Beth Shalom Nursery.
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As well as the Project Genesis Farm in Thailand we have also started the building of a nursery and associated infrastructure such as shade house, shed and propagation house at Beth Shalom Farm, Sorell, Tasmania. We see the development of our local self sufficient farm as vital to the long term success of Project Genesis.
Just to clarify a point on the farm itself, Youth with a Mission (Y.W.A.M.) Australia own the property which comprises around 200 acres of land 2 km’s outside Sorell on the East Coat Highway. They have generously allowed Project Genesis the use of some land within the main farm which has been fenced off and we are building the nursery within this area. We would like to thank (Y.W.A.M.) for allowing us the use of this land.
The vision for our plot of land is basically the same as our farm in Thailand namely to produce healthy fruit and vegetables and to collect traditional self-replicating seed for saving and distributing. We will use this model to train people in our local area how to become as self-sufficient as possible when the infrastructure is complete. The Bible talks a lot about example setting, but it would be very hard for us to go to another country and say to the people God wants us to work hard, be wise stewards, exercise faith, unless we first do it ourselves.
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So we see the local farm at Beth Shalom becoming a real example to others within our own community and especially to those hungry countries to which we are taking this message of the need to be self-sufficient. As we produce healthy food for ourselves and those disadvantaged in our own community and exercise Godly stewardship by saving traditional self-replicating seed then we become a people that are actually doing what we are suggesting others should do. It’s the same old saying that will never loose it’s truth “Practice what you preach”. So from this perspective alone our farm is vitally important.
Secondly in regards to our local farm and nursery we are very keen to get to a place where it is financially self-supporting. The sale of fresh, organically grown fruit and vegetables will be looked at. The nursery will produce self-replicating vegetable seedlings in punnets and pots. Also a range of container grown herb plants and farm trees all for resale will be cultivated. Once again this plan fits under the category of example setting.
It’s imperative that all the Project Genesis farms started around the world in the future be self-sustaining both in terms of food/seed production and financially.
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If this does not happen then the farms just become a drain and a burden on supporters. At the end of the day if self-sufficiency happens then God’s work will continue even if our circumstances change.
Work on the local farm here in Sorell continues on steadily.
Over the last few months we have been concentrating our efforts to a large degree on solving the irrigation problems on the farm. Sorell is a relatively dry area as far as rain fall goes and only receives about 22 inches (in the old terminology) of rain annually.
We have laid a 2 inch water pipe from the top holding dam into the garden area. This water is gravity fed to the garden and nursery area.
We hired a trench digger for a day and this pipe has been placed under the ground out of harms way and also to keep the water cool enough to use on the plants during the summer months.
We have also laid another 300 meters of 2 inch water pipe from the secondary holding dam to the main header dam at the top of the property.
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This has been a real blessing especially as this year has been the driest 12-month period since the rainfall records started about 120 years ago. It really makes you appreciate the blessing of water when you have such a dry year.
Ken and Terry have planted and harvested tomatoes, carrots, red beet, beans and potatoes so far this season.
We are preparing some ground currently for some winter crops and last week planted some celery, cauliflower and winter lettuce.
The galvanized steel piping for the construction of the shade-house and the completion of the framing for the propagation house arrived this week. We will be building the shade-house over the winter period so it can be used for the growing of farm trees, which will be sold next year. We will keep you posted on the progress.
