Pathways to Prosperity: How young farmers are growing more and earning better

In 2012, Adeline Gwizimpundu dropped out of secondary school to help her parents on their family farm in Rwanda’s Kayonza district. Like most families in the area, they relied on subsistence farming. Later, Adeline got married and started a family with her husband, Jean Pierre, and began to face the realities of providing for their growing family.

Adeline briefly worked as a nursery school teacher, but the income wasn’t enough.

“While teaching, I kept thinking about starting a farm, but I didn’t have any land. I used my salary to rent land, but I also needed seed and fertilizer. That’s when One Acre Fund came to my support,” Adeline says.

Adeline’s story is a good reflection that young people across Africa can embrace agriculture as a meaningful path to financial independence, stability, and purpose. With over 70% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population under the age of 30, youth have the potential to transform agriculture and contribute towards rural development. But turning that potential into reality requires access to critical resources like land, startup capital, role models, farming knowledge, and markets, alongside the right support that helps young farmers navigate and make the most of these opportunities.

Support that drives productivity

Access to credit and quality inputs like improved seed and fertilizer can be a game-changer for young farmers. With One Acre Fund’s support, Adeline received everything she needed to get started, including training on better planting techniques and quality inputs with flexible repayment options.

“I harvested over 200 kilograms of maize and 100 kilograms of cassava,” Adeline says.

When farmers have access to quality inputs and knowledge on how to maximize germination and plant health, they grow more and dream bigger. For Adeline, that first successful harvest was just the beginning.

Strengthening markets: Turning a good harvest into profit and improved livelihood

Achieving prosperity doesn’t happen with the harvest alone. For agriculture to be a viable livelihood, farmers need access to fair markets where they can earn more from what they grow.

In 2019, Adeline set a new goal: to renovate her home. She rented more land and incorporated improved practices like crop rotation, which she had learned from One Acre Fund. She harvested 1 metric ton of maize, 300 kilograms of potatoes, and 500 kilograms of cassava.

That same year, she joined One Acre Fund’s buyback program, which allowed her to bypass middlemen and sell her maize at a better price.

“I loved selling my harvest through One Acre Fund because the price was better, and I received the money all at once,” she says.

With her earnings, Adeline bought cement and sand to renovate her house. The next season, she rented more land and reinvested her profits to purchase a plot of land.

Now 28, Adeline currently harvests 1.5 metric tons of potatoes, 1 ton of cassava, and 1.5 metric tons of maize in a year. In 2024, she bought her first smart TV, something she once considered a luxury. And in 2025, she reached another milestone: purchasing a plot of land for 1.5 million Rwandan francs ($1,042 USD).

Agriculture as a path to prosperity

As more youth begin to see farming not just as a means of survival but as a pathway to prosperity and independence, the right support can accelerate this shift. Together, we can inspire more youth to see agriculture as a space for innovation, entrepreneurship, and lasting prosperity for the next generation.