Faith and Farming is a scripture engagement initiative, connecting the Bible with everyday farmers experiences. It has two goals, to help those working on the land to:
1) engage with all of the Bible in the language that they use as they work on their farms or with their animals, and
2) make a connection between their faith in God and their day to day work, so that their whole life is impacted and reflects God’s greatness in everything they do and say.
To do this, the Faith and Farming programme highlights and learns from the many farmers in the Bible, including God Himself, the very first "farmer" who planted the Garden of Eden.
The LEAD Community of Practice, in partnership with ECHO Asia, is excited to be hosting the first Faith and Farming training event in Asia. This training event has been contextualised for an Asia-Pacific context, but as with all training, much of the material covered will need to be sensitively considered and potentially adapted for implementation in your own unique work setting. Visit the Faith and Farming website for more information about this exciting programme.
Note: This training event is open to people of differing faiths and no faith, and as a community of practice we recognise the benefits of diversity when dealing with complex topics. However, for this event in particular it is important to note the training will be based on stories and principles from the Christian Bible. Please consider carefully whether this is an event that you will be comfortable participating in fully.
Event Goal:
Participants return to their places of work with a better understanding of the connections between their faith, farming and agriculture more broadly, and are equipped and motivated to share their learning with others.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the event participants will have...
A basic theological understanding of the connections between Faith and Farming,
Reviewed and considered what the Bible has to say about farming and agriculture more broadly, and what the implications are for us as we work with the land in a sustainable way,
Considered what it means to be a follower of Jesus and a farmer and the implications for Scripture Engagement initiatives,
Seen firsthand a selection of sustainable farming techniques demonstrated at the ECHO Asia Global Farm,
Begun to plan what their next steps are for incorporating their learning into their own work and context.
And by six months after the event participants will have run one training event in their own location, with the support of others as needed.
SCHEDULE
Please note this is a draft schedule, and as such is subject to change and adjustments.
DAY 0 (Sunday 4 February)
Arrival & Registration
DAY 1 (Monday 5 February)
08:30-10:00: Session 1 - Introductions, Welcome and Theological Introduction to Faith and Farming
10:00-10:30: BREAK
11:30-12:00: Session 2: SOIL - An Introduction to Carbon Farming
12:00-13:00: LUNCH
13:00-14:30 Session 3: Farming and Farmers in the Bible
14:30-15:00: BREAK
15:00-16:30: Session 4: SOIL - compost making, mulching and making IMO and other microbial solutions
16:30-17:30: Free Time
17:30-18:30: EVENING MEAL
19:00-20:00: Session 5: Digging Deeper: Some Hidden Realities of Farming and the Differences They Make
DAY 2 (Tuesday 6 February)
08:30-10:00: Session 6 - Faith and Female Farmers
10:00-10:30: BREAK
11:30-12:00: Session 7: SEEDS - Saving/Banking and the use of locally available crops
12:00-13:00: LUNCH
13:00-14:30 Session 8: Faith, Farming and Creation Care
14:30-15:00: BREAK
15:00-16:30: Session 9: SEEDS - Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species' (NUS) grafting/airlayering
16:30-17:30: Free Time
17:30-20:30: Night Bazaar Trip (including EVENING MEAL)
DAY 3 (Wednesday 7 February)
08:30-10:00: Session 10: Faith and Fishing / Faith, Farming and Ministry
10:00-10:30: BREAK
11:30-12:00: Session 11: FEEDS - Feeds & Forage Options, Making On-Farm Feed
12:00-13:00: LUNCH
13:00-14:30 Session 12: Helping Farmers Manage Finances
14:30-15:00: BREAK
15:00-16:30: Session 13: Faith, Farming and Rest
16:30-17:30: Free Time
17:30-18:30: EVENING MEAL
19:00-20:00: Session 14: Vetiver Grass
DAY 4 (Thursday 8 February)
08:30-17:30: Field Trip - two locations to see faith and farming in practice
17:30-18:30: EVENING MEAL
19:00-20:00: Session 15: Life of a Farmer Meets Scripture
DAY 5 (Friday 9 February)
08:30-10:00: Session 16: Trauma Healing for Farmers
10:00-10:30: BREAK
11:30-12:00: Session 17: APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY 1 - Biochar production
12:00-13:00: LUNCH
13:00-14:30 Session 18: APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY 2 - 300L/Day Biosand Water Filtration System
14:30-15:00: BREAK
15:00-16:30: Session 19: Reflections and Passing it On
16:30-17:30: Free Time
17:30-18:30: EVENING MEAL
EVENT NARRATIVE
LOGISTICS
When? Monday 5 February 2024 – 9 February 2024 (5 days)
Where? ECHO Asia Farm and Seed Bank, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
How? The training event will be facilitated in English, adopting a participatory style. Feedback to the whole group will be in English, but participants are encouraged to use whichever languages they are most comfortable with when working in smaller groups. The event will be hosted at the ECHO Asia Farm and Seed Bank, and so will involve significant time outside around the farm seeing ideas and practice first hand.
Registration Fee: We recognise that attending with colleagues provides a considerable benefit, presenting opportunities to discuss the application of the training during the week. As such we are pleased to offer discounts for teams registering more than one person, on top of an early-bird registration rate which is available until 10 November 2023.
For this event we are offering three registration options: one for day participants (you arrange your own accommodation) and two all-inclusive options with accommodation at the venue. The day participant registration fee covers all event materials, lunch and snacks for the 5 days of the training. The all inclusive option includes accommodation for 6 nights in dorm room accommodation (fan only or AC room options), breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for 5 days. Please consider which option is best for your needs and then indicate this on your registration form. The prices are as follows…
Until 10 November 2023
Day Participant: one person = 250USD, two people = 475USD, three people = 675USD
All inclusive Participant (fan dorm room) = one person = 350USD, two people = 665USD, three people = 945USD
All inclusive Participant (AC dorm room) = one person = 400USD, two people = 760USD, three people = 1080USD
From 11 November until 15 December
Day Participant: 300USD
All inclusive Participant (fan dorm room) = 400USD
All inclusive Participant (AC dorm room) = 450USD
Travel costs: Participants are responsible for arranging and paying for all their own travel costs, insurance, visa costs etc.
Any questions? Check out the FAQs and email languageimpact@sil.org if you have any remaining queries.
Registration is now closed for this event. Thank you for your interest in attending. Please contact us if you would like to join our mailing list to receive notifications about future LEAD events.