“In 2023, around 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has not changed significantly since the sharp upturn in 2020 . . . . Among those, over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more at times.” (World Health Organization, 2024)
The enormity of this problem is mind-numbing considering what it might take to make a scalable difference. One Bakke EMBA student believes the solution lies in following the Creator’s design for stewarding the soil and soul for a harvest of LIFE.
“For 30+ years, I have worked in the commercial organic food and landscape industry, and it never ceases to amaze me how God’s design is so wonderfully complex, yet simple to implement.” says Fred Billings, founder of GardenforLIFE (GfL). Humans are flesh, soul, and spirit: solving world “hunger” is an integral mission that must address the whole need - physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual. Billings asserts the original design for LIFE was accomplished/fulfilled in the Garden.
The garden is certainly “part of God’s redemptive plan for the world’s food supply,” which was Billings’ big ask at age seventeen. This prayer set Billings on a nearly 50-year journey, so far, with all the usual failures, successes, disappointments, and triumphs of a typical faith-driven entrepreneur.
When people consider the overwhelming size of the problem the tendency is to think big to make a big impact, particularly in agriculture and food security. “In the garden, you have to think small to make big impact,” according to Billings. It is the billions of unseen living organisms that are the foundation of fruitfulness. Who is fertilizing the rainforest? If the unseen life in the soil is cared for properly, a person can spill seed, and it will grow. GardenforLIFE is a tool, a free 14-week video training series, that coaches anyone in the world to grow their own organic food while healing the soil and discovering God’s invisible attributes in the garden. LIFE giving virtues are unlocked in a way that emulates the teaching of Jesus, while delivering a comprehensive understanding of efficient techniques for successful food production. The series requires less than three hours once per week to plant, manage, and harvest enough vegetables to feed a large family. The omnibus problem of world “hunger” (physical and spiritual) can be solved one garden at a time using minimal local inputs.
Is the course for individuals, communities, or organizations? Yes, the course is designed to be used by all of these, just select the applicable button on the website, www.gardenforlife.site. The site was launched in early March 2025, and is already in various stages of use in 10 countries on three continents. Applications have included schools, churches, restaurants, communities, prisons, rehab facilities, farms, a Native American reservation, and a EMBA Magazine Article host of individuals.
Billings explains, “Our idea is not to create another great organization, but rather to equip individuals and organizations around the world with a tool they can brand for themselves if they like. The course is free because God gave it to me through collaboration with farmers, scientists, grocers, gardeners, businessmen, and others over a lifetime; it doesn’t belong to anyone.”
Thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Billings is now “fluent” in numerous languages which the course will be available in later this year. A larger project is in the works that will be completed late 2026 or early 2027 which is being filmed on six continents and captures the stories of how God is feeding the world. The content will expand to include land acquisition, row crops, and marketing.
Billings is quick to acknowledge GfL is a family endeavor that would not be possible without his wife Barbie (aka the Secret Weapon) and his grown children that make generous sacrifices to keep the project and the family enterprises moving forward. The film production team and creative direction bring the “magic” that makes the videos beautiful and engaging.
“BGU has been an important part of my journey, equipping me and providing a network of like-minded and like- hearted friends, instructors, and mentors,” confesses Billings.
Fred Billings
EMBA Student
EMBA Advisory Council Member