0:00:05 > 0:00:08On Songs of Praise this week, we're celebrating harvest
0:00:08 > 0:00:12as we give thanks for all that God has provided throughout the year.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18And I've come to Kenya to find out how the humble
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Irish potato is transforming lives.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Also on today's programme, we will be meeting the men
0:00:24 > 0:00:27who risk their lives bringing food to our tables.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We take to the streets with the group who make sure that
0:00:30 > 0:00:32none of the harvest goes to waste.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34There's music from Stuart Townend,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38and our choirs will be singing some great harvest hymns.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Welcome to Songs of Praise, and welcome to Kenya.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Straddling the Equator,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Kenya is home to almost 50,000,000 people.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Although it has the strongest economy in central Africa,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Kenya is still a developing country
0:00:59 > 0:01:04and four out of every ten people live in absolute poverty.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Agriculture dominates Kenyan life.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Despite only one-fifth of the land being suitable for growing,
0:01:13 > 0:01:1680% of the workforce are involved in farming or food processing.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Because of its warm climate, crops can be grown throughout the year.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Across the country, there are millions of small farms
0:01:25 > 0:01:28where families grow food, mainly to feed themselves.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32The people of Kenya have many reasons
0:01:32 > 0:01:35to give thanks for a good harvest.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38We'll have lots more from Kenya throughout the programme,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42but we'll start with the first of our harvest thanksgiving hymns.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Our choirs have gathered in St Patrick's Church in Jordanstown,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and they're singing that harvest favourite,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49We Plough The Fields And Scatter.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Like most African countries,
0:04:42 > 0:04:47Kenya struggles to produce enough food to feed its growing population.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Potatoes, or Irish potatoes, as they're known in Kenya,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52are an important crop.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58In the last decades, a combination of poor farming techniques and
0:04:58 > 0:05:02climate change has badly affected the size of the potato harvest.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Derek is working with Kenyan farmers to help change that.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Derek, what brought you, an Irish potato farmer, here to Kenya?
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I have to say that it was a very strong sense of call,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22a conviction from God to, I suppose, come and help others
0:05:22 > 0:05:25who are a lot of less well off than ourselves.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31I had a feeling that the skills and abilities I had learned through
0:05:31 > 0:05:36farming at home could be of use to small-scale farmers here in Kenya.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Just how important are potatoes to the lives of Kenyan people?
0:05:40 > 0:05:44The potato is such a wonderful food source,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47it's very rich in vitamins and minerals.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51They're the second most important food crop in Kenya.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Having a good crop of potatoes is the difference between your family
0:05:55 > 0:05:59living in full nutrition, or living with malnutrition.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03So, what has caused the potato harvest to get smaller?
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Potato farmers in Kenya could not get access to quality,
0:06:09 > 0:06:14certified seed, and so they were planting the same crop
0:06:14 > 0:06:17that they harvested over and over again.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22The problem there is that you get a build-up of diseases within
0:06:22 > 0:06:27the crop itself, and it's passed on from one generation to the next.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30If you keep multiplying generation after generation,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34the yield will drop enormously.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Working with other farming experts, Derek and his colleagues
0:06:37 > 0:06:40adopted a back to basics approach.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44They started by growing high-quality seed potatoes.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49As we started to multiply quality seed and give that to farmers,
0:06:49 > 0:06:54immediately, without anything else, their yield started to double,
0:06:54 > 0:06:55and sometimes triple.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Considering that it's had no rain,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01it's absolutely amazing what you have here.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04When we started to teach them about our methods
0:07:04 > 0:07:08and planting methods, spacing, where to apply the fertiliser,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11how to manage the crop, their production went up phenomenally.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Isabella Paul was one of the first farmers to benefit
0:07:15 > 0:07:17from Derek's guidance.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Since the death of her husband,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Isabella has been responsible for feeding her extended family.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27What difference has meeting Derek made to your life, Isabella?
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Isabella has been involved with the scheme for several seasons,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40with amazing results.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Wow. That's huge!
0:07:49 > 0:07:54With an abundant crop, Isabella can now sell her extra potatoes,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56which benefits the entire family.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Isabella's story is so good to hear
0:08:14 > 0:08:19because it shows that all of the work we have put in is making an impact.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21It's transforming lives,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25it's putting more food on the table for Kenyan people,
0:08:25 > 0:08:31and that for me as a farmer from Ireland is a great satisfaction.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45# Lord, we stand in the shallows of all you have given
0:08:45 > 0:08:49# Grateful for mercy, yet hungry for more
0:08:49 > 0:08:53# For the power of grace to go out from this place
0:08:53 > 0:08:56# To the ends of the Earth
0:08:58 > 0:09:02# We have praised you with passion and worshipped in wonder
0:09:02 > 0:09:06# Thrilled by your spirit and fed by your word
0:09:06 > 0:09:11# Now to fully delight in the riches of Christ
0:09:11 > 0:09:14# We must go to the world
0:09:14 > 0:09:19# For you live in the streets of the city
0:09:19 > 0:09:24# You stand with the weak and the needy
0:09:24 > 0:09:30# You walk with homeless and hungry and poor
0:09:32 > 0:09:37# And your hands are the hands I am lifting
0:09:37 > 0:09:41# Your voice is the life I am living
0:09:41 > 0:09:45# Your love longs to meet them
0:09:45 > 0:09:48# But how will they know
0:09:48 > 0:09:51# Unless I am willing to go?
0:09:59 > 0:10:04# Lord, where are you hungry and where are you thirsty
0:10:04 > 0:10:09# Naked, imprisoned, with no-one to care?
0:10:09 > 0:10:12# To give of our best to the poor and oppressed
0:10:12 > 0:10:15# Is to give back to you
0:10:16 > 0:10:21# So cause us to see with the eyes of the Saviour
0:10:21 > 0:10:25# Give us a heart that will love as you love
0:10:25 > 0:10:30# Courageous compassion in words and in action
0:10:30 > 0:10:33# Brings hope to the world
0:10:33 > 0:10:38# For you live in the streets of the city
0:10:38 > 0:10:43# You stand with the weak and the needy
0:10:43 > 0:10:49# You walk with homeless and hungry and poor
0:10:51 > 0:10:56# And your hands are the hands I am lifting
0:10:56 > 0:11:00# Your voice is the life I am living
0:11:00 > 0:11:06# Your love longs to meet them but how will they know
0:11:09 > 0:11:13# That you live in the streets of the city
0:11:13 > 0:11:18# You stand with the weak and the needy
0:11:18 > 0:11:24# You walk with the homeless, the hungry and poor
0:11:26 > 0:11:31# And your hands are the hands I am lifting
0:11:31 > 0:11:36# Your voice is the life I am living
0:11:36 > 0:11:42# Without us there's no other way they will know
0:11:42 > 0:11:45# So send me, I'm ready to go. #
0:11:59 > 0:12:00In the last century,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05the invention of the tractor has transformed farming.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Like me, this tractor has travelled quite a distance to get
0:12:08 > 0:12:11over here to Kenya, and it bears the name of an Irishman who is
0:12:11 > 0:12:16known across the world as the creator of the modern tractor.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Harry Ferguson grew up in a Christian family
0:12:19 > 0:12:21on a farm in Northern Ireland.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24One of 11 children, he knew just how hard
0:12:24 > 0:12:28work on a farm could be during the early years of the 20th century.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31He was a born engineer and inventor.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Spurred on by his childhood memories,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Harry turned his inherited evangelical zeal
0:12:37 > 0:12:40to making life easier for farmers everywhere.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47He wanted to modernise farming and to make food affordable for all.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Early versions of the tractor were bulky and cumbersome.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Harry worked to design a smaller, lighter tractor and plough
0:12:56 > 0:12:59that could work together as one unit.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Using this Ferguson system, the tractor quickly replaced the horse,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and became an essential item on the farm.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Working with other partners, Harry Ferguson's tractors
0:13:10 > 0:13:13were mass produced and shipped across the globe.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Harry died in 1960, but his name lives on.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Today, farmers around the world are thankful for the enormous
0:13:24 > 0:13:27contribution that one Irish engineering genius
0:13:27 > 0:13:28made to the world of agriculture.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33And giving thanks is the message of our next hymn,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36as our choir sing, Now Thank We All Our God.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14No matter where you live in the UK,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17you are never too far from a fishing port.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Every day, tens of thousands of fishermen and women
0:16:20 > 0:16:24leave harbour to reap the harvest of the seas.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29The Fisherman's Mission works to meet the physical
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and spiritual needs of these communities.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Maurice Lake works around the fishing ports in Ireland.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40What is life like for these men?
0:16:40 > 0:16:43It's a job that they do because it's in their blood.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46In the good times, it's very, very good.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It can be lucrative, but there are difficulties within fishing -
0:16:49 > 0:16:52quotas, cost of fuel, it's never easy.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55There's always another brick wall for them to face.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58The frustration is going out, spending a fortune on fuel,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00being out all week, wages to pay,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03all the bills coming in and no fish caught.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08When, as happened at the beginning of last winter,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12horrendous weather, they're unable to get out and fish,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16and not just for days, but for weeks, going into months, and their
0:17:16 > 0:17:20livelihoods are completely in danger, their families were suffering.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The Fisherman's Mission were there to help.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Last year, the Mission was part of a team that developed
0:17:31 > 0:17:35and distributed a new life jacket which fishermen would find
0:17:35 > 0:17:37comfortable to wear when working.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39You can take over here, Maurice.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44For one skipper, his life jacket arrived just in time.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48It was a lovely, calm morning, a pleasure to be at sea.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51But, as the day progressed,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54the sea got rougher and rougher.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00There was some water in the boat.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03During the next few minutes, the water level was increasing.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08Just as we were sending out the Mayday, the boat capsized
0:18:08 > 0:18:10and I found myself in the water.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15I always believed that if the boat was ever going to sink,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I could sit and relax and wait on the lifeboat coming to get me,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22but it didn't happen like that. Boats sink fast.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29After about an hour, I was tired and starting to get cold.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Silly things were coming into my head, you know,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35like I'm supposed to be getting married soon,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37who's going to walk my dog?
0:18:37 > 0:18:41I just thought, you know, this is the end.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45I felt a great calmness and peace,
0:18:45 > 0:18:49and basically just gave myself up to the sea.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52I felt someone grab me,
0:18:52 > 0:18:57and it was the inshore lifeboat crew. They got me into the lifeboat
0:18:57 > 0:19:02and were able to give me the medical attention that I needed.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Bush that button and it sends the distress through to the coastguard.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10The life jacket was given to me by Maurice Lake from the Fisherman's Mission.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Without it, I would have drowned in a few minutes.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18I'd only just started wearing it, to be honest.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I'd never worn a life jacket in my life before.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25If I hadn't been wearing it, I guess I wouldn't be talking to you today.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33What is the spiritual aspect of the Fisherman's Mission?
0:19:33 > 0:19:37I think it's meeting individuals at their point of need.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Something that I've learnt in the ups and downs in my life,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44is not to look at an individual and judge them
0:19:44 > 0:19:48by the circumstance you see them in, but more to take off your own
0:19:48 > 0:19:52metaphorical blinkers, broaden your view,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54stand in their shoes.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57And your own faith, how important is that in the role that you play?
0:19:57 > 0:19:59It's absolute.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03I feel in some small way that I am actually doing
0:20:03 > 0:20:04what God wants me to do.
0:20:04 > 0:20:10In some small way, we are fulfilling his purpose in our lives.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32# I'm gonna make it
0:20:33 > 0:20:38# He's already said that I would
0:20:40 > 0:20:46# I'll keep on trusting
0:20:48 > 0:20:54# That he's working everything for my good
0:20:55 > 0:21:01# He walks beside me
0:21:02 > 0:21:08# And heaven is in my view
0:21:08 > 0:21:10# Oh-oh
0:21:10 > 0:21:20# I'm gonna make it through
0:21:32 > 0:21:39# In spite of the good intentions I've had
0:21:39 > 0:21:45# Sometimes my strength can fade
0:21:47 > 0:21:54# Though I have tried the very best that I could
0:21:54 > 0:21:59# My weaknesses prevail
0:22:01 > 0:22:08# But then I remember the promise He made
0:22:08 > 0:22:15# That in my weakness, he is strong
0:22:16 > 0:22:23# And that's when I know whatever may come
0:22:23 > 0:22:30# His steady hand will lead me on
0:22:30 > 0:22:36# And on and on
0:22:36 > 0:22:42# I'm gonna make it
0:22:43 > 0:22:48# He's already said that I would
0:22:51 > 0:22:57# I'll keep on trusting
0:22:57 > 0:23:05# That he's working everything for my good
0:23:05 > 0:23:11# He walks beside me
0:23:13 > 0:23:18# And Heaven is in my view
0:23:18 > 0:23:20# Oh-oh
0:23:20 > 0:23:27# I'm going to make it
0:23:28 > 0:23:44# I'm gonna make it through. #
0:23:51 > 0:23:54# This is the call from the mountain of God
0:23:54 > 0:23:57# Tambira, tambira
0:23:57 > 0:24:01# To come with thanksgiving and joy in our hearts
0:24:01 > 0:24:04# Tambira, tambira
0:24:04 > 0:24:08# Let's fill the streets with love
0:24:08 > 0:24:12# And shake this world alive with singing
0:24:12 > 0:24:14# The celebration's now
0:24:14 > 0:24:17# For our time to dance has come
0:24:17 > 0:24:19# Tambira, Jehovah
0:24:19 > 0:24:22# Tambira, tambira
0:24:22 > 0:24:24# Tambira, Jehovah. #
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Aren't they brilliant?
0:24:26 > 0:24:27The children at this girls' school
0:24:27 > 0:24:30certainly know how to celebrate harvest.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Our next hymn is perhaps the best-known
0:24:32 > 0:24:34of all the great harvest hymns.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39Written by Cecil Frances Alexander, All Things Bright And Beautiful.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00This is the small town of Hollywood in Northern Ireland.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02It's early Saturday evening
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and the shops are just about to wrap up for the weekend.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Time for a local church group to spring into action,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12making sure that none of God's harvest goes to waste.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Hi, are you all right?
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The ministry is called Restore Food Ministry.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19We get food from bakeries
0:27:19 > 0:27:24and coffee shops in the town - food that they have not been able to sell
0:27:24 > 0:27:27on the Saturday, which would be wasted.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32We collect that and then distribute it around the families.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Why does the Church get involved in this work?
0:27:34 > 0:27:37We want to meet people's practical needs,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40but more importantly, we want to demonstrate God's love
0:27:40 > 0:27:43and our Church mission statement or strapline
0:27:43 > 0:27:46is "Making Jesus Known", and we feel through this
0:27:46 > 0:27:50that we can get alongside folks and show God's love to them.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54So they leave the goods here, ready to go, brilliant.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Initially, some people are puzzled as to why
0:27:57 > 0:28:00we'd be arriving from church and giving them food,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03but once people realise we're being practical when people are in need,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07I think people see us then as genuine friends, which is nice.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10If we can help to make your week a bit easier by sharing God's love
0:28:10 > 0:28:13in a practical way, that's what we're about.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15OK, Alistair, thank you.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17My daughter said to me early on,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19"Doesn't it make you feel good to do that?"
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I said, "No, it makes me feel really ungrateful".
0:28:22 > 0:28:25When I go to the shops I have a Visa card and I have a job.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27If I want food, I have got it.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31I've also got family who'd do anything for me,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35and I'm now aware that there are people for whom that is not the case,
0:28:35 > 0:28:39and they're not miles away from me, they're actually around the corner.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Why should the Church get involved in a ministry like this?
0:28:42 > 0:28:46Because church is not just about what we believe.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50When Christ was on the Earth he did not just talk about what he believed,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53he showed his love to people in practical ways,
0:28:53 > 0:28:55and we need to be the mirror of that.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59It's 2,000 years on, but we're still trying to be practical, as He was.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02He was either healing people or providing for them,
0:29:02 > 0:29:03and I think we need to be the same.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06It's lovely to walk into peoples lives,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09see these families come along to church services,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12come along to some of the events that we run,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15and God spoke to me through his word,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19which just talks about not to grow weary in doing good
0:29:19 > 0:29:22because in my time you will reap the harvest.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27God the Father who created the world,
0:29:27 > 0:29:31give you grace to be wise stewards of his creation.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34God the Son, who redeemed the world,
0:29:34 > 0:29:38inspire you to go out as labourers into his harvest.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43God the Holy Spirit, whose breath fills the whole creation.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48Help you to bear his fruits of love and joy and peace.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51And the blessing of God Almighty the Father,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53the Son and the Holy Spirit,
0:29:53 > 0:29:59be with you, and with all whom you love, this day and always.
0:29:59 > 0:30:00Amen.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Well, that's it for this harvest edition of Songs of Praise.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10We'll leave you now with that stirring hymn of Thanksgiving,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15From Kenya, see you soon.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Next week, Diane explores exciting initiatives
0:33:09 > 0:33:12churches are adopting to invite people in.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16She'll meet pioneer of the Alpha Course, Reverend Nicky Gumbel,
0:33:16 > 0:33:21and find out how a summer festival led to a fresh expression of church.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25And there are captivating praise and worship songs from around the UK.