Jonah's Irrigation Innovation
Watch Jonah's irrigation innovation in action!
Jonah Woira is one of our excellent trainers in Uganda. He has a passion for both growing organic, sustainable food and for developing people! He is an extremely skilled agronomist (an expert in the science of soil management and crop production), and we have been thrilled to have him as Uganda’s FARM STEW Agricultural Leader since October of 2019.
One of the ways that Jonah has shown his skills is in his innovation and his creativity. In the Kalungami Village in the Jinja district of Eastern Uganda, there is no water pump. The one that they did have broke two years ago. As no one had ever been trained on how to maintain it or fix the pump should something go wrong, the people of this village now have to walk 2 miles (about 5 kilometers) to get water each day.
However, this has not stopped Jonah’s FARM STEW Field School members from diligently watering their delicate vegetable seedlings. Jonah’s innovative solution was to teach them micro-irrigation techniques using discarded plastic bottles put into the grown upside down! This saves water trips and helps to keep their seedlings watered and healthy.
Is all of this easy? Definitely not. Is it all worth it in the end? Those who work with Jonah give a resounding yes! They are thrilled with their plants and with the produce! Not only are they able to feed their own families, they are also able to earn money through selling the extra produce to the local community.
One of FARM STEW’s top 5 priorities for 2020 is to fix the water pump in the Kalungami Village, along with repairing 19 other wells and drilling 30 new wells. Though this goal will cost $150,000, this will help us to bless 15,000 more people! We can’t wait to see the amazing and wonderful ways that God will come through to help us meet this goal!!!
Jonah has made, and continues to make, a major difference in the lives of those who he is teaching – we are so thankful that he is part of our FARM STEW Crew!
“It has been an exciting, though challenging, learning experience for me. It has opened my mind and heart to people’s potential, and to their willingness to learn, practice, and help their communities. Many of the locals are now adopting the new farming skills. Many of these people used to never want to hear about the Gospel, however now they are actually asking for Bible studies! They see that we are so happy to teach everyone and give of our time and resources - it intrigues them. Our attitude of humility and willingness to help is not what you usually find around here.” - Jonah Woira
Do you LOVE how FARM STEW's wholistic approach to developing PEOPLE addresses the root causes of hunger, disease, and poverty? Click the pretty purple button at the top right-hand side of the page to help to keep projects like Jonah's going strong!
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