The 2021 Rice Farm Challenge
The Indian Foursquare Church has contacted me for help with food, as they are really suffering under lockdown. I wish I had some way to help them! Food security is our number-one physical challenge, only yielding in priority to our spiritual security. The FCOP rice farm has been in development for twenty years. In 2016, it went through a great expansion which coincided with the intense construction of Chinese funded hydro-electric dams on the Mekong River and its tributaries. Adaptation has become our survival tactic and every year has brought new challenges. FCOP realizes that the ultimate strategic development will be the construction of a huge reservoir, dike and canal system, but we lack the $700,000 USD in funds (last year's prices) to get this project done so it is being pecked away, bit by bit. The past six months has allowed a lot of dike and canal construction, but the weather patterns are completely different than anything we've experienced.
Normally rains start in April and grow in intensity until peaking in September and October. 2020 was the driest year we have experienced yet. With water held back to fill reservoirs, FCOP land never saw water cover on our rice until mid October. Then, because the dam reservoirs were filled, it was a giant flush and instant floods. It was then followed by a Biblical locust attack. It was the worst year we've ever experienced. Three times we planted and three times we lost at least 90%. This year, it started raining in late March and at our farm in Balang we've had flood cover since mid April. We had to develop an entire new technology for tillage and have been planting in mud. The rice that is up looks great, but that is only about 1/3 of our crop. Another 1/3 is not up yet and the final 1/3 is yet to be planted. FCOP has purchased a great new variety of rice seed which will be planted on about 1/2 of our land, but fertilizer and fuel prices are way up. We are believing for a double portion crop. Please agree with us in prayer.
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