Sustainable Beginnings

A wise person once told me, for God to do his part, I have to do my part.

I have found this to be true in my personal life and as I have witnessed small beginnings towards sustainability here in Cambodia. 

Zechariah 4:10a in the NLT says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” This Scripture came alive for  the BC Arise team in the latter half of 2020! With all the changes and challenges of 2020, we were tasked with creating and presenting a sustainability project. With prayer, discussion, planning, and much research, the BC Arise team came together on a hydroponics/aquaponics plan to create a source of sustainable income for our operation in Cambodia. 

There was experimentation with a small model which allowed our team to learn as well as develop an affordable model that could be replicated at the Tech Centers. This model used items readily available and produced a small crop of lettuce. The next step was to expand to a larger model to produce more product as well as a more professional set up. With hard work, several of the men cleared land at the back of the team house.

A professional was consulted, and he provided guidance as a greenhouse was built. A second crop of lettuce was successfully grown and sold at the local market. There is also an experiment station outside of the greenhouse for different vegetables. Recently, a successful crop of Chinese broccoli was produced. This sold faster at the market and will be something grown consistently. There are plans to grow tomatoes and strawberries as well in the near future. 

Currently, we operate with one greenhouse and are hopeful that a second one can be built in the near future to expand productivity and increase income. Our other goal is to make the transition into aquaponics which would provide another source of income with tanks of fish and shellfish like lobster and crayfish. The pathway to sustainability is just beginning for our BC Arise team! As we do our part in planting, monitoring, and watching over the vegetables, God makes them grow and provides buyers for our product.

As the team steps forward and goes in faith this year, I believe small beginnings will become larger opportunities.