It's World Earth Day today and World Vision UK is urging people to make a difference by taking the simple step of delving into the world of organic gardening.
World Vision supports Mali gardeners like Samba - and shows you how to grow-your-own organic veg on World Earth Day.
The global Christian charity based in Milton Keynes has published a simple guide to help anyone grow pesticide-free, great-tasting fruit and vegetables. Click here for the guide.
It comes as World Vision UK highlights the work it does globally to combat climate change. Despite decades of progress, climate change threatens to push more than 100 million people back into poverty by 2030.
One example is Mali, where armed conflict has caused enormous difficulties, adding to the impact of climate change. This means people are living with both displacement and food insecurity. In Mali’s Mopti region. World Vision is helping people like Samba grow food for their families.
"Here, we are living in an area with multiple difficulties such as lack of rain and insecurity. I am 78 this year and I am the head of a family of more than 20 people,” he says. "I have never liked to be idle. Idleness is a very bad thing. I really like to be busy. The only thing for me after the harvest is market gardening. However, in recent years I have had to deal with the adverse effects of climate change.
World Vision Mali has been strongly promoting market gardening through its community resilience-building programme since 2020. Before World Vision intervened, Samba’s garden was not fenced and had a water problem.
“Now, thank God and World Vision, it is well fenced and the two wells inside of it have been rehabilitated," Samba said. Having grown 200 kilos of onions, Samba is now hoping to grow okra for his family to enjoy.
Still, there is more work to be done as Samba hopes the World Vision resilience programme will help them install a borehole as they are still facing water shortages.
World Vision supports communities in many countries, including Bangladesh, Kenya, the Solomon Islands and Myanmar to restore their eco-systems and benefit from sustainable gardening and farming methods.
For more information and to find out more about how you can grow organic fruit and vegetables download their free organic gardening guide here. The first 2,000 people to download the guide will be sent a free packet of vegetable seeds.
