The Story of Ruth:
In the Bible there is a story of a woman named Ruth. She was very poor. But instead of just taking care of herself, she spent her days gleaning, in order to feed all of her relatives. She gleaned the land belonging to Boaz, a wealthy baron. Boaz noticed how hardworking she was and asked Ruth to marry him. Ruth agreed. She and married Boaz and became rich. From then on she was able to feed herself and all her relatives with ease.
Gleaning:
Gleaning is the practice of gathering the leftover crops after a farmer has reaped the harvest. It is an ancient practice that has provided food and livelihood for the poor for thousands of years. In the Biblical Book of Leviticus, farmers are instructed not to reap (collect crops) all the way to the edges of their fields. Instead God commands the farmers to leave some of the crops behind for the poor to come and gather.
Gleaning has served as a form of social welfare throughout the ages. In nineteenth century England there were laws about who was allowed to glean (orphans, widows, the poor). Church bells would ring to announce that the farmers were done reaping and the gleaning could begin.
Gleaning is a form of sustainable farming because it makes the most of the land. When a reaping only yields 90% of a harvest, the gleanings yields the remaining 10%. Thus nothing is wasted.
