Contributions to others

World Soil Day is Dec. 5, set by the United Nations in recognition for the soils’ contributions to world peace and human prosperity.

I returned this November from an ACDI/VOCA F2F Liberian project in West Africa. I worked with 50 Lofa County Community College interns using hand tools to solve a problem on the college farm. In 10 days, we had water flowing by re-grading the primary canal around four large rocks. Then we went on to clean out the remaining 2,900 meters of canals and drains for 36 rice and vegetable fields in production now.

It is not easy to bridge the return on our U.S. contribution where $2 a day is a country’s average wage. From my view, where you can help you should help, and if it contributes to keeping a U.S. Service man or woman from needing to don a uniform to go and risk U.S. treasury and blood to stop a conflict, then my time was well spent. The benefit of enabling people to have ownership in their ability to produce the food they eat and achieve economic freedom is in our country’s interest.

Supporting such programs should contribute to keeping these regions out of terrorist influence and as the country develops they may become good trade partners with us. As our new government works diligently to ‘drain the swamp’ of poor programs I hope that the cost-effective programs, that do have good business plans and contribute to our security, continue to be funded.

David Speidel, Benton, Missouri