The first time that I heard the term "subsistence farming", I thought that it had kind of a nice, romantic ring to it. Perhaps that is because I grew up in Canada during the wild and free hippie days, where the ultimate goal of many a young person was to get away from "the establishment" and go and find a place where you could "get back to nature" and "live off the land."

Even though I never did try it myself, I had a certain admiration for those that did. While there are quite a few hippies, still "living the dream" in the back woods of British Columbia, most of the young people of my generation only lasted a couple of months before they found out that "getting back to nature", was a lot of hard work that often left the muscles sore and the stomach empty! It wasn't long before the establishment didn't look quite so bad after all.

Fortunately, most had an establishment to run back to. Canada was, and continues to be, a land of wonderful opportunities. Young people can virtually write their own ticket. They can choose a career of interest, attend the university of their choosing, and be rewarded with meaningful employment with good incomes.

In countries like Malawi, there is no promising alternative that young people can turn to when the romance of "living off the land" wears thin. Subsistence farming is just a nice way of saying that a person is trapped in poverty where he is only able to grow just enough food to survive. Without cash for uniforms and books, the majority of youth do not make it to the eighth grade before they have to drop out. Any dreams that they may have had of a good career need to be put aside in order to turn their attention to basic survival. Most attempt to do it on the shrinking plot of family land that long ago became depleted of the nutrients needed to provide a good harvest.

If they do attempt to get off the farm and make a living in the job sector, it is usually only a lateral move. Without an education, skills or capital, most leave a life of subsistence farming to enter a life of "subsistence employment". Many jobs in Malawi do not pay more then 50 cents a day. Picking tea in the hot sun all day might bring you 80 cents a day, if you are a fast picker. Without the social net of the village, many young people who have left, find themselves more vulnerable to a lifestyle that is at high risk for HIV and other diseases. When they do lose their jobs and make their way back to the safety of the village, they bring their diseases back with them.

As I walked through the fields, the difference between the plots of the participants in the program and those who were not, was dramatic! Stubby little maize shoots stood side by side with fields where the lush maize was towering over the farmers heads. As I spoke to them about the things that they had learned from ADRA, it was hard for them to contain their smiles. They knew that this year, if the rains continue for just a couple more weeks, they were going to have a bumper crop! Thanks to ADRA, this year was going to be a whole lot more then just subsistence.