Summary

Organic Farming Word on the Week 24th October 2026.
‘Land use’ has been a topic for discussion since Adam was a boy! Our forebears were given instructions to work the ground and to care for it. (Genesis 2 verse 15). The job of Creation Care was clearly given to us.
A consequence of the ‘Fall of Man’ might be called Creation Exploitation as selfishness gained the upper hand and arid portions of the earth testify today.
The conquest of many countries during the ‘colonial years’ saw them stripped of their mineral wealth with scant regard for the destruction of the earth.
In recent times the most powerful countries have ignored the warnings of Global Warming as they slavishly follow the god of wealth. Fire and flood may not be unique to our time but they have been clearly forecast.
It may seem like applying a plaster to a fatal wound but Organic Farming with its ‘no chemicals on the land; lower stocking rates of livestock; the returning to the wild of marginal land; the creation of ponds and watercourses together with the planting of native species of trees,’ points to a more sustainable future.
The Biblical view can be described as ‘Earthkeeping’. It captures our human identity as earthly creatures. It reminds us that we are not owners but rather conservers and restorers of a world we hold in trust from God.
The Aaronic Blessing uses the same word; ‘The Lord bless you and keep you’ (Numbers 6 verse 24). To ‘keep’ is to preserve and protect. We keep the garden when we look after it. We keep the earth when we look after its fertility. Jesus uses four types of soil in the parable of the Sower. Only one was fertile and received the Word (seed) into good ground producing a harvest for the Kingdom (Matthew 13 verses 3 to 23).
The earth is a marvellous planet. Despite the damage humans do it still goes on giving.
The Doxology envisages ‘all creatures’ coming under human care. That is every living thing on the ground, sky or sea giving praise to our creator God.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below, Praise Him above, you heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.