Elements of a God-honoring rural economy

I don't believe in a prosperity gospel. Our lives are meant to revolve around God and his purposes. Prosperity gospel puts prosperity at the center and makes God simply a powerful tool for reaching the objective. That's magic, not Christian.

Still God expresses again and again that He wants us to thrive. He created the world (and us in it) to be good, wholesome, and fruitful. And when we seek His will that creates the conditions necessary for prosperous livelihoods, good health, a clean and healthy environment, and peace that were part of God's plan from the beginning.

So as believers seeking to follow Christ here in the central Kwilu, we are asking ourselves how can we contribute to renewing both farm family livelihoods and responsible stewardship of God's creation. What would a kingdom-inspired economy be for people in this place on earth?

These are not necessarily the definitive answers at Lusekele. But here are some elements I think are important:

• make use of the best adapted varieties of crops that people grow -- varieties that use soil nutrients efficiently, that produce high quality products, that resist disease. These are God's provision for our neighbors.
  
• improve our techniques for protecting, conserving and improving soil resources -- fighting erosion, recycling mineral nutrients, encouraging healthy complexes of soil organisms, increasing natural nitrogen fixation.
• improve traditional bush-fallow farming for sustainability despite increased population pressures and intensified cropping cycles -- reduce burning to a minimum, adopt soil-building crop rotations.
• invest in improving small-holder cash crop plantations, aiming toward ecologically sustainable practices as well as increased productivity (special reference to oil palms.)
  
• improve processing technology for greater efficiency, higher product quality, and higher value; adopt practices that eliminate waste products that damage the environment. (again with oil palms in mind.)
  
• encourage cooperative marketing for commodities -- reducing costs, improving product quality, and establishing greater confidence between farmers and their markets.
• rehabilitate rural roads, reducing the high costs of transportation and the isolation of many villages.

My dream is that Lusekele will be a force for change, giving people a glimpse of the world that God intended for us all. Is it too idealistic to hope that in 15 years we could see prosperous small holder plantations throughout the area? Or the impact of cassava mosaic virus nearly eliminated? Or small, clean palm oil factories generating jobs for people? Or villages setting aside forest reserves to be managed for long-term sustainability? I don't think so. The Spirit of Christ is capable of creating a new, God-honoring reality -- in us and around us. We are the first fruits of the Kingdom. And that's why we continue to dream, hope and work.