Walls Tumble Down in Zambia
To most of us, Jericho is the walled city the Israelites defeated in the book of Joshua. In Joshua 6:20, it says that on the seventh day of walking around the city of Jericho, “When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.”
The Jericho in World Renew’s story today is a smallholder farmer, married to Jane and father of six. In 2014, Jericho was farming four hectares of land (almost 10 acres) using a hand hoe. He faced barriers such as poor soil fertility, limited tools, and the high cost of synthetic fertilizers. These “walls” kept his yields to a minimum, and he averaged just 1.2 tons per hectare. For context, the average Canadian farmer doubles that with half the growing season. Providing enough food or income for his family seemed impossible.
Then Jericho joined a program supported by Growing Hope Globally and World Renew. Through the program, he gained access to conservation agriculture training that helped transform his farming practices. He also connected with a savings group: a community-based association where members pool their savings, access small loans, and share profits at the end of a cycle. This provided a safe way to save money, access affordable credit, and invest in his farm and family without relying on costly external loans.
Read the rest of this story by Naomi Bula at thebanner.org