TRAINER’S REFERENCE GUIDE

1 farming GOD'S WAY TRAINER S REFERENCE GUIDE First Edition by Grant Dryden Reproduction Copyright 2009 GW Dryden Copies of this publication can be downloaded from Reproduction and dissemination of this publication in unaltered form for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged with the recommended citation below. Reproduction of material in this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is permitted only with written permission of the author, Dryden Recommended Citation farming God s Way Trainer s REFERENCE GUIDE . Dryden, , 2009. Acknowledgements This project was inspired by you the reader and potential farming God's Way trainer, who has the potential to significantly transform the lives of the poor through your knowledge and impartation.

2 I trust that this publication will go a long way to helping you realize that goal. Many thanks, to Brian Oldreive, who has tirelessly poured out his life for this message of hope to get to the poorest of the poor. Thanks to Darryl and Hazel Edwards for their research and contributions with regard to composting. Thanks to Danny Blank, Martin Price and other Echo staff for their technical contribution in the composting and cover crops sections. Thank to Debra Cairns, Cheryl Stevenson and Carl Schmidt for editorial input. Thanks to Duncan Stewart for the oil painting on the cover capturing so much of what farming God's Way stand for on canvas. Thanks to my wife Nicola who gave hundreds of hours in editing this REFERENCE GUIDE and for her support throughout this project. farming God s Way farming God s Way is a resource given to the wider body of Christ, to serve the poor and deliver them from the yoke of poverty.

3 Motto Motivated by obedience, rooted in compassion and delivered with love. farming God s Way Logo The new logo produced in 2009 was designed to fully capture the heart of farming God's Way. The poor across the globe are central in this theme and the orange glow depicts the promise of Isaiah 58 Your light will break forth like the dawn , starting with Africa as our core focal point and extending to the remotest parts of the earth. The cross and bowl symbolise Christ like humility and servanthood, where He was prepared to give up His crown and glory to serve the poor wholeheartedly. The horizontal portion of the cross is golden to represent God s Blanket protecting and covering the brown soil, which is such an important inheritance to pass on through generations. The vertical portion of the cross is blue to depict the provision of God s blessing in rainfall passing through the lush green growth and God s golden blanket, penetrating deeply, filling up the soil profile.

4 Sponsors This REFERENCE GUIDE was sponsored by the Bountiful Grains Trust. The statements, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this REFERENCE GUIDE are those of the author. Bountiful Grains Trust 109 Fordyce Rd Walmer, Port Elizabeth, RSA IT 949/2007 NPO 061-902 PBO 930025934 Orders To order the training DVD series or printed copies of the farming God's Way Trainer REFERENCE GUIDE Email: Telephone: +27 41 5811833 Cover Picture Oil painting by Duncan Stewart FOREWORD Mark 16:15 Go into all the world .. I ve just had the privilege of meeting a dynamic young man of God whom I believe the Lord is going to use very powerfully on the continent of Africa, starting in South Africa, and then going right up into Central and North Africa. Grant visited me and shared his vision, which is huge. At Shalom we say if your vision doesn t scare you, it s not big enough.

5 Well, I think it s with much fear and trepidation that Grant is looking forward to this vision that God has given him to be fulfilled. Being a farmer myself, I can really relate to the heart that God has given to Grant and Brian Oldreive, whom I had the privilege of meeting at Shalom some years back. It s wonderful to see how God is raising up men all over our continent who are reaching out to the poor and the needy. Instead of giving them a fish, they are teaching them how to fish for themselves. Self respect is a very important part of a man s life. If a man can put bread on the table for his family, it is an honourable thing and something which God is pleased with. This is exactly what these brave young men and women are doing, teaching people not only how to sustain themselves, but also to make a living out of tilling the land God s way. I really pray God s richest blessing on Grant, his ministry, his wife, Nikki, and their children, Benjamin and Caleb, that God would protect them as they attempt great things for God and expect great things from God (William Carey, founder of the Baptist Union).

6 It gives me great pleasure to endorse this work and to give it my fullest support. Our prayer is that we don t only minister to the spiritual part of man, but the mental and physical part as well. To bring dignity to a man is a wonderful thing, especially to do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the greatest farmer who has ever lived. I pray that this work would continue to grow and be supported financially and mostly in prayer by God s people as these brave soldiers go into the most needy areas of our continent and preach God s Gospel in a practical way. Francis of Assisi said, Preach the Gospel at all costs and, if you really have to, use words. This is what Grant is doing. He s preaching God s Word in a practical way. May God bless them richly as they continue to be obedient to the vision and the call that He has put on their lives. ANGUS BUCHAN SHALOM MINISTRIES JANUARY 2010 Contents 1.

7 Course Outline 1 Introduction 1 Course Outcomes 2 Practical Assignment 2 Study Books 2 2. Reality of the Crisis 3 3. farming God s Way 7 4. History of farming God's Way 11 5. Motivation 16 6. The True Fast 19 7. Kingdom Agriculture 24 8. Six Biblical Keys 27 Introduction 27 Acknowledge God and God Alone 29 You are the Temple of the Living God 36 Understanding God s All Sufficiency 46 What You Sow You Will Reap 57 Bring the Tithes and Offerings to God 63 Stake Your Claim!!! 68 9. Well Watered Gardens 72 What is a Well Watered Garden? 72 Characteristics of a Good Well Watered Garden Site 73 Making a Teren Rope 74 Well Watered Garden Kit List 74 Laying out your Well Watered Garden 75 Land Clearing 77 Establishing the Permanent Baseline 78 Holing Out 78 Alternative Crops and Rotations 81 Correcting Acidic Soils 81 Inputs 82 Covering for Seeding Depth 83 Waiting for the Rains 84 Planting 84 Covering 85 Applying God s Blanket 85 Emergence 86 Gapping 86 1st Weeding 87 Thinning 88 1st Topdress 89 2nd and 3rd Weeding 89 Full Canopy 89 Desuckering 89 2nd Topdressing 90 Pollination and Seed Fill 90 Pre-harvest Late Weeding 90 Harvest Time 91 Post Harvest Stalk Lodging 91 10.

8 20 Reasons Why We Do the How 92 11. Management 102 On Time 104 To High Standards 109 With Minimal Wastage 116 12. Scale of Implementation 123 Small Scale 123 Medium Scale 124 Large Scale 125 13. Basic Budget 126 14. Extension Getting the Message Out 128 15. Biodiversity Through Alternative Crops 132 Rotational Cropping 132 Relay Cropping 133 Green Manure Cover Crops 134 Alternative Crop Guidelines 135 16. Composting 139 17. Steep Slopes 143 18. Appendix 148 How to Facilitate the DVD Series 148 Well Watered Garden Check List 151 Recommended Production Timeline Southern Africa 152 Recommended Production Timeline Central Africa 153 farming God's Way Budget Template 154 Farm Evaluation Form 155 Life Expectancy Chart 156 19. Other Resources 158 20. Recommended Reading 158 21. Glossary of Terms 158 22.

9 Bibliography 159 1 1. Course Outline Introduction The African continent has the most natural resources of all the world s continents. It has vast mineral, precious metal and oil reserves, excellent agricultural potential, wonderful people, plenty of water and riverine systems and a wildlife biodiversity which has the potential to become a booming tourist industry. In contrast to her potential, Africa is also the most poverty stricken, with extremely low standards of living, famines, high levels of undernourishment, shocking infant mortality rates, disease, wars, dependency, poor education, deforestation, corruption and high inflation as hallmarks of what the continent represents. The Lord Jesus prayed that the Father s Kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. His desire is that His children, who are called by His name, will not only have the free gift of eternal life, but walk in the promise of His abundant life.

10 The question is, if so much of Africa has come to salvation, why do we still see so much of the curse rather than the promise of His blessing? It is an integral part of this course to expose the myths of poverty and unmask the blindness that Satan has so deceptively put in place. Poor subsistence farmers account for approximately 80% of the population of the continent, who are living undernourished and degraded lives. The current yields of these farmers are well below their family s requirements, which, in turn necessitates the importation of millions of tons of grain every year. Year after year the perpetuation of the dependency cycle continues and the poor get poorer and poorer. In the midst of these negative sentiments, it is encouraging to know that none of these are insurmountable. The Word is full of the promise of restoration and when we as God s people will put into practise the conditions of His Word and exercise faithfulness and stewardship, we inherit those promises not only in spirit but in practise.