Farming God’s Way and Climate Change in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This chapter is a critical appraisal of the deliberate deployment of biblical verses by Foundations for Farming in Zimbabwe in crafting a method of farming called Farming God’s Way. The centrality of the Bible in the establishment of the principles of farming for poverty alleviation is what motivated this undertaking. Ordinarily, the Bible and Farming are not mentioned together. This does not, however, imply that the Bible has said nothing about farming, environment or climate through related subjects like forests, droughts, floods, poverty and pestilences. Farming, with its intrinsic relationship with the land and climate, was the main activity during the biblical era. There are numerous stories and parables about such subjects as seeds, crops, trees, farmers, seasons, weather, hunger, pests and diseases among others. Often times, the climate contributed significantly to peasant poverty in the biblical world. To date, peasant poverty, particularly in the Global South, is directly connected to climate change. Critical questions that inform this chapter include the following: What is the role of the Bible in the diagnosis by Foundations for Farming of the causes of peasant poverty in Zimbabwe and Africa at large? What are the positives and negatives of Foundations for Farming’s diagnosis and prescription? What has been the impact of Foundations for Farming in respect of poverty alleviation? What lessons can biblical scholars and scholars of religion derive from the activities of Foundations for Farming?