Feeding The Flock: A Nigerian Priest Uses Farming To Deliver Hope
ABUJA, Nigeria — Zachariah Fufeyin, a priest from the Catholic Diocese of Bomadi in southern Nigeria, had only one mission when he started livestock farming at Our Lady of the Waters Farm in November 2019: To help the poor and provide animal protein to low-income families.
“Protein was always lacking in the food of the poor. It was a challenge for them,” said Fufeyin, who raises pigs, goats and chickens. “How can children grow with food with low nutrients or without a balanced diet?”
The priest said “the severe hunger among the people in our communities” motivated him to go into livestock farming.
Data reveals that Nigeria is one of the lowest consumers of animal protein in Africa. The average individual intake is 9.3 grams per day — far below the Food and Agriculture Organization’s recommended minimum of 35 grams needed for growth and development. The shortage of animal protein in most Nigerians’ diets is largely due to its high cost and limited availability, according to Ahmed Ala, professor of Agricultural Economics at Usmanu Danfodiyo University.
This situation is even more concerning in the oil-rich Niger Delta, where the Bomadi Diocese is located. Communities there frequently suffer from oil spills that pollute the environment and the rivers locals rely on for drinking water and fishing. When these spills occur, fishing for consumption or sale becomes nearly impossible.
“There are no longer fish because of oil [spill],” Fufeyin said, adding that livestock farming is a better alternative to boost animal protein consumption in communities affected by oil pollution.
Ala agreed, noting that livestock farming can effectively address the problem of protein deficiency in Nigeria and help improve the nutritional quality of local diets.
“Livestock farming is a solution to animal protein deficiency,” Ala said. He explained that livestock are relatively easy to rear because they can resist diseases and tend not to die easily, as long as “you give them the required feed and keep them in a healthy environment.”
‘To work is to pray’
Fufeyin runs Our Lady of the Waters Farm both as a business and as a means of serving the poor. In addition to reinvesting proceeds from livestock sales back into the farm, he said the farm allocates a portion of its profits to assist low-income families and sponsors children's education.
The farm also donates some of its products to charity. For example, Fufeyin said the farm slaughters pigs annually and distributes the meat to poor families. During disasters such as floods, he leads his team to assist affected communities.
Following the 2022 flood disaster, which affected over 2.8 million Nigerians and destroyed more than 300,000 homes, the farm provided food items and chickens to over 200 households to help ease their hardship.
While it’s uncommon to see Nigerian priests engage in farming, Fufeyin said he views it as part of his ministerial calling to proclaim the gospel. He has drawn inspiration from biblical figures like Jesus, who fed 5,000 people, and Jacob, who was a livestock farmer.
For Fufeyin, attending to people’s physical needs is an essential aspect of his priesthood.
“Faith without work is dead. So, as we preach the word of God, we [need to] concretely engage the people in activities that will cater to their physical needs,” Fufeyin added. “We don’t have the financial capacity to give money to all, but farming can help them.”
He added: “I use farming as a medium to preach the message of God to the people, making them understand that in our times of struggle, farming can be our saving grace.”
Although Fufeyin acknowledged that both priestly duties and farm work are demanding and come with unique challenges, he said he is able to balance and manage both effectively.
After celebrating Mass each morning, he counsels and attends to the spiritual needs of his parishioners. He then heads to the farm before returning in the evening for other church activities.
“To work is to pray,” said Fufeyin, who is also the director of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission in the Bomadi Diocese. “I have time for the farm, Mass, my prayers, and priestly work. [So] farming does not affect my priestly work.”
Engaging young people
In line with his mission to help low-income families in the Niger Delta improve their access to animal protein, Fufeyin has started offering free training sessions in livestock farming for young people and women. However, he noted a major challenge: many young people lack the patience needed for farming.
“Farming requires patience, but some youths are not patient with farming. Many of them want quick money,” Fufeyin said.
To encourage them, he often shares practical examples— such as how a male and female pig can “multiply to 10 pigs in eight months.” Recently, he told them he earned 300,000 naira (about $186.92) from selling just two piglets.
The farm itself is creating job opportunities for young people in the Niger Delta. Currently, it employs five full-time workers. As part of its expansion, Our Lady of the Waters Farm has begun growing rice, taking advantage of its swampy location, which is ideal for rice cultivation.
The farm has also acquired a rice milling machine to process the grain and hires additional laborers during planting and harvesting seasons. However, Fufeyin said that “funding is rare to get these days.”
This, he said, limits the farm’s ability to reach more low-income families with food and meat.
Still, Fufeyin said he is encouraged by the progress made so far and is grateful that farming allows him to meet the needs of the poor.
“Agriculture is the way to go,” he said.
Ekpali Saint is a freelance journalist based in Nigeria and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged.