The Inheritance Gabriel Wants to Leave

Gabriel may not have enough land to divide among his seven children. So this Guatemalan farmer is using a new opportunity in agriculture to build a different inheritance for them: an education and the chance to shape their own futures.

For Gabriel, farming has always been about more than a harvest.

It is how he and his wife, Juana Olivia, have raised their seven children in Bichibalá, a rural community in San Juan Cotzal, Guatemala. And for years, every good harvest brought Gabriel a little closer to one of his greatest dreams: giving his children an education.

Gabriel, 52, grew up farming. He planted corn and beans for his family and for sale, and occasionally tried higher-value crops such as tomatoes and peppers. But farming in the open field brought constant uncertainty.

Weather could change. Pests and disease could damage a crop. And Gabriel knew he didn’t yet have the technical knowledge to manage these challenges effectively.

When a harvest was good, he invested what he could in his children’s education. But when a crop failed, those dreams became harder to sustain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, that vulnerability became painfully clear. Gabriel had planted tomatoes, but restrictions prevented him from properly tending the crop or getting the harvest to market. The tomatoes spoiled, leaving him with a significant financial loss and fewer resources to support his children’s schooling.

Still, Gabriel kept looking for a better way.

An Opportunity to Build

When Gabriel connected with Agros, he saw an opportunity to strengthen something he already knew and loved: farming.

Through Agros, he received agricultural training, inputs, and ongoing technical assistance. He also began learning how to produce tomatoes and peppers using a mesh house, a protected structure that helps farmers better manage growing conditions and reduce some of the risks associated with open-field agriculture.

His first tomato crop produced encouraging results. Then came peppers—and another successful harvest.

But perhaps the most important result was knowledge.

“Before, I had very little knowledge about how to manage a crop like tomatoes or peppers. Now I am able to manage it much better.”

Gabriel was no longer simply responding to whatever happened in the field. He was learning to understand his crops, identify problems, and make better decisions.

Then another opportunity became available.

Rather than continuing to produce in a structure provided by Agros, Gabriel could finance a mesh house of his own, making payments over approximately three years from the income generated by his harvests.

For Gabriel, it was a chance to invest in his own productive future.

Today, that mesh house stands on his land.

From Support to Ownership

The structure is important, but Gabriel’s story isn’t really about a mesh house.

It’s about what becomes possible when a hardworking farmer has access to the knowledge, productive assets, financing, and accompaniment needed to build a stronger business of his own.

Gabriel now feels more confident managing his crops. His agricultural income has increased, helping him continue improving the family’s home and, most importantly to him, supporting his children’s education.

His older children are already demonstrating what that investment can mean. One works as a nursing assistant, while others are employed and contributing to the family. Among his younger children, María Elda, 22, is attending university; María Lidia, 19, is in high school; Juana Romina, 17, is in secondary school; and Juan, 13, is completing sixth grade.

For a father who doesn’t own enough land to divide among seven children, their education represents a different kind of inheritance.

“I may not have enough land for all of them. So education is more secure, because with that they can move forward in their future.”

Faith at the Center

Gabriel is equally clear about what grounds his family.

“God comes first.”

Before going to work, Gabriel prays for guidance, protection, and blessing over his crops. He prays for his children and encourages them to seek God’s guidance as they study, work, and make their way in the world.

His faith has sustained him through failed harvests, uncertainty, and seasons when moving forward seemed difficult.

One of the Scripture passages he carries with him is Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to me and I will answer you…” For Gabriel, it is a reminder to turn to God when the path ahead is unclear.

And today, that path holds greater possibility.