Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year

Happy New Year !


Thank you for helping Sustainable Food Production to have a very good year. We have had the privilege of sharing information and providing garden seed with 4 other ministries who will be producing food through gardening and small farms. Having more groups involved in food production greatly increases the prospects for success. We have also provided folders and packets of information for shade house construction.

In March we held a workshop for construction of hoop type greenhouses at the garden project at Troy 1st Baptist. Over 25 information packets on construction were handed out and a hoop greenhouse was built as part of the garden project. Today December 31, spinach is still growing in the cold frame beds. The demo green/shade house at the Arrowood farm was completed and produced crops until late into the fall. Tomato and cucumber harvest can only be described as tremendous. In addition I provided hands on instruction for two individuals who plan to construct similar units.

Pictures from Faith Home in Honduras showed a very good harvest of cucumbers from the shade house and a very large corn harvest in the garden. The tiller for the tractor arrived early in the year to enable garden expansion and a walk behind tiller should arrive early in 2011. Miguel, Santo, and the other house parents and kids are doing a great job with the gardening project.

Mr. Leonard, continues to work with the folks at Ti Paradi to promote local responsibility for the gardening project. It was wonderful to hear of their good sweet potato harvest and planting of a new crop with cuttings from the old vines. This is what sustainability is all about. They continue to plant food bearing trees which will make a long term impact on food production for that little village. In addition, bananas, plantains, and papaya continue to be planted.

We are currently planning for a small group to travel to Cap Haitian in April to build two small shade houses for a birthing center operated by Mamababyhaiti. Medicinal herbs as well as food will grow in the units. Later this summer we are planning to build a large greenhouse near Quetzaltenago, Guatemala cooperating with Roger and Vicki Grossmann. Trip arrangements will be made after the first of the year with the North Carolina Baptist Men who is handling group trips. Several other groups have made initial contact for shade house projects and we will continue to reach out with offers of whatever extent of assistance they need.

It is truly a blessing to see other groups getting involved in sustainable food production around the world. Small projects on the family level make a lasting difference in becoming food independent.

Your prayers and support enable us to complete the task that God has called us to perform. With the loss of Mark Scott in October we were reminded of the urgency to be about the Lord’s work, “to work while it is yet day.”


God Bless,

Joe
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Mission Statement

Mission Statement MISSION STATEMENT OF SFP As Christ’s ministers we dedicate ourselves to the Word of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ. We further dedicate ourselves to set a Godly example to those we serve through a Christian lifestyle, bear witness of what Christ has done in our lives, and share the Gospel message with the lost. We pledge ourselves to respect the work of other ministries, to lift them up in prayer, and to work with them for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. We further pledge to be good stewards of the monies with which we are entrusted and to hold ourselves accountable to God and to those who contribute to this ministry. We seek no glory other than that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and God the Father. Sustainable Food Production, SFP, is a Christian based organization dedicated to helping people help themselves by growing better gardens and healthier livestock. We are a small group of believers representing several church denominations and operating as a part of Global Compassion Ministries. Our goal is to introduce improved gardening techniques, provide quality seed, and improve goat and chicken production in order to strengthen families and promote food production independence. Our work includes but is not be limited to: Soil and water conservation Soil improvement Building plant beds for intensive gardening Building both large and family size shade type green houses Experimenting with new crops and improved varieties of current crops Animal husbandryIsaiah 58:10If you extend you soul to the hungryAnd satisfy the afflicted soul.Then your light shall dawn in darkness,And your darkness shall be as the noonday.