By Ben Ingebretson, Adjunct Instructor
A poor farmer has labored hard in his field over a season. Scratching
the soil with seed and water has finally brought him to harvest time.
These are difficult times in his village as many are struggling to provide
for their families. Some raise a pig or two…others travel miles
to the big city to work for weeks at a time and send money home to their
relatives in the village. Each has found a small trickle of income.
For the farmer it is that swelling crop of turnips that he believes
will pay off old debts and provide money to lay in store sugar, flour
and perhaps even a chicken or two.
Then one day, just a week before harvest, a truck comes rolling into
the village. The truck is driven by some people who wear wide smiles
and kind hands. The truck box opens and out flows…turnips! Mountains
of turnips free for the taking! The people gratefully scoop up all they
can carry in their arms to carry back to their homes. In the distance,
however, stands the farmer. Crushed by the loss of interest in his crop,
he faces a grim future. “Why grow turnips if these people take
away the potential to sell my goods?” he wonders. Perhaps it is
better just to join the hopeless ones in the village and wait for the
truck every year Perhaps trying to raise turnips can never be better
than a truckload full.
Aid workers and agricultural advisors from the U.S. have long recognized
the problem of a “truckload of turnips.” Yes, there are
times when relief is desperately needed and should be provided. Often,
however, that handout becomes a strong disincentive to local efforts.
Rather than removing the incentive, how much wiser is it to provide
training, coaching, and the critical tools that promote local independence
and productivity.
What the U.S. agricultural industry has learned illustrates the value
and mission of International Steward. Dependency does not generate mature
stewards. A steady flow of handouts to ministries in the developing
world does not always help…and may even hurt. There is something
better than a truckload of turnips!
