environment, Farming and Better Food Living in Harmony with Our Earth
5.30 p.m. Welcome: Hazel Gould (Chair CWPD)
5.40 p.m. Why farming is key to our future security Revd Dr Anne Bayley OBE
6.00 p.m. More and better food in a sustainable way Mr Mugove Nyika
6.45 p.m. Questions
7.00 p.m. Food sustainability in Herefordshire A local farmer
7.15 p.m. Plenary and Group Discussion:
How can we promote the growing of food in a sustainable way?
7.30 p.m. Supper
8.15 p.m. Conclusions and Recommendations for Practical Action
8.50 p.m. Prayers
9.00 p.m. Close
What do we hope for?
Commitment to a strategy for developing sustainable farms and businesses
More partnerships with farmers in Tanzania and other African countries
Changes in our food growing, buying and cooking habits
Recognition at all levels of society that harmony with the earth is our only future
A fruitful next meeting!
the following is a list of possible areas for action.....
EDEN SEMINAR 3: FARMERS: Suggestions for implementation in 2011 - 12
for Hereford Diocese
1. Awareness raising in local colleges of agriculture and environment/farming organisations to secure a review of potential for collaboration with Tanzanian Institutes
2. Awareness raising for local farmers, small-holders, allotment-holders and others interested in permaculture, both women and men.
3. Review of the extent to which sustainable farming is viable for practitioners to feed their families and run a small business on its proceeds.
4. Review of profitability/non-profitability of sustainable farming and development of small business plans.
5. Development of marketing implications for running a small business according to locality.
6. Recording and evaluation as in 1. above.
for Joint Endeavors
1. Sharing of information with a view to developing a shared agenda, and exchanges.
2. Exchange visits (perhaps through NFU contacts) to compare results of different approaches to farming practice.
3. Joint review of financial viability of sustainable farming practices.
4. Sharing of information on how to determine profit and loss, how to assess whether a small business is viable and, if so how to develop business plans.
5. Shared ideas and practices for marketing.
6. Sharing of findings and development of agreed ways of moving forward.
for Tanzanian Dioceses
1. Development within the Livestock Training Institutes of demonstration plots for permaculture, and establishment of training programmes for local farmers.
2. Development of groups of farmers, (women and men) one group in each Diocese, willing to implement permaculture techniques with the support of their respective Livestock Institutes.
3. Review of the extent to which farmers using sustainable farming techniques can feed their families and secure a margin for selling at market.
4. Review of profitability/non-profitability of sustainable farming, development of small business plans and possible advantages of co-operative arrangements.
5. Development of marketing implications for running a small business according to locality.
6. Recording and evaluation as in 1. above.
Farmers are key to the success of spreading the practice of adopting and adapting different methods of farming, both here and in Tanzania. They need the support of their local communities, their politicians and opinion-leaders - those in schools and colleges, universities, the media, religious leaders, and all of us who have children and grandchildren. It is up to us to keep the information flowing and to start 'living differently'. Time is short.