church magazine editors
harvest against the odds
left and centre: maize harvest in El Salvador
right: Alejandro Martinez tending to his crops
Alejandro Martinez is looking forward to a good harvest this year. He needs it to support his extended family; his labour provides their food.
He grows El Salvador?s staple crops of maize and beans, as well as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, coffee and fruit. Yet this success has not come without a struggle. Alejandro is reaping a harvest against the odds.
Farmers like Alejandro in El Salvador in Central America face big environmental problems: 95% of the country?s natural forest is gone, 75% of soil is severely eroded, and rivers are poisoned with agricultural chemicals and munitions from the country?s past civil war.
Now farmers are facing an additional threat: climate change. This is bringing unpredictable, and often more extreme, weather which threatens the ability of rural communities throughout the world to grow enough to eat or sell.
This Harvest, the Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) will be helping farmers like Alejandro and his neighbours to combine modern technology and traditional wisdom in order to feed their families, protect their environment and adapt to the changing climate.
MRDF partner organisations show farmers how to keep the soil healthy by making ?green manure? and organic compost from free, natural materials. They also learn simple techniques to prevent erosion and to control pests. But most importantly, as farmers start to work together, learning new skills, they begin to feel independent and to gain control of their lives and their land.
This Harvest, we have the opportunity to celebrate alongside farmers like Alejandro and to contribute to the success of future harvests through our giving and support for MRDF. Thank you.
