Monica and Colin Haworth are retired fruit growers in Cheshire, England. Monica joined the agricultural chaplaincy team in 2009 following the suicide of her eldest son. Part of her role is to support farming families who have been bereaved by suicide. Following the care offered by the team, in all the years they have worked with farmers, amazingly no farmer has gone on to harm themselves.

Tony and Liz Rinaudo worked in Niger from 1981 to 1999. Globally millions of hectares of land have the potential to be re-vegetated through the management of stems growing from living tree stumps, roots and seedlings in the ground. This simply requires a change in behaviour.

Rosemary Namatsi graduated from the University of Nairobi gaining a B.Sc. in Agriculture in 2001. Before finding employment, she travelled around Kenyan farms with a veterinary surgeon treating animals and advising farmers on food production. She became aware of the plight of many small-scale farmers at a time when farm inputs were becoming very expensive. In 2007 she took responsibility for training programmes in Manor House Agricultural Centre. This centre provides certification in sustainable agriculture for small-scale farmers, enabling them to farm without costly inputs. What she learnt attending Farmers' Dialogues helps her with team building and motivating farmers and students to be committed in food production.

Ruth Mukhwana Kidake was born in 1988 into a family of seven in Bungoma Western Kenya. In 1990 she was in primary school when her father died. Her schooling faced challenges as her mother who was a peasant farmer and small-scale business-woman, had difficulty catering for the families needs. Ruth completed her secondary education in 2006 with the help of friends and relatives.

Ingalill, my wife and I were happy with our lives. We considered farming to be an exciting profession although Ingalill at times said, 'I think something is missing, but I don’t know what'. In 1960, we received an invitation to a New Year’s conference at Caux in Switzerland. Ingalill said, 'Perhaps we could find there what I think we’re missing.' We learned about the goal to rebuild the world and we were struck by the honest ways people related their experiences in life. One comment impressed us: 'If we want to change the world, we must begin with ourselves'. The four absolute standards of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love became guidelines for our lives.

Juliana Kitutu Swai works with 35 farmers groups near Tanga in Tanzania. A number of these groups consist of single women, often alone and poverty stricken, with their children not in school, with inadequate food and without access to healthcare. Her approach is to give each farmer training in dairy cattle management, and then they are given a pregnant heifer on the understanding that the first heifer calf born will be given to another farmer to help them make a new start in life. The teamwork among members in their community helps improve their living conditions. Organized visits to farms and meeting with farmers in north and south from different backgrounds, and with scientists and officials, has enabled them to discover new farming methods.

Jacinta Wanja Ciomiti from Kenya is helping many in her community thanks to her training in agriculture. She started farming with Ksh. 500 and 1/8 of an Acre her mother gave to her.

As a young man interested in farming Gérard Barbé was influenced by the attitudes of a group of young Catholic farmers. 'To See – To Assess – To Act'. Later, he met Initiatives of Change and Farmers Dialogue; this expanded his understanding of world agriculture. In the 1970’s Gérard met British farmers in France and later in their homes in the UK. ‘The quality of their welcome calmed his aggressiveness, this helped him gain a wider knowledge of the issues facing British farmers' and his professional responsibilities followed a more constructive approach! More recently, Gérard met with his British colleagues to show his support because of the difficulties they faced. These discussions reinforced his commitment and he gained 'a broader understanding of initiating changes through honest conversation.'

The conviction of Jamil Ssebalu who started the Namasuba college of commerce which is now the largest private business school in Uganda.

George Kiiru Kamau of Kenya, known locally as Miti Mingi (Many Trees), worked for the forestry commission, gaining an understanding of the role of trees in stabilizing the climate and preventing soil erosion. He developed his one-acre farm as an example for others. He encourages farmers to have tree nurseries. He enlisted schools in tree planting programmes, part of this is that each child plants and looks after a tree throughout their school life In his house he has efficient wood-burning stoves that use minimal amounts of firewood, and photovoltaic cells on the roof of his house to run his computer and TV, to charge his mobile phone and to provide light after dark. He also demonstrates imaginative methods of soil conservation and storing water in underground tanks to prevent evaporation.