Serve Kengen Appreciates Farming Efforts in Zomba Diocese

Former Montfortian Dutch Provincial Projects Coordinator, Serve Kengen, today visited Zomba Diocese’s Namitembo Farms, where he appreciated the nearly 80-hectare piece of land being used for animal rearing and crop production.

Accompanied by Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Zomb, Rt. Rev. Alfred Mateyu Chaima, Serve, who is the special Montfortian envoy to Malawi during the Quasquicentennial Jubilee (125th Anniversary) celebration of uninterrupted Catholicism in the country, scheduled for 19 September 2026 at Mzama in Dedza Diocese, commended Zomba Diocese for its efforts to maximize the use of its land.

At Namitembo Farms, the Diocese rears various animals, including goats, cattle, pigs and chickens, while also growing crops such as maize, beans, bananas, cassava and sweet potatoes.

Serve provided technical advice to the farm managers and coordinators through Bishop Chaima, emphasizing the need to maximize the productivity of the available land.

In his response, Bishop Chaima expressed gratitude to Serve for his kindness and for the valuable advice he provided.

Zomba Diocese requires significant financial and material support to maximize agricultural production, not only at Namitembo Farms, but also at Pirimiti and Mayaka Farms. 

There is a need to intensify agricultural production throughout the year so that the Diocese can generate more income from farming activities. This is in line with the Diocesan five-year Strategic Plan which runs until the year 2028, whose overarching theme is Ownership and Responsibility in Building a Self-relaint Church. 

This initiative is being championed by Bishop Chaima at all levels, as he encourages the clergy, religious and laity to embrace the same spirit in their respective parishes and institutions.

It is the desire of the incumbent Bishop that the clergy, religious and laity take ownership and responsibility for the Diocese by contributing in the best way possible to ensure that the Diocese continues to make positive pastoral and socioeconomic progress.