God’s People
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God’s People

Smallholder farmers Mwinamila and his wife, Mose Neema, live in Bunda District, Tanzania. For years, they worked long hours but their land just did not produce enough to meet their family’s basic needs. When World Renew Tanzania and local partner AICT began offering training in conservation agriculture in their community, Mwinamila was excited to participate….

‘Will it happen again?’
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‘Will it happen again?’

The week of November 14 marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating floods in British Columbia that destroyed hundreds of homes, farms and animals in 2021. Record-breaking rainfall, overflowing rivers and the breaching of dikes caused millions of dollars of damage to 1,100 homes and farms, in addition to an estimated 630,000 animal deaths. Along…

All Hail the Haymakers
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All Hail the Haymakers

When I was a child I dreamed of the day I’d be strong enough to go baling like my brother Willie. Alas, I was Paul Puny. I was older and stronger when I moved to Canada from the States and the “small” square bales were relatively light grass hay, unlike Willie’s 80 pound alfalfa bales….

Canada is losing farmland, fast
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Canada is losing farmland, fast

The rising rate of farmland loss in Canada is a cause for alarm for many who work in agriculture and food security. Canada has experienced a 3.2% decrease in total farm area since 2016, according to the recently released Census of Agriculture. With only 189,874 farms left in Canada today, the toll on rural communities and…

Deregulation of GMOs causes concern for Council of Churches
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Deregulation of GMOs causes concern for Council of Churches

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For three months last year, Health Canada invited feedback on new rules for “Novel Food Regulations” with a specific focus on plant breeding. Since 2006, the insertion of foreign DNA has triggered a Health Canada safety assessment of genetically modified plants and foods. As new genetic engineering techniques like CRISPR have been developed, plant breeders…

Canada’s place in a global hunger crisis
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Canada’s place in a global hunger crisis

Food prices reached their highest level ever this spring, adding to growing concerns about a global hunger crisis and hindering the work of humanitarian organizations. The food price spike was triggered by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both major players in worldwide food production. Between them, Russia and Ukraine account for about 30 percent…

A river in the sky
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A river in the sky

“We just left everything behind . . . we might need to accept your offer to stay.” My heart sank for my friends as I read the text. We had been praying and anxiously receiving updates about the water levels rising near their farm, then onto their yard, then into their basement. The entire area…

In praise of small things
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In praise of small things

In a mega/MAGA world, it is easy to hold up greatness as an ideal. Size matters, we’ve heard, whether it’s the size of our stock portfolio, pickup truck, political rally or congregation. Today I would like to consider the ant. Not, as a guide to industriousness (in Proverbs), but only in terms of its size….

Floods and shortages add to transportation woes
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Floods and shortages add to transportation woes

Like the Joni Mitchell song, the agri-food industry sometimes doesn’t know what it’s got until it’s gone. That’s especially true nowadays with the issues plaguing us in transporting our farm products across the country and around the world. While we appreciate the work that truckers and shippers do all the time, lately we’ve had to…

Home Depot prayers
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Home Depot prayers

Among the gifts of the pandemic, I would suggest, is our increasing attentiveness to everyday work and workers. Over past months there has been a new energy given to our congregational prayers for front-line medical workers, for those who deliver online orders, and for staff in grocery stores. As we enter the new normal of…

Computers & crows
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Computers & crows

What makes humans unique, and is this uniqueness a matter of degree or a qualitative difference? Is it our intelligence, language ability and consciousness? As Christians, we argue that we hold a special place in creation because we are made in the image of God. Two areas of research approach this question from very different…

From my garden window
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From my garden window

Tulips are poking through the soil. My seed order has arrived. Even the thought of returning to the garden renews my spirit. Fresh, nutritious food during the summer and fall, with enough to share, is an extra blessing. Easy access to local, nutritious food should be true for far more people than it currently is….