Nestled quietly on the eastern slopes of Mt. Kenya in Meru
Central District is the Meru Bio-Intensive Agricultural Training Center. Recently honored by the Kenyan government for
their training and educational work, the farm is improving the quality of life
for families all over the country.
Established in 1992, the farm organizes basic training courses for small
farmers in ecologically sound agricultural practices and livestock management
under zero grazing. The objectives of
the Center might be simple – but the impact on the lives of Kenyans is
immeasurable. Those objectives are:
1. Increase
the livelihood of the small farmer by teaching conservation and bio-diversity.
2. Demonstrate
that a small family can grow food and maintain a cow and calf unit on less than
an acre of land
3. Provide
facilities for training the small farmers
4. Create
awareness of technologies that are safe, efficient, and affordable.
Our team of 12 arrived at the farm on Saturday, August 25th. After getting settled in our rooms, we were
given a tour of the farm and the main focus areas: 1. Livestock – including dairy cows and
goats, fish (tilapia), pigs, rabbits and chickens, 2.
Beekeeping,
3. Kitchen Gardening,
4. Farming “God’s Way” - natural composting, 5. Fruit Trees,
6. Greenhouse Gardening, 7. Conferences for Farmers and ZOE program, 8. Extension Services.
During our stay at the farm our task was to build a 4-room
pig house! We learned that pigs are one
of the smartest domestic animals because they, by instinct, separate areas for
sleeping, toilet, eating and bathing. We
spent a long day mixing cement, pouring foundation, sawing and nailing boards,
and erecting the metal roof. The afternoon
was highlighted by the purchase of 1 male pig we named “Tex” and three female
piglets we named “Kelly”, “Midland” and “Ish”.
Each evening we ended our day with a devotional and a time
of sharing the experiences of the day.
The final day of the mission portion of our journey, after hard work
building a pig house, showering our tired and dirty bodies, and filling our
bellies with good food, we had a worship service. Kelly read from Phillipians 4: 8-13. Kelly told us that we had been the face, the
hands, and the feet of God as we served with and worked beside the people of
Kenya. We have seen the faces of poverty
but more importantly the faces of hope.
He reminded us that as we return to the United States it is important
that we take our stories back to the people at home. To tell of the projects that are bringing
about change for Kenya and will indeed make a difference in the world.
The kitchen staff at the farm provided bread and juice and
Kelly used his beautiful chalice and plate, made by local artisan Peter Ewasa
in Maua, to serve communion, with Alison's assistance, to us all.
The journey the 12 of us made has blessed us
immeasurably. The relationships formed
half a world away as well as those formed and strengthened with each other have
changed us forever.
-Alison Peeler and Rhonda Becker
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