The Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund (HMODF) has a big interest in being able to access qualified people who can provide practical training for our Project Beneficiaries. As part of the Free Methodist Church of Burundi (the Church), Hope Africa University (the University) has a two-year Agriculture and Zootechny Program (AZP) and the students must have practical crop cultivation training. Last year, the AZP students visited the Foundations for Farming’s (FfF) Eden Training Centre, their Demonstration Fields and their Beneficiaries. The visit was followed by five full days of training on the FfF’s methods and four month’s supervised practice applying the FfF’s methods. Having played the principal role in accessing cultivation land nearby the University’s main campus and recruiting FfF to provide the AZP students with their impressive, practical, high-production crop cultivation training free of charge, I was surprised to learn that FfF and the University were not fully committed to continue collaborating on the critical practical crop cultivation training.
I contacted my main contact at FfF; Murungwa “John” IRAKOZE. I needed to know if FfF was willing to provide their training for the next AZP Internship students.
In response to my enquiry about continuing to have FfF provide their practical high-production crop cultivation training, I received a two-page written response from FfF that began with the following positive declaration.
Our Heart
Our heart is to see Foundations for Farming adopted and implemented faithfully across the nation to help eradicate hunger and alleviate poverty in communities and individuals as they use the land in the way God intended. We are keen to work with the University, to establish effective strategies in training the students through Foundations for Farming (bolding added).
The response continued by clearly stating, “we are open to offering the HAU’s students training” but requested a special visit.
Our Thoughts
It is necessary to engage Foundations for Farming with the right key people for them to capture the heart and it potential to transform Burundi. In that we would like to ask the Executive Secretary of the board that oversees the activities of Hope Africa University and other key members who are eager to see the agricultural course have a practical focus to come and visit and hear the testimonies of people whom we have trained in FfF and are seeing their lives changed.
Accordingly, I sought and acquired a meeting with the Executive Secretary of the Church; Rev. Evariste BIMENYIMANA, who is also the Chairman of the Administrative Council. When I explained to Rev. Evariste that Foundations for Farming had asked for him to visit, he quickly said to me, “Get some dates.”
On Wednesday, February 4th we made the visit to FfF’s Eden Training Centre, their Demonstration Fields and their Beneficiaries. We rode together in one of the University’s buses. Leading the visit and the Church representatives was Executive Secretary and Chairman Rev. Evariste BIMENYIMANA.
Other Church representatives included Ntahangwa Annual Conference Superintendent Raoul DUKORE, Assistant Executive Secretary Abraham NTWENGERABANSI and Community Mobilization Director Audace MPAWENIMANA. The HMODF is delighted to be collaborating and working with Rev. Raoul DUKORE, Superintendent of the large Ntahangwa Annual Conference. He is member of the collaborative Agriculture and Zootechny Program Improvement Committee and he is involved with the Church, University and HMODF collaborative agriculture and livestock development projects at the University’s Buringa and Rukaramu Research and Development Centres.
The University representatives on the FfF visit included Rector Servilien NITUNGA, Vice-Rector Edouard NIYONGABO, Cyprien NTUNZWENIMANA, Vanilla DUSHIME and Friends of Hope Africa University Secretary Dr. Barbara Rose.
The visit began at FfF’s Eden Training Centre in Rubirizi. Led by Murungwa IRAKOZE and through presentations and PowerPoint slides, we were provided with a great introduction and overview of Foundations for Farming and their impressive program and its benefits.
Foundations for Farming is a holistic agricultural approach that emphasizes sustainable practices, stewardship of the land and community empowerment to improve yields and reduce poverty.
After the presentations at the Eden Training Centre, we moved to FfF’s Demonstration Fields to see the Pfumvudzas
Notice the tall, green corn in the background and the tidy lines in the foreground and the generous use of mulching.
As we approached the beneficiaries, they were ready to greet us.
After the wonderful greeting and joyful dancing, the beneficiaries sat in the shade of the corn stalks for the program.
We were able to hear from two of the beneficiaries and learn about their life-changing experiences in working with FfF.
As our visit ended, everyone came together to for a song and followed by the obligatory “family photo.”
The visit was very impressive, educational and enjoyable. What happens after the visit is what is most important. Of course, I did some follow-up with the Executive Secreatary, the Rector and Murungwa IRAKOZE. I met with all three individuals and concluded that all three believe that FfF will again be significantly involved in the longer extended AZP Internship Program and will continue to provide their impressive, practical, high-production crop cultivation training free of charge.
We Will Improve Collaboration with Foundations for Farming
Following our wonderful visit to FfF, I wrote to the Rector Servilien NITUNGA.
Dear Rector,
Since our recent visit to Foundations for Farming led by Executive Secretary of the Church, I have met with Rev. Evariste BIMENYIMANA and you. I am pleased that both of you have assured me that the University will continue to collaborate with and involve Foundations for Farming in the Agriculture and Zootechny Program (AZP) Internship.
I understand that the collaboration and involvement will include time with Foundations for Farming crop cultivation work and time providing practical training and practice for the AZP students. I do not know the details yet but I am hoping there will be considerable collaboration with and involvement by Foundations for Farming.
As I understand, the Ministry of Education’s Commission on Higher Education has indicated that the University’s AZP Internship Program; the critical practical training, must be expanded from about 30% to 70% which provides much more time for practical training. Since the Foundations for Farming’s methods are reported to be from 6 to 10 times more productive than the commonly used traditional methods, it makes compelling good, evidence-based sense to me to include and ensure sufficient practical training and practice using the Foundations for Farming so that the AZP graduates are able to help community farmers increase their crop cultivation production (bolding added).
Hoping to be kept informed and involved in the collaboration with Foundations for Farming and the improvements to the AZP,
John
In response, the Rector wrote back to me and stated, “Very well said. We will improve collaboration with FfF.”
We will keep you; our readers, informed on this important collaborative development work that hopefully will contribute to significant increases in agriculture production throughout Burundi, including the 60 HMODF agriculture and livestock development projects.
It is always a good time to donate to the HMODF and, thereby, invest directly to agriculture and livestock development for poor women and their family members in Burundi; please consider visiting Donations – Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund.