Agriculturalist Missionary Visits Antigo United Methodist Church

On November 5^th , the Antigo United Methodist church welcomed Temba Nkomozepi, a missionary serving as an agriculturalist at Mujila Falls Agriculture Center in Zambia. Temba spoke to the congregation, answered questions about his work and visited with members during a potluck dinner. The congregation assists Temba’s work through salary, donations for operational costs at the Agriculture Center and prayers.

Temba takes part in a range of agricultural, education, and health projects, as well as church growth and development at the Agriculture Center. A primary goal of the project is to increase protein, minerals and vitamins in the diet, and to reduce the very high infant mortality and low life expectancy of the local people. Another goal is to increase family incomes by becoming more effective and efficient farmers. 

These programs are making the local farmers and their families competitive in agricultural pursuits that are favored by the high rainfall and abundant land that is available here. These include milk production, fruit production, meat production, gardening, field crop production, etc. Mujila Falls raises essential crops, such as corn, and engages in small animal husbandry, cattle and goat milking, fruit culture, tree nurseries, fish culture, and research.

Temba is from Zimbabwe where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from the United Methodist-related Africa University in Mutare. He holds both Master of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in agricultural civil engineering, with an emphasis on water resource management, from Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea.

 Born into an Anglican family, Temba was baptized and confirmed in that church at age 15. Temba’s favorite Bible verse is from 2 Kings 3, where the Lord fills a valley with water and protects it so people and animals can drink. “This passage,” he says, “shows me that irrigation, or agricultural engineering, can play an important role in the will of God. I have made it my commitment to contribute to bringing together the perfect environment and inputs to grow crops and improve people’s livelihoods.”