After growing up in a farming community and seeing the challenges farmers’ faced in sourcing organic pesticides and fertilizers, Providence Mushimire became passionate about finding an innovative solution.

Throughout high school and her time at Davis College, while studying Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Providence developed many prototypes and received early recognition through various class and campus competitions. After graduating in the Class of 2021, Providence partnered with graduates from the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) to develop this idea.

In May 2022, Providence and her colleagues – under the team name ‘Green Promoters’ – competed in the annual Wege Prize Awards in the USA and emerged first place.

The annual competition sees teams from around the globe pitch their circular design projects for a more sustainable future. The Green Promoters’ winning solution reduces the effects of chemical pesticides and fertilizers by creating an organic product that can be used for both purposes - the 'EZA Two-in-One.' The $30,000 cash prize will be used to make this environmentally friendly, safe, and affordable product.

We are so proud of how Providence is making her mark among the next generation of innovators and changemakers ⭐

"I am passionate about this idea because of my experiences growing up in a farming community. Observing farmers' difficulties in obtaining pesticides and fertilizers, as well as the safety concerns associated with agrochemical application, my team and I decided to devise an innovative solution. The production of this organic pesticide fertilizer will help farmers gain access to organic inputs, improve production safety, and reduce costs spent on expensive imported agrochemicals.

This award is a dream come true for me because I wanted to implement this project on a large scale in order to impact a large number of people and cater to farmers' demand across the country and beyond. So, this prize will help me and my team implement our project and grow.

My time at Davis College was extremely influential in my life. I studied Business Management and Entrepreneurship, which exposed me to entrepreneurial ideas and helped me to develop this community impact project. Davis College taught me about environmental threads, gaps, opportunities, and ways to fill gaps and solve the problems that our community is facing today. That's when I decided to work on this product and learn more about my skills and interests, as well as how to present my idea to the rest of the world.

My ambitions are to support and promote green agriculture through agribusiness to achieve sustainable and safe agricultural production. As a young entrepreneur, I am moving forward with my team to run a factory producing pesticide fertilizer to be an inspiration to other young people, provide jobs, and promote sustainable development in our community. In addition, we want to contribute to environmental protection through promotion of proper waste management and minimization of the invasive plant species pressure on the native environment."

Circular Economy Game Changers

This award is a dream come true for me because I wanted to implement this project on a large scale in order to impact a large number of people and cater to farmers' demand across the country and beyond. So, this prize will help me and my team implement our project and grow.

—Providence Mushimire, Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Class of 2021