Nick Janzen is taking his lessons from Ethiopia into his geography classroom at Linden Christian School.

For two weeks this summer, Janzen and eight other Canadian teachers toured three Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFB)-supported agricultural development projects in Ethiopia.

This trip, organized by the CFB was a chance to learn firsthand about hunger and development in Ethiopia.

Janzen began his relationship with the CFB after attending their workshops and getting to know farmers who contribute to the organization.

"We got to see a lot of projects related to food security," says Janzen.

"We went and visited farms, met farmers, conservation projects - a water project that supplies seven villages with water - and a tree reforestation project. Most of it was connected to agriculture."

Two days were spent with communities learning about conservation agriculture, an approach to farming that uses minimal soil disturbance, crop rotations and cover crops to improve long-term soil health and produce greater yields.

Even though the trip was exciting, Janzen says, 
"The hardest thing, obviously, is seeing people living in poverty and there is a lot of that. You see people who are very, very poor and just struggling to get by."

"What was really encouraging, on the flip of that," says Janzen, "was to see all the good work that is happening - a lot of it through Canadian Food Grans Bank."

As a geography teacher, Janzen is excited to take this firsthand experience to his classroom for his students.

"We talk about topics like food sustainability, we talk about agriculture, in my geography classes," says Janzen.

"This is actually a chance where I don't have to read things out of a textbook. I can actually tell my students about some things I have witnessed firsthand and make a connection that way."

Janzen says to Christians who want to aid those who are faced with hunger in the world: "I think the big thing is to learn about it and to be aware of it. I think that is where you start. Just getting a handle on what is happening out there and asking what are the needs? From there, there are great organizations like the Canadian Food Grains Bank.

"Whether it is doing hands-on things or financial donations, all these things help."