February 8, 2008
News from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Partnering with the Center for Study and Development of Cambodian Agriculture (CEDAC), a local nongovernmental agency (NGO) in Cambodia, the Church is working to improve the lives of 7,000 families and help them rise out of poverty.
Small farmers are learning a new method of cultivating rice—the system of rice intensification (SRI) that increases production more than 200 percent. The Benson Institute Family Food Program, under the umbrella of Humanitarian Services, is responsible for the three-year Cambodia project. Currently more than 2,000 farmers have learned the new method of planting rice. According to Wade Sperry, manager of field operations, the Church has been involved in other food projects in the past, but this is the first time for rice production.
[Read President Monson’s remarks on the Church’s involvement in humanitarian aid.]
He said the Church joined with CEDAC because it has a history of demonstrated success in the country. CEDAC was organized in 1997 by Cambodian agriculturists to research farming systems and train the country’s small farmers who have been plagued by poverty, Brother Sperry explained.
For hundreds of years these small farmers have raised rice the same way, by planting and flooding their small plots of land. Now they are learning how to grow the rice in a dry field. This method has more than doubled the farmers’ yields giving them a much larger harvest to sell at market. Production costs have been reduced as well.
Fr. Henri de Laulanié, S.J., who was working with farmers in Madagascar to improve their farming methods, developed the SRI method in the 1980s. Eventually word of the method’s success spread, and it has been adopted by others.
Elder John and Sister Jean Lyman, humanitarian missionaries with Latter-day Saint Charities, have been working with the rice project. They report that more than 100 villages have been involved so far.
In addition to teaching rice production, CEDAC is training farmers how to develop co-ops so they can sell the rice at higher prices. These group efforts also allow them to purchase seed and other supplies at lower prices, Brother Sperry explained.
The Church is also helping to improve the people’s nutrition. Families in these villages usually survive on rice and any fish they can catch. They are now learning how to plant personal vegetable gardens and how to raise chickens. Brother Sperry said the villagers, who sometime catch eels and frogs to eat, are now also learning how to breed them for a consistent supply of protein.
Since missionary work has not progressed into the rural areas yet, none of the families in the food production program are members of the Church.
Another aspect of this program is the education of families in modern hygiene and health practices. This brings about a reduction of disease in the towns, Brother Sperry explained.
The Church’s goal of improving the quality of life for Cambodians also includes a theatrical production about family life performed by youth from the Phnom Penh district. The “Academy Performers” tell the audience members they are sponsored by LDS Charities, but do not proselytize.
The play they present, “Father Leads the Way,” emphasizes the importance of men being good farmers, fathers, and heads of families. It also addresses relationships between children and parents and between husband and wife.
The concept of holding family councils is introduced in the play and demonstrates how successful such councils can be. The issues of alcohol abuse and smoking are also addressed.
Brother Sperry explained, “The mission president wanted to participate somehow in this sizeable humanitarian project.” He assigned a senior missionary couple, Elder and Sister Dudley, to write the script and to use the youth of the area in the play. It “helps the farm families learn about family ideals, and the youth who perform the play are learning as well as serving these families in their own country,” he noted.
For information on how to contribute, visit the Humanitarian Services site.
Small farmers are learning a new method of cultivating rice—the system of rice intensification (SRI) that increases production more than 200 percent. The Benson Institute Family Food Program, under the umbrella of Humanitarian Services, is responsible for the three-year Cambodia project. Currently more than 2,000 farmers have learned the new method of planting rice. According to Wade Sperry, manager of field operations, the Church has been involved in other food projects in the past, but this is the first time for rice production.
[Read President Monson’s remarks on the Church’s involvement in humanitarian aid.]
He said the Church joined with CEDAC because it has a history of demonstrated success in the country. CEDAC was organized in 1997 by Cambodian agriculturists to research farming systems and train the country’s small farmers who have been plagued by poverty, Brother Sperry explained.
For hundreds of years these small farmers have raised rice the same way, by planting and flooding their small plots of land. Now they are learning how to grow the rice in a dry field. This method has more than doubled the farmers’ yields giving them a much larger harvest to sell at market. Production costs have been reduced as well.
Fr. Henri de Laulanié, S.J., who was working with farmers in Madagascar to improve their farming methods, developed the SRI method in the 1980s. Eventually word of the method’s success spread, and it has been adopted by others.
Elder John and Sister Jean Lyman, humanitarian missionaries with Latter-day Saint Charities, have been working with the rice project. They report that more than 100 villages have been involved so far.
In addition to teaching rice production, CEDAC is training farmers how to develop co-ops so they can sell the rice at higher prices. These group efforts also allow them to purchase seed and other supplies at lower prices, Brother Sperry explained.
The Church is also helping to improve the people’s nutrition. Families in these villages usually survive on rice and any fish they can catch. They are now learning how to plant personal vegetable gardens and how to raise chickens. Brother Sperry said the villagers, who sometime catch eels and frogs to eat, are now also learning how to breed them for a consistent supply of protein.
Since missionary work has not progressed into the rural areas yet, none of the families in the food production program are members of the Church.
Another aspect of this program is the education of families in modern hygiene and health practices. This brings about a reduction of disease in the towns, Brother Sperry explained.
The Church’s goal of improving the quality of life for Cambodians also includes a theatrical production about family life performed by youth from the Phnom Penh district. The “Academy Performers” tell the audience members they are sponsored by LDS Charities, but do not proselytize.
The play they present, “Father Leads the Way,” emphasizes the importance of men being good farmers, fathers, and heads of families. It also addresses relationships between children and parents and between husband and wife.
The concept of holding family councils is introduced in the play and demonstrates how successful such councils can be. The issues of alcohol abuse and smoking are also addressed.
Brother Sperry explained, “The mission president wanted to participate somehow in this sizeable humanitarian project.” He assigned a senior missionary couple, Elder and Sister Dudley, to write the script and to use the youth of the area in the play. It “helps the farm families learn about family ideals, and the youth who perform the play are learning as well as serving these families in their own country,” he noted.
For information on how to contribute, visit the Humanitarian Services site.
11 comments:
i love america. khmer-america friendship forever!!
Beware, behind this humanitarian work is the hidden agenda of converting Khmer farmers to their sect. They call themselves Christians but a closer look reveals that the LSD is a different faith. Their first and foremost aim is to convert people.
I have learned about LDS Church, and they are Christains. Accroding to my comparisons and researches, I commend that People should follow their self-reliance theory. It's also be nice to Khmer societies if we follow the church's advice.
6:57AM, how is it nice to follow the church's advice?
Explain?
No matter how much rice you produce, if the middle-men pay for the price of rice, our beloved farmers would not still make decent living. Or if the inflation of the currency rises disproportionally, the income would still be low.
There's a distinguishment between being thankful for help and being forced or pressured to follow.
The word "follow" is very derogatory for our Buddhist farmers. It is the choice that should be politically correct to use.
Beware
Mitt Romney is a mormon. Before everyone else is too har ahead of themselves. Be respectful to other people's faith.
May God bless Brother Sperry and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I have no problem with the Mormon people and if they show the kindness, respect, and love and they should get that back in return! Love doesn’t go one way and it goes both way and It is reciprocal! Please continue to do God work and people will know!
12:44PM
What you mean by God work? I know God's work is to proselytize the peoples and convert them to be a slave of God.
Converting the peoples means to look down their ancestors, history, race, wisdom, and religion....etc
Churches are spreading their faith through proselytizing. Muslim spreads their religion through sword and ax.
Buddhism spreads their faith through the "teaching of truth".
Mormon Church is very bad. One day, they will ask all their members to donate all their wealth to the church. Only the Priest of the church can enjoy all the luxury. Other people will became their slave. Be carefull
christian religion killed the most people in history and people in cambodia dont need this. giving bread for god...fuck off with your aged religion, we are not 200 years before anymore. nobody needs religion!
8:03
Right, Christians have been fighting wars over and in the name of their religion for centuries. Even Bush invokes God and Jesus in his war in Iraq. Christianity below the surface is brutal and hypocritical. The Mormons as a sect are just an aberration.
But, people have always needed religion for mental support. I just wish they practiced what they teach.
To 1:42PM
If the Mormon people are as powerful as you have said then they should be controlling the world by now! But the fact is the Mormon people are not controlling the world or even Cambodia! Can you tell me who is controlling Cambodia right now? Of course you know and it is AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave mother fucker who continue to lead Cambodian people into destitution, hunger, and ignorance and I have yet to hear you say something about AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave leadership and why haven't you saying something about AH HUN SEN because dirt poor Cambodian people haven't suffer enough already?
The Mormon people came to Cambodia to share their knowledge with Cambodian people and why are you so much against it?
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