Tech Adopters
“Circular is very important for agriculture in Rwanda, because it's a kind of sharing opportunities—someone's waste might be someone’s raw materials,” says Israel Niyonshuti, founder of Tech Adopters.
Tech Adopters is an Agri-Tech engineering company on a mission to empower Rwandan farmers with innovative solutions that increase productivity, reduce costs, minimize waste, and improve livelihoods. The company manufactures affordable, customized agricultural equipment to support farmers in harvesting and processing crops more efficiently.
Inspired by the potential of merging engineering with agriculture, Israel founded Tech Adopters to apply his technical knowledge toward addressing agricultural challenges. As the son of two farmers, he has firsthand experience with the obstacles and opportunities faced by farmers in Rwanda. His company continuously develops tools and ideas that enhance harvesting efficiency—an essential innovation as traditional growing seasons become less predictable due to climate change.
The equipment designed by Tech Adopters is made from scrap steel, repurposing material that would otherwise end up in landfills. Every machine is intended to speed up harvesting, helping farmers avoid crop losses and align with seasonal shifts. Israel explains: “We reduce waste by giving farmers equipment that helps them complete their activities quickly. If you are still harvesting when the season ends, and the rains come, you risk losing your crop. If others are planting while you’re still harvesting, it means you’re lagging behind in your agricultural practices.”
To further their mission, Tech Adopters established their workshop in an industrial park in Kigali, ensuring easy access to scrap steel. Through their work, they are inspiring a shift in how the community perceives waste. “When we started collecting waste, people thought we were just going to sell it to companies that mold scrap materials. But when they saw us developing useful equipment from it, they began to recognize the value in that waste.”
Committed to meeting the needs of Rwandan farmers, Tech Adopters builds equipment at various price points—ranging from small, hand-crank maize harvesters to large threshing machines. With advice from CIRF-supported technical advisors, the company is exploring both purchase options and machine loan arrangements to ensure their equipment remains accessible to all farmers. This aligns with their broader goal of supporting sustainable agricultural growth and ensuring no one is left behind.
