An international year of prayer for
Morocco
| Week 39 |
Agriculture"Farming, like marriage, is by faith." Arab proverb Agriculture employs 40% of the Moroccan workforce but accounts for less than one fifth of Gross Domestic Product. Morocco receives more rain and has the most freshwater of all the North African nations. As a result it is largely self-sufficient in dairy products, meat, fruit & vegetables.Increasing quantities of fruit and vegetables grown for export to European nations are an important source of hard currency. Although grain is grown on more than two-thirds of all cultivated lands, an insufficient amount is produced for a nation where bread is a dietary staple. Grain, sugar, oil and tea must be imported. Many have argued that the nation should reduce its dependence on agriculture by creating new jobs in handicrafts, tourism and other services. Until recently the Moroccan government believed that ongoing efforts to increase irrigation could overcome the impact of cyclical drought to which the nation is subject. Moroccan fields are often rocky and barren today due to overgrazing by sheep and goats. Just as these animals may represent good and bad stewards (see Matthew 25), they also represent wealth and environmental degradation. May the Great Shepherd open the eyes of farmers to the symbolic significance of these animals in agricultural communities today. Agriculture was a very tangible part of Jesus' world. In His teaching He used many examples of seed, sowing, fruit, reaping, and harvesting as He spoke with the purpose of pointing people to the life-giving Creator. May the rural poor of Morocco find physical relief through increased rain and may they find spiritual relief and new life through trusting the Lamb of God. "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants." Isaiah 44:3 Pray for the farmers of Morocco that as they hear the words and parables of Jesus they will be drawn into the Kingdom of the Good Shepherd. Pray for rain and good harvests throughout Morocco so that the hunger in people would be in their spirits more than in their stomachs. Pray for opportunities for Christians to help Moroccan farmers to make the most of the natural resources God has given them. |
