Juvenal Mvuyekure, The Farmer Who Found the World in His Living Room.
Juvenal Mvuyekure never imagined that farming could give him a broader view of the world beyond the hills of his village, but this year his harvest did just that through a television (TV) screen. After so many years as a subsistence farmer in Rwanda with low yields and survival mode as his daily reality, Juvenal had never been able to afford a TV. He only heard of the world out there; never imagining a chance to see it. Now, each evening, Juvenal sits in his home with his wife and discovers the world beyond Rwanda. While he may be watching a world he will never travel, he smiles with pride, because for a man who once harvested only enough to survive, this is a life-changing victory.
Not long ago, his story was very different. In some seasons, Juvenal would harvest just 60 kilograms (kg); in others, barely 100kg. Once the family ate, there was nothing left. No grain to sell. No money to save. No chance to change his family’s future. Each planting season was a gamble with high stakes, lots of work and still little reward. It was a life of doing the best he could with the little he had, and always coming up short.
Juvenal’s fortunes shifted when Walisha began working in his community. Their approach was different. They didn’t just drop supplies and move on; they stayed, taught, and walked alongside many farmers like him. For the first time, he learned how fertilizers could unlock the potential in his soil; something he had never been shown before. Walisha provided not only chemical fertilisers but also organic manure free of charge, giving his land the nutrients it had been starved of for years.
The change was remarkable. His harvest doubled, 120 kilograms where there had been 60kg, 200kg where there had been 100kg. For the first time, he had a surplus and with it, a question he had never asked himself before: What should I buy? It was a powerful moment, realising he could buy something out of choice, not necessity. His answer was a TV. That TV became more than an object; it was the biggest window he would ever see. Sitting in his living room, Juvenal could now see the world; places, people, and possibilities far beyond his fields. For someone who once thought he would grow old without ever knowing what lay beyond his village, it was a profound gift he gave himself.
Since then, his dreams have only gotten bigger. Juvenal owns two cows, but they give little milk and manure. He now dreams of buying a high-yielding cow, which will supply enough to enrich his soil in the new ways he has learnt and to fill his grandchildren’s cups with fresh milk, keeping their faces bright with joy. More than income, he wants to leave them a legacy of security and pride, a memory of their grandfather who worked so they could grow up with more than he ever had.
Juvenal’s journey is proof that farming is about more than crops, it’s about dignity, opportunity, and hope that lasts for generations. And there are many more farmers looking beyond the hills with that same hope. Will you show up for them? Your support can open windows of possibility for many more farmers, just like Juvenal.
Join Walisha’s “Adopt a Farmer” drive today to give many more farmers the chance to transform their lives through tools, knowledge and access that bring life to the promise of sustainable agriculture.
To adopt a farmer today, donate a one-time gift of $99 or set a recurring $9.95/month donation to empower farmers in Rwanda like Juvenal and cultivate a future where every field, and farmer, thrives.
Make it happen here.