What is the Problem?
In the United States and around the world the art of farming/gardening has fallen out of favor as a profession. In America most people have no clue how to grow food and are completely dependent on fragile systems for their daily ‘bread’. Those who would like to be farmers are hindered by the large scale required to make a living growing commodities. Many who are farmers are dependent on government assistance in order to make a profit farming. And with the large scale and size of agri-business and food companies many people are concerned with a lack of accountability and the safety and health of their food.
While a growing number of people are seeking to become more connected with the source and quality of their food the poor are not able to easily get access to fresh, healthy food because of its cost. As a result, while the poor of other nations are thin due to hunger, the poor of America are overweight due to an over-abundance of unhealthy food.
Community and backyard gardens have been wisely suggested to help with this problem but traditional methods requiring equipment for tillage can be costly for those getting started and often aren’t feasible for the poor. Even those who can afford it often never get their money out of their production. The common practice of plowing (or tilling) can damage the soil, resulting in lower yields or more expensive inputs. Often those growing a garden for the first time miss the foundational principles of stewardship and get discouraged after the first season due to poor production. We need a simple solution that will help get us on the track to a healthy (not just ‘safe’), secure food supply using sustainable, profitable production.
Seeking God for a Solution:
Foundations for Farming seeks to address these problems by bringing a very effective, proven, and appropriate technology and implementation system while also dealing with the socio-cultural causes of the problem.
It is a natural law that those who are faithful with what they have, gain more. Foundations for Farming principles protect and preserve the soil and rain a farmer is given.
In natural creation:
- There is no plowing.
- There is a wonderful mulch cover from fallen leaves and plant material.
This greatly reduces soil erosion and captures and transfers the precious water effectively to the plants, reducing the risk from drought, pests and disease.
Our recommendations are:
- Do not plow.
- Do not burn.
- Keep the soil covered with mulch