Inclusive impact: Technology-empowered renewable agriculture

Innocent Nsengimana is a Class of 2024 Millennium Fellow from the University of Rwanda Nyagatare. He also was named as Runner-Up in the 2025 MCN Stories competition. He joined Adrija Das of Team MCN to talk about his experience with the Millennium Fellowship. The interview has been edited for clarity and length by Team MCN.

Adrija, Team MCN: So Innocent, thank you so much for joining me today and for taking the time to share your Millennium Fellowship story and the journey after the fellowship with your community and the wider Millennium Fellowship community. To begin, could you tell me a little bit about yourself? 

Innocent: Thank you for having me. I'm a graduate in the Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Mechanization from the University of Rwanda. I'm passionate about using technology and sustainability to solve challenges in agriculture. I served as the campus director for the Millennium Fellowship program at the University of Rwanda. I won a run-up in the competition called MCN Stories. And also, I led my team in the Efficiency Product Design Challenge, where we were granted winners to continue our project. So those experiences have helped me to grow as a leader. 

Adrija, Team MCN: Could you then tell us a little bit about the Millennium Fellowship project you were working on during the program? What challenges did you face, and what learnings from those days do you apply to today? 

Innocent: I served as the campus director and was working on my own project with my team: SAS-Sprayer. SAS-Sprayer is an idea we got from the Efficiency for Access, to use renewable energy in agriculture. I also got experience from the fellowship to manage teams, to organize things, and think beyond the project and how we are solving the problem from the community needs to our own thinking. 

Adrija, Team MCN: What made you apply to the fellowship program? How did you learn about this opportunity? 

Innocent: This is the opportunity I got from the Millennium Fellowship community at our university.I was connected with other fellows who attended this program. I was inspired by the idea of being part of the global network of young leaders. Finally, I became selected as a fellow and I served as campus director on my campus. This was a life-changing experience, and I learned how to guide others, how to manage projects effectively, and how to create impact with limited resources. And the biggest learning I still carry today is leadership. It's about empowering others, leading together with others. 

Adrija, Team MCN: Let's talk a little bit about the incredible work that you're doing right now.

What has the journey been like after the fellowship program? 

Innocent: Yes, currently, I'm leading a project called SAS-Sprayer. We are using the business name, which is called Agrilythos. Agrilythos is the name which joins two words: “Agriculture” and “Gritos.” Agriculture is the English name we really know. We didn't know, but gritos is the Greek word that means “foundation.” Therefore, it's the “agricultural foundation.” So, this is the automated sprayer, which applies fertilizer and fertilizers automatically. So that small hydroponics farms can save time and reduce costs, they invest in the operation of applying fertilizers to improve their crop yield.

My journey in social impact has been rewarding, but also full of learning and challenge. I have seen how technology can create new solutions for communities, but it also requires time, teamwork, patience, and listening to the needs of people.

Adrija, Team MCN: Thank you so much for sharing that. What does future success look like for you? Where would you want to reach in the next five years?

Innocent: Yes, in the next five years, I see myself planning a successful agri-tech startup like Agrilythos, which is under way of building, that provides affordable and sustainable farming technology to small-holder farmers.

There are some solutions and ideas from the Millennium Fellowship - particularly leading with empathy and creating collective impact - that will guide me in building the organizations that are both inclusive and impactful. I also hope to keep learning from the fellowship community.

Adrija, Team MCN: Thank you so much for sharing, Innocent. What would be the one thing you would want to share with the wider Millennium Fellowship community about the work that you're doing? 

Innocent: Yes, my advice is to start where you are, do what you can, don't wait for perfect conditions.

Use small actions, they will grow into something bigger. Be open to learning, because mistakes and challenges are part of the journey. And finally, be very humble, because no one achieves lasting impact alone. Collaboration is what makes a good idea. That's my advice. That is so incredibly powerful.

Be open to learning, because mistakes and challenges are part of the journey...no one achieves lasting impact alone. Collaboration is what makes a good idea.

Adrija, Team MCN: What would you want the wider Millennium Fellowship community and the young changemakers to take away about working in the sector of sustainable agriculture and ensuring food security?

Innocent: Think more about the community you want to serve rather than thinking about yourself. When you are addressing the problem, the focus cannot be on the earnings in order to solve the problem. If you are solving the problem for people with empathy and passion, you also gain from that passion. So what I can give as a takeaway is to think more about community solutions than earnings.

Adrija, Team MCN: Wonderful. Is there anything else you would like to share or talk about that we didn't get a chance to talk about yet? 

Innocent: The fellowship was my chance to work with the community and to solve problems with my fellows. If you are interested in working for social impact in your community, try to work with mentors. And to the professionals in the MCN community, please support them.

Adrija, Team MCN: Thank you. Great. Thank you so much for sharing so much about your story, your leadership journey, the work you're doing right now. I'm very sure our fellowship community, be it the current Millennium Fellows, the upcoming Millennium Fellows, our alums will be inspired and will be inspired to keep their social impact work alive. 

Think more about the community you want to serve rather than thinking about yourself.