Help Us Start a Farm to Feed Children & Teach Farming Techniques

A farm is an integral part of the overall vision for Hope of a Nation. In September 2022, thanks to the help of our generous financial partners, we purchased a 6-hectare (appx 15-acre) plot of land in Dondo, Mozambique, to lay the foundation for a farm that will be a blessing to so many people.

This beautiful piece of property is just a 20-minute drive from where our core team is located. It has an abundant water source that has already been dammed to create a lovely pond. The soil is rich and fertile, and it’s a peaceful setting with so much potential!

In mid-September we finalized the purchase and began clearing the underbrush and non-fruit bearing trees to prepare the land for planting. By early October we will have our first ground crops planted (corn and beans)!

Our long-term goals for this farm are multi-faceted, but will include broiler chickens, egg laying hens, goats, fish, traditional in-the-soil crops, and a fruit and moringa tree orchard. It will also include an aquaponics farm inside a greenhouse where we can grow food faster and with only 10% of the water that normal crops require, a huge advantage in drought conditions. There are many other benefits to aquaponics which you can read about here on our website. Once fully developed, this farm will be able to sustain itself.

Here are just some of the ways we plan to use this farm in the future:

• Provide meat and produce for our Children’s Services programs and other programs that will be implemented in future years.
• Provide nutritious supplements for malnourished individuals, especially pregnant and nursing women, babies, and children.
  
• Demonstrate to, educate, and train small farmers on more sustainable growing techniques that can help increase overall food security for their families.
• Create compost and natural fertilizer that can be used on our farm and given to individuals for their small home gardens. We will also teach small farmers how to make their own.
• Provide employment to a few individuals who will work on the farm and maintain it.
• The sale of the surplus produce and livestock, in addition to making the farm financially sustainable, will also help provide financially for our other programs.
  

This Phase 1 fundraising campaign for $30,000 will allow us to:

• Purchase 15 17 acres of land at a cost of $10,000 (Completed)
• Clear the underbrush (Completed)
• Construct an elevated water tank with a pump to draw and store water from the stream-fed pond
• Construct a sturdy, low-water bridge for people and vehicles to cross the stream in order to easily access all parts of the land (Completed)
  
• Purchase some male and female goats and build a small barn and fencing for them
• Build a chicken house big enough to accommodate at least 1,000 broiler chickens (for the future), and purchase starter chickens
• Purchase farming tools and basic equipment such as feeding troughs, warming lights for chicks, etc. (Basic farm tools purchased)
• Purchase starter seeds for initial in-ground crops of corn and sesame (Completed)
• Connect to the nearby power source
• Acquire needed licenses and permits (In progress)

We have our qualified farm team ready! We just need the money to get it going!

Our Agricultural Specialist, Pedro, has a master’s degree in agriculture and a passion for planting and growing things. 

Our Farm Manager, Joseph, has administrative experience in the agricultural industry, a degree in admin and human resources, and a heavy interest in meeting the nutritional needs of mothers, children, and widows.