Yambasu Agriculture Initiative
The Yambasu Agriculture Initiative supports episcopal areas developing new agricultural projects utilizing United Methodist land holdings. Currently, the initiative supports African churches as they seek to fully mobilize local and regional resources, including use of church land for crops and animal raising. Additional outcomes include improved household livelihoods and food security through training opportunities, direct participation in the program, seeds and tools. The growth of church membership is also expected, given opportunities for evangelism through community trainings. The initiative works to increase the ability of the UMC and its communities in Africa to become self-sustaining.
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An agriculture initiative for Africa launched by Global Ministries two years ago has been renamed in memory of the late Bishop John K. Yambasu of Sierra Leone.
More than 150 acres of rice farms were recently cultivated in Sierra Leone and the purchase of machinery will ease and speed harvesting in the future.
A team of 27 Yambasu Agriculture Initiative (YAI) trainees attending the Songhai Center in Benin visited two farms of Songhai graduates who have gone into farming entrepreneurship after receiving training.