Across agricultural communities in one central Asian nation, a growing gap continues to expand between older, informed farmers and young, inexperienced ranchers.
This gap is more problematic than it may initially appear. Many members of the new generation of agriculturalists don’t have the knowledge necessary to get jobs in the farming sector and make significant liable mistakes that impact the sustainability of the country’s wildlife.
“Most students have never touched a shovel in their life or planted anything before, despite having studied agriculture for years. This lack of experience leaves many of them discouraged and disinterested in farming, with little vision for change in the future,” a partner in the region shared.
That’s why Send Relief created an internship program that has served nearly 1,500 young farmers!
In this program, students learn sustainable farming techniques, hands-on planting methods, weeding and harvesting procedures and marketing plans for their crops.
A teacher commented, “We saw a greater passion and understanding of agriculture develop as our students saw the results of their hard work. Not only did we see great success in implementing this training—but we also demonstrated God’s love and heart for people as we served, taught and sowed many seeds of the Good News!”
Students had the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them in a safe environment throughout their program. This flexibility made all the difference as they evaluated problems and worked with a team to accomplish a common goal. After completing the internship, every student receives an official certificate that will help them as they search for a job.
Our partners celebrated the results of this year’s graduating class: “Through this project, we saw a new passion and interest in agriculture in our students as they finally put their years of learning into action. New hope for the future of farming in the nation took root. Students saw how their hard work provided food for their families and could help others struggling with food insecurity in their homeland!”
Thank you for empowering communities to find creative ways to become self-sufficient! Please pray for graduates of this program to earn a reliable income and for the relationships built at the internship to sew meaningful spiritual seeds.
Published December 1, 2022