Agricultural missionaries from UK were helping farmers in East Pakistan (which later became Bangladesh), India and Congo. They were sent, from 1952 onwards, by the Baptist Missionary Society (now BMS World Mission), who asked UK churches to send gifts of seeds for ‘Operation Agri’. But BMS staff did not know how best to respond when mission workers requested day-old chicks for breeding, or agricultural equipment!
The Baptist Men’s Movement stepped in and adopted ‘Operation Agri’ in 1961. A committee of men, some with agricultural experience, took responsibility to raise funds and ship out tools, livestock and equipment for the BMS agricultural mission workers.
Expanding the work: Over the years, BMS missionaries asked OA for help with other developments: e.g. a hospital water supply and income-generation (weaving) so women could afford good food for their families. When missionaries returned to UK, many projects were handed over to local staff, and Operation Agri then helped to support those workers as well as to equip them.
Operation Agri BMM was registered as an independent charity in 1998 run by hands-on trustees, with some paid part-time admin work. More recently it has become registered as CIO charity Operation Agri.
The Story of Operation Agri is a booklet, with accounts from many exciting and effective projects over the early years. It can be read via this link
More recently while retaining an emphasis on agriculture, OA supports a wide range of development projects usually by sending grants rather than goods. Projects are linked with the BMS World Mission or with other Christian-led organisations, e.g. African Pastors’ Fellowship, Oasis Global, Emmanuel International, LEADS Sri Lanka, etc.
While helping people in need, whatever their faith background, Operation Agri never hides the fact that it is a Christian charity – committed to showing Christian Love in Action.
