By Dr Margaret Chan Kit Yok
KUCHING — The Bunan Resilience Project of the Kuching Archdiocese is one of the Decarbonisation Projects under the Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The project tagline is GREEN TRANSITION – TRANSFORMING FOOD PRODUCTION. The avocado project “One household, One Avocado Tree” in Bunan is the brainchild of Archbishop Simon Poh. The objective is to leave a legacy to the younger generation as a reminder of the forefathers’ tilling the land.
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that pursueth idleness is very foolish. (Proverbs 12:11)
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)
A practical avocado grafting course as part of the capacity building was conducted on 14 October 2023 from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm at St Peter’s College Seminary. It was a collaborative programme between Kuching Archdiocese Creation Justice Commission and the Lighthouse of Hope, Sarawak.
The Lighthouse of Hope, Sarawak was established in Kapit, with the core aim of seeking to bring transformation of mind, soul, and heart of the next generation to achieve its true potential and in facing challenges of the 21st century. The target is the youth, community, family on social and economic development through engaging and empowering transformation process.
The course started with an opening prayer by Fr Francis Dakun and a brief introduction by Dr Leesan from Lighthouse of Hope, Sarawak. This was followed by a talk and demonstration on avocado grafting by the trainer, Voon Boon Hoe, a retired researcher from the Agriculture Department, Sarawak. A practical session was also included for the participants to have hands-on activity on grafting the avocado seedlings generously provided by Voon.
The grafting shoots were from the avocado tree at the seminary ground. A total of 21 participants took part in the course with six participants from Bunan, five from the ACCPC Building and Plant Maintenance team, one participant each from Blessed Sacrament, St Joseph’s and St Stephen’s parishes, and Jonathan Rao, a seminarian from St Peter’s College. Another six were from the Anglican Parishes.
The objective of the course was achieved as all participants had successfully acquired the know-how on how to graft, grow and produce avocado. All the 40 seedlings were grafted without injury. The course ended with a closing prayer by Fr Francis.
