Quessua Agriculture

Kutela Katembo is making remarkable progress in transforming the fields around Quessua Methodist Mission from mine filled danger zones into a productive bread basket that feeds neighboring villages, provides training for students and communities, and has introduced livestock production.

Under Kutela’s leadership, communities are trained in sustainable agriculture and community development which helps transform their lives and helps them respond to the challenge of food security. Students are involved as well in the agricultural activities by having them work at the farm and harvest food for the dorms. Community vegetable nurseries have been formed for seedling distribution, seeds are distributed as well as agricultural tools like hoes and machetes.

Each Sunday there is a large gathering of children for ‘Sunday School’ and the children are all fed a nutritious meal from the farm. A typical meal might include sweet potatoes, collards, carrots and tilapia from the farm fishponds.

Little by little Quessua Agriculture Center is growing and continues to need support in order to become a sustainable and excellent agricultural center for the communities and students. More than 1,500 fruit trees have been planted: lemons, oranges, avocado, papaya, mango, sour sop, guava and bananas. Vegetable crops of onions, tomatoes, okra, cabbage, carrots, maize, beans, soya and Chaya are grown. They grow, promote and make use of the Moringa tree orchard at the farm. Moringa leaves are very nutritious, rich in vitamins, proteins and minerals. The animal husbandry program has grown to include rabbits, sheep, goats, and cattle. A fish farm of tilapia was started in both earthen and concrete ponds.

People are benefiting from Quessua Agricultural Center, and your gifts matter a lot in helping to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable human beings. Food insecurity of our vulnerable communities has increased during the COVID pandemic because of the rise in prices of basic commodities. Vegetable seeds are needed to enable villagers to grow their own food.

Help meet "The Need for Seeds" by donating to the Advance 3022272—Quessua Agriculture. If you write a check, please include The Need for Seeds on the memo line. You can also donate online through the Advance website:  https://umcmission.org/advance-project/3022272/

Kutela Katembo, our partnership missionary on the ground in East Angola, offers a monthly newsletter on the evangelism and agricultural development projects in progress. The Mountain Sky Conference continues to provide pastor support and agricultural assistance.  Please click here to view and enjoy the newsletter and see first-hand what your dollars are doing.