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Among the" /> <meta name="generator" content="Drupal 7 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.sil.org/blog/dignity-dirt" /> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://www.sil.org/node/187006" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="SIL Global" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.sil.org/blog/dignity-dirt" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Dignity in Dirt" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Faith and farming initiative restores positive self-image to Nigerian farmers. Dirty hands and long hours readily distinguish those who work the land cultivating crops and caring for animals. Throughout the Gbari region of central Nigeria, however, farmers commonly feel that working the ground marks them with a much deeper stain than can be washed away with water. Among the wider community, farming is often seen as a lowly job for those who lack the skills or education to do anything else." /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2022-04-20T12:17:56-05:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/images/story/untitled-1_0.png" /> <meta property="og:image:url" content="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/images/story/untitled-1_0.png" /> <meta property="og:image:secure_url" content="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/images/story/untitled-1_0.png" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@SILintl" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.sil.org/blog/dignity-dirt" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Dignity in Dirt" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Faith and farming initiative restores positive self-image to Nigerian farmers. Dirty hands and long hours readily distinguish those who work the land cultivating crops and caring for animals." /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/images/story/untitled-1_0.png" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2021-10-26T10:20:26-05:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2022-04-20T12:17:56-05:00" /> <title>Dignity in Dirt | SIL Global</title> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_lQaZfjVpwP_oGNqdtWCSpJT1EMqXdMiU84ekLLxQnc4.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_EM9PzeHZt2AxxQ3R05nXINg9akBOG66G3hxOgWtlp2E.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_y-6OGvqwgwpR259lzJYNwvxpJm3Q1qOD_DWt90goRpM.css" media="all" /> <style>.panels-flexible-new .panels-flexible-region { padding: 0; } .panels-flexible-new 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id="page-title"> </div> <a id="main-content"></a> <div class="region region-content"> <section id="block-system-main" class="block block-system clearfix"> <article id="node-187006" class="node node-blog clearfix"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="img-responsive" src="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_1140/public/images/story/untitled-1_0.png?itok=7LhcMUtq" width="960" height="502" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="view view-blog-post-masthead-information view-id-blog_post_masthead_information view-display-id-entity_view_1 text-center view-dom-id-8cdd0be636b945f145ed3312399260ce"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <h3 class="field-content">Dignity in Dirt</h3> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-name"> <h6 class="field-content">by <span class="blog-post-author">Kelly Martin</span></h6> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content blog-post-post-date">26 October 2021</span> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <span class="field-content"><hr/></span> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><h2 style="line-height:1.38"><span style="font-size:17pt; font-variant:normal; white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="font-family:'Source Sans Pro',sans-serif"><span style="color:#00a7e1"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">Faith and farming initiative restores positive self-image to Nigerian farmers.</span></span></span></span></span></span></h2> <p>Dirty hands and long hours readily distinguish those who work the land cultivating crops and caring for animals. Throughout the Gbari region of central Nigeria, however, farmers commonly feel that working the ground marks them with a much deeper stain than can be washed away with water. Among the wider community, farming is often seen as a lowly job for those who lack the skills or education to do anything else. As a result, many farmers feel a sense of shame and believe their toil is a curse resulting from the fall of creation described in Genesis.</p> <p class="text-center"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/malgwi_preparing_the_ground.jpg" style="height: 287px;" /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/nigeria_with_africa_and_lambata.jpg" style="height: 287px;" /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/malgwi_in_planting_action.jpg" style="height: 287px;" /></p> <p>Despite being intimately connected with the land that supports their livelihood, Gbari farmers maintain a problematic relationship with it. The very activities that sustain their way of life are accompanied by social implications that injure their sense of self-worth. This problem has proven detrimental to both people and nature, as a negative impact extends to the local environment through the practice of ‘modern’ farming habits that contribute to rising levels of chemical contamination in crops and livestock.</p> <p>Recognizing a strong overlap of Gbari families who believe strongly in biblical teaching within the greater farming community, a local language initiative—directed by SIL Nigeria—was developed and implemented in the region. Recently, this program began to change the disparaging way farmers interpret their role in the community by bridging a connection where two major milestones of Gbari society intersect—faith and farming.</p> <p class="text-center"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/katharine_interacts_with_two_of_the_participants.jpg" style="height: 250px;" /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/participants_translate_bible_study_questions_into_gbari.jpg" style="height: 250px;" /></p> <p>Through the Faith and Farming program, SIL specialists hosted a series of demonstrative workshops to provide participants with helpful examples and resources in the Gbari language for pursuing more sustainable agricultural solutions. The discussions made a point of highlighting the considerable list of esteemed prophets and biblical heroes who supported their families and communities as farmers and shepherds, while further noting that several of Jesus’s most famous parables deliver profound spiritual insights through farming analogies. Through this dialogue and related material, farmers are already rediscovering the important emphasis the Bible places on farming and coming to understand the value their efforts contribute to the world. </p> <p>Participation in the workshops have since redirected how Gbari farmers approach their work. The highly relatable imagery of this content interpreted in the language they most clearly understand was deeply impactful among the agricultural community, and farmers began to see themselves and their labor in a whole new light. They now feel free to tend to their responsibilities with all their hearts, as an act of serving God and their community. This positive effect on the farmers’ self-worth manifested in a healing turn for the local environment as well. Additional resources on practical approaches to better environmental practices provided through the program, like composting and waste reduction, opened many eyes in the Gbari community to better farming principles for healthier crops, animals and land.</p> <p class="text-center"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/malgwi_teaching_on_conflict_resolution.jpg" style="height: 225px;" /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/participants_study_the_bible.jpg" style="height: 225px;" /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/gbari_farmers_learn_from_their_gbari_farming_books.jpg" style="height: 225px;" /></p> <p>The transformative impact of the program has garnered much attention and praise since its implementation from the community, local church and related agencies. 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