Amaranth is a grain that grows in difficult enviornments and can be used to fight malnutrition.   Nafula with her chickens.   Nafula's fields include cabbage in addition to amaranth.   A breakfast of amaranth porridge can provide a healthy start to the day for children in poverty.

Throughout the past 50 years, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) has proven to be a key leader in agricultural programming around the world. In 1999, CRWRC added a new resource to its legacy of agricultural success: a plant called amaranth.

Amaranth is a grain similar to wheat or maize. While the plant has grown as a native species in communities around the world for hundreds of years, it was only recently recognized as being valuable for those living in poverty.

CRWRC’s amaranth work began in a partnership with a man named Davidson Mwangi in the late 1990’s. Mwangi had spent 20 years of his life researching varieties of the high-protein plant. Since it requires half the amount of rain that corn requires, he knew it would be excellent for farmers living in areas susceptible to recurring drought and famine.

From Mwangi’s seeds, CRWRC distributed amaranth to more than 2,000 families in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The impact was remarkable! The nutritious plant proved to be easy to grow and affordable. In addition, its high protein content improved immune systems, which made it especially ideal for people living with HIV/ AIDS.

After its initial trials in Eastern Africa, CRWRC began to share its knowledge about amaranth with community development partners in other parts of the world. Today, the introduction of amaranth is part of CRWRC programs across Asia and Africa.

“In Asia, the leafy varieties of amaranth are popular in family diets,” said CRWRC Asia Team Leader, Tom Post.  “Sometimes it seems that the high humidity of southeast Asia is not very conducive for grain amaranth, but we are experimenting to find the places where there is a good fit.”

Whether for its leaves or its grain, amaranth is used both to fight malnutrition, and to improve the health of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Nafula, a woman living in Uganda, knows about the benefits of amaranth first-hand. For her, amaranth was literally a lifesaver—a tool that enabled her to self-sufficiently save herself and her family.

After Nafula’s husband passed away three years ago, she was left to care for eight children—five of her own children and three of her sister in law’s children. They lived in poverty.

“You could see it in the children’s bodies—their stomachs were extended from worms, their eyes jaundiced due to malaria infection and their skin hot to the touch because of fever,” said CRWRC Eastern Africa team leader, Davis Omanyo.

Each day, Nafula struggled to put food on the table. She left very early in the morning to work on her own farm, and then worked on a neighbors’ farms in the evenings in order to earn some extra income.

With support from CRWRC, however, that began to change. Nafula received training in poultry farming and vegetable gardening. CRWRC field partners visited with her often to provide advice and encouragement. They also suggested that Nafula try growing amaranth on one quarter acre of her fields. The plant would make a nutritious porridge for her to feed to her malnourished children. They also promised that it would produce greater crop yields than the maize Nafula had been growing traditionally.

That’s exactly what happened. Today, Nafula keeps 50 chickens, which lay at least 30 eggs a day. Their manure is used to improve the soil on her farm. And twice a year she harvests amaranth, joining those around the world whose lives have been transformed by this plant.

Nafula harvests are plentiful, even in times of little rainfall. As a result, she earned $100 last year. She has never handled so much money in her life! In addition to amaranth, she also grows cabbage that she sells to vegetable vendors who come to buy vegetables at her home.

 “I am now a person. I can rest and spend most of my time on my own farm and have time to care for my children,” says Nafula. “My children are able to go to school like other children in the community. I make sure they drink amaranth porridge in the morning before going to school. I make sure they get enough food in the evening when they return from school. And, see how my last born child is healthy… You opened my eyes to see that I can produce my own food.”

Nafula’s home has been changed from a place of disease and hunger to a place of health and joy. God is also using Nafula to bless her whole community.

“I feel happy when I also give to others that do not have enough,” she shares. “I have become an example to others in the village. They say,’ If Nafula can make it, then I can also make it.’ My fellow widows are now working hard and come to learn from me.”

This story is but one example of the power that small interventions – such as amaranth seeds –  can have when used for the glory of God. There are many more families, like hers, who are ready to embark on similar journeys of empowerment and transformation. CRWRC is excited to continue its legacy of equipping individuals, families, and villages to break free from poverty’s bonds. By the grace of our Father, even a grain the size of a pea can change a life forever.

~ by Adele Konyndyk, CRWRC Communications

A Recipe for Amaranth Porridge
By Beth Omanyo

1.     Dry roast the amaranth grains in a skillet on the stove top until they change color slightly.  Watch them carefully and do not let the grains “pop”. Remove from heat and let cool.
2.    Grind the cooled grain using a mortar and pestle until it resembles a flour
3.    (optional) Take the flour and mix it with other grain flours (millet, cassava, sorghum, maize, corn flour, etc) at a ratio of 2:1 or 3:2 amaranth to other grains. 
4.    Combine your flour with a small amount of cold water until it resembles a paste
5.    Bring a pot of water to boil.  Use 1 cup of water for each 1/3 cup of grain you are using. Add a pinch of salt.
6.    When the water has boiled, add the paste and stir for five minutes.
7.    Remove from heat and serve.
Note that this can be flavored with a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, sweetened with honey, or served with nuts and berries.