Any place worth going is worth taking a long time to get to.

You could cite a different African proverb every day for a year and still not come close to exhausting the supply of those fabulous bits of wisdom. It might seem strange to you then that I have not made proverbs a more prominent feature in my blog. This is largely because I feel like a child here at times- the recipient of said proverbs, not the giver. Can I speak with enough wisdom and authority to pass them on to others?  But I guess we are all both learners and teachers.

I have now passed through the Johannesburg airport a few times. On the wall of the departing lounge in letters a meter tall is written:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Yesterday I was coming back to the city from working in the field with a group of other agricultural extensionists. We had all stayed the week in their house in the small community of Capinga, going out during the day to various surrounding communities to carry out conservation agriculture activities. Done for the week, we were heading home on our motorcycles, plodding along at 30 km/h on a highway where I knew I could easily go 60 or 70. We were stuck at a snail’s pace because a couple of the motorcycles had seen better days and decided that they’d had enough of highway driving. In case one of them spontaneously stalled and needed a push start, we stuck together. The temptation for me to pick up speed on a downhill, slip into 5^th gear, and speed home to a shower and clean clothes was immense. I could have made it there in half the time traveling alone. But then the above-mentioned proverb came to mind. I was wrong. Alone, I would not have made it home in half the time. Alone, I would have still been stuck in the little house in Capinga. That very morning I couldn’t get my motorcycle running on my own and needed to ask Dercio to start it for me.

Alone, I would not get very far.

My colleague Dercio Romão planting cabbage in Capinga. 

I felt bad a few weeks ago when I had to catch an early bus, and my host brother was volunteered by his mother to escort me to the station. I was telling my MCC colleague how I felt bad, but Stephanie said, “don’t feel bad Rebecca, that’s what brothers are for.” Sure enough, the next day when I knocked on my brother’s door at 4AM, he jumped out of bed without the least big of sleepiness or grudging, picked up my bag, and saw me to the bus. When I need to know what is appropriate attire for a wedding or want to learn how to crack open and grate a coconut… that’s what sisters are for. When I need to buy a helmet in the part of town where guys always whistle at me, that’s what brothers are for. You could choose to be independent and go it all alone. But when you choose to call on your brother or sister, instead of feeling embarrassed or helpless, you feel like you are a part of a family where people help each other, because that’s what brothers and sisters are for.

You don’t have to go it alone.

A group of women in Caphaia working together to make seed beds and plant vegetables for the first time. 

Mennonite Central committee works primarily by partnering with existing local organizations in the country where we work. We normally do not carry out our own projects, but rather support the endeavors of local churches and NGO’s working the areas of peace, relief, and development.  My North American sense of efficiency is sometimes compromised as a result of this complex but beautiful relationship. Then I ask my self,

“Why are we here? Is our purpose to go fast or to go far?”

Mr. Manuel standing in his garden plot in front of the dam at Maulemaule. 

Lucia António, Luisa Luis, and Quiniria Bernardo in Cabvewe. After three years with this project, they hardly need any reminders on now to prepare seed beds- they've got the experience they need to continue on their own.  

What does going far look like? It could be many things.  It could be local people with the compassion, vision, and capacity to have great positive impact in their communities in areas where they see need. It could be sustainable and just community development. It could be the growth of cross-cultural relationships based on mutual trust and collaboration. It could be communities worldwide in a right relationship with God, one-another, and creation (MCC’s own vision). We have far to go, but to the best of our ability, we are going there together.

Together, we can go far.

Me and the women of Caphaia standing in front of the 5 seed beds we planted together that morning- the first time for this community. As Romao and I were picking up our things to leave, a couple of the women picked up their hoes once again and started immediately putting to use what they learned by preparing more seedbeds so they could plant the leftover seeds.  

  

Lessons on conservation agriculture

The beauty of conservation agriculture is in its simplicity. Like so many things in life, we try to improve and make things more efficient, only to discover that over time these short-cuts cut-short our efforts. They may make things faster and easier for a moment, but over the long-term, we lose out. Even worse, our neighbours and our children lose out. Yes, if done well, conservation agriculture can be a beautiful solution to hunger. It can promote economic growth, and make food security a possibility for those with even the fewest resources.

Sitting with my colleague Sebastian at the first African Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Lusaka, Zambia, in March. We came back from the conference with many new ideas to share with our colleagues at the Christian Council of Mozambique. 

Conservation agriculture stands on three basic principles: minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation. Where do these principles come from? By observing and understanding natural ecosystems in the world around us. When, in nature, do you see a field with just one type of plant? Does the soil spontaneously invert itself every year, suddenly exposing all of the sensitive microorganisms to the harsh rays of the sun? In a forest, does water run off the ground in sheets? When was the last time you saw bare soil in a meadow? Much like the human body, the resilience and sustainability of these ecosystems depends on a myriad of complex interactions, recycling, and feedback loops that keep things in balance. The more we remove our farming practices from the way an ecosystem naturally functions, the more work we have to do to keep everything going. Plant a single crop, and you’ll have to put more nutrients into the soil. Leave the soil bare and you’ll have to water and weed more. Plough, and the soil will become compact and hard, resulting in more water loss and more leeching of nutrients. The cycle continues to spiral. Our groundwater and rivers dry up from excessive irrigation at the commercial scale. What water is left becomes clogged with soil runoff and chemical fertilizers. Genetically modified crops boost yield and help secure against weeds or pests that could otherwise easily destroy whole fields, but we are forever reliant on those companies for seed, hoping we can make some profit before the pests in question become resistant and we have to turn to something else. Sure, with enough money and technology you can stay ahead and have good yields. But in the long-term, we lose out.

Sebastian taking notes during our field visit. Behind him a demonstration plot outside showing intercropping of Pigeon Peas and maize- a great way to keep the soil covered and restore nutrients. 

Demonstration of agroforestry techniques- Intercropping leguminous trees with field crops. The trees provide partial shade and give nitrogen to the soil, a system which can continue to give benefits for many years. 

 So, conservation agriculture seems like the perfect solution. We should all just stop plowing, rotate our crops with legumes to nourish the soil, and keep some sort of mulch or cover crop on the ground to keep the soil covered. Sounds simple, right? What about years of traditional knowledge about farming? What about social norms- what will my neighbours think? Why would I change something that is working just fine? You tell me to rotate crops, but I am not familiar with the leguminous plants you are suggesting- I want to grow traditional foods I know how to prepare. Intensive monoculture and fertilizer use was part of the green revolution- where would our world be today without that? Governments or other NGOs may be promoting and subsidizing heavy pesticide and fertilizer use, so why should I bother with the extra work of keeping the soil covered when the other way is so much easier¹? Besides, Africa uses way less fertilizers than any other continent; how will we ever catch up in terms of productivity unless we apply more? My neighbour raises livestock, and they eat all of the mulch material before I have a chance to put it on my field- are you suggesting I fence my WHOLE field to keep them out? It’s too much work; I have enough to do raising 5 kids all alone since my husband left to find work in the mines.

There are challenges to overcome, but how should we face those challenges? You have a particularly difficult chemistry problem sitting in front of you and your homework is due in an hour. Do you quickly copy the answer from a friend, who may or may not have the right answer? Do you just scribble something down, hoping you get partial marks? Do you cheat and look up the answer on the internet, knowing that does nothing to help you understand or solve the problem for when exam time comes?

Short-cuts cut-short. My highschool teacher used that phrase in class all the time. The same principles of doing things on-time, efficiently, and to high standard apply whether you are talking about chemistry homework or agricultural practices. Does this phrase suggest that innovation and initiative are discouraged? On the contrary! People who search for solutions with integrity, wisdom, collaboration, and foresight can bring about positive change. These solutions can improve efficiency, quality, accessibility, and resilience over the long-term. It is short-cuts driven by ignorance, laziness, or selfish ambition that cut short.

Adaptability is key. One of the many things I took away from my week at the conservation agriculture conference in Zambia was that there is no “one solution fits all.” No one NGO, program, or conservation agriculture program has all the answers. No one minister of agriculture promoting certain policies can solve all of the problems.  No magic phrase like “community mobilization” “farmer to farmer extension” or “participatory project development” will result in immediate uptake of CA techniques. It is a journey that needs cooperation, involvement, and servant-hearted leaders at all levels. It takes humility to admit when something isn’t working and to learn from those who’ve been on this road a lot longer than you have. It takes a listening ear to hear what community members are saying, or not saying. There are no magic short cuts, but there is much we can learn from each other and much we can discover by working together.

¹ CA in general does not condone or promote the use of fertilizers, though different NGO’s or government agencies may have their own agendas. Many CA extensionists instruct on the efficient placement and minimal usage of fertilizers in the first years to help boost soil fertility in areas that are seriously degraded. But over time, as soil fertility improves, fertilizer use can be reduced.