UCC group in Boonsville
It has been one long road trip since I arrived in the US. Many of you know that I am generally not a fan of road trips but I am enjoying all the interesting people I have been meeting along the way. In Indiana I spent a few days with Amish farmers learning about productive, commercial farming with animal power. Many of my stereo-types surrounding the Amish were broken down and I was inspired by their commitment to family and community. I understand that likely no two Amish groups are alike so I hate to post generalizations about all Amish communities based on the one that I experienced. However, the one thing I can say is that it appears that all decisions made in Amish communities are always with the good of the family in mind. The reason I was given for the use of horse traction, besides the decrease in dependence on fossil fuels and their love for horses, is that animal traction depends on the family and the community. It promotes family. This appears to be the first priority of the Amish. That being said, the families we visited are using very modern agricultural techniques, spraying fertilizer and applying the latest insecticides with horse drawn modern sprayers. We saw several Amish driving cars out of the necessity of business and for family vacations. One family we spoke with had flown to Oregon, rented a motor home and driven clear up to Alaska. This did not fit my view of the Amish. Of importance for Gamboula and what I really wished Benoit could have seen was the ingenuity of the Amish. They have modified large equipment for use in horse drawn farming. This ingenuity is inspiring and could be of real benefit to small farmers in CAR, helping them imagine the possibilities for locally devised farm equipment.
Leaving Indiana I flew into Kansas City (KC) and was met by my wonderful hostess Laura. We drove into Missouri and landed in a small town two hours from KC. I had two wonderful speaking engagements, one on Wednesday night and one on Thursday. Both were churches involved in FRB growing projects and it was great to have the opportunity to extend the thanks of small farmers in CAR to farmers and churches in the US who raised funds through farming to support projects like the Gamboula Agroforestry Centre. What I thought would be a 25 minute presentation turned into more than an hour because of the interest and questions from the audience. The questions people asked were fascinating and I am constantly reminded how spoiled I am to be working in such different parts of the world. Part of the fun of traveling like this is being able to help people in mid-west America see the people of CAR as fellow brothers and sisters rather than foreign people in a strange land. Our struggles across the globe are all the same, we all want peace, to live with dignity, to provide for our families and to enjoy the freedom of choice. When we see each other as the same, rather than the other, we can begin to imagine a world better than the one we live in now.
Wheat harvest with animal traction
