Harvesting Water, Growing Food A strategic partnership creates sustainable agro-water projects   They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  For Charlie Forst, an agriculture expert working with WorldServe in East Africa, “trash” can be thought of broadly.  Forst harvested used water, taking leftover water from showers and kitchens, and redirecting it to grow crops.  By creating this new irrigation system in Arusha, Tanzania, the local Bible College can water their firewood plantation.  The firewood becomes fuel for the kitchen, which in turn provides food for all the students and faculty.   This innovative project is just one of dozens that Forst spearheaded for WorldServe during his seven months in Africa.  By bringing agricultural and technological know-how to communities with new water wells, he shows people how to make the best use of their new clean water source.   The primary project Forst organized took place in Ngaramtoni, Tanzania.  This region is located in the foothills of Mt. Meru, the second-highest mountain in Tanzania after Mt. Kilimanjaro.  In the midst of this breath-taking scenery, Forst established a demonstration garden at the Assemblies of God Bible College.  The garden exists to share effective agriculture techniques with the people of Ngaramtoni.  Some of the uses of this demonstration garden include introducing new crops and improving existing ones, as well as teaching mulching techniques, water harvesting, conservation strategies, and drip irrigation.   Support for such projects is overwhelming.  By adapting water and other natural resources to better support the environment and community patterns, development organizations such as WorldServe are equipping Africans to meet their daily needs in simple yet effective ways.  As an indication of how this project has been received, the Bishop who heads Assemblies of God Bible Colleges in Tanzania has requested that Forst, WorldServe, and the affiliated partners, begin programs in agriculture and environmental systems throughout Tanzania.  Forst will return to begin this work in March of 2006.   Forst has close ties with WorldServe’s strategic partner ECHO, which stands for Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (http://www.echonet.org).  By combining the clean water access provided by WorldServe with the agricultural training from ECHO, people in Africa are better able to use the water and other resources in their midst.  This sustainable development, central to WorldServe’s mission, exemplifies the way strong partnership and good stewardship go hand-in-hand to create lasting results in economically poor areas.   Questions or comments on this article?  Contact jenny@worldserveintl.org.