“Africa can feed itself in a generation,” in the 1 billion hungry project. This short 3-page briefing examines The New Harvest, by Calestous Juma. I haven’t read the book, but the briefing makes for compelling reading.
There are three optimistic factors giving reason for hope: advances in science and technology, new regional markets, and new entrepreneurial leaders. As I read this, I am reminded of how much this opportunity is similar to that taken by the Celtic missions. It’s a fascinating story (to me, at any rate).
Celtic missionaries came from Ireland into Europe just as the Black Plague was receding. There were huge swathes of unoccupied, unproductive land that had returned to the wild. The Celts had the moldboard plough–either they brought the tech with them, or knew of it. This particular plough was a scientific advance: it was too expensive for the average every day farmer to have, but a monastery could afford to acquire/build/operate it.
The monastics essentially began reploughing the land of Europe. They soon began having enough food that they could help support and catalyze communities around themselves. This led to a stable enough period of time around the monasteries that a demographic boom (new babies) resulted. The growing population attracted others–merchants, soldiers, etc.
In addition, the Celts began to educate the next generation. They took in young men and taught them everything they knew. Some of those boys stayed on to be the next generation of monastics, but others–many the sons of kings–went back with their education and a respect for the monks. They became the leaders that shaped the future.
Technology + Markets + Entrepreneurial Leaders = Boom.
This particular cycle was so powerful that it introduced enormous demographic growth in northern Europe, especially among the Frankish areas. By the time of the Reformation, the north outnumbered the south by something like 4 to 1. Luther’s Reformation was, I believe, God-ordained–but in another sense, it was demographically inevitable. When a huge population to the north felt insulted and taken advantage of–considered “hicks” by the southerners–the resulting clash could easily be predicted. And it was caused in part by the Celts. The Celts themselves had been absorbed into the Benedictine rule in a titanic battle of bureacracy (which I don’t fully comprehend even now), but I think they had the last laugh. (Perhaps a bit snarky of me.)
Christians in any age can help start a similar cycle of blessing. I think in the future we need to think of our teams and our bases as “little Celtic monasteries”–not necessarily taking on the vows of poverty, celibacy, etc.–but in how, like the Celts, we can inculturate into an area and become a center of blessing. If you have a “base of operations,” read more about the Celts and see what of what they did you can replicate.
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