When BC potato grower Tyler Heppell boarded a flight from Canada to Nepal, he didn’t just embark on a journey across the globe — he set out to offer hope to vulnerable children and farmers facing daunting challenges.
Last month, Tyler Heppell travelled 48 hours across continents to a farm tasked with providing food for more than 300 children under the care of Ally Global Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to rescuing children at risk of sex trafficking.
A staunch advocate for the Canadian potato industry — Heppell’s “Potato Ty” Instagram and Tik Tok channels have amassed nearly a million followers and continue to grow—Heppell says he felt compelled to travel to Nepal when he learned of the upcoming mission through his church.
“I got a call from Randy, the guy who runs the mission — he told me about the farm and the struggles they were facing,” Heppell says. “It felt like the perfect opportunity for me to go.”
The farm, located on a mountainside facing the breathtaking Himalayas, produces a variety of crops for the 300 children and 200 volunteers who live there, including lettuce, tomatoes, and potatoes. But in recent years, the potato crop had produced less than ideal results.
“Every other year, they were just getting wiped out,” Heppell says. “Their potatoes and tomatoes were rotting, and they weren’t seeing much yield.”
Heppell quickly identified the problem as blight, a disease caused by a fungus-like microorganism that can devastate potato and tomato crops. Armed with years of experience and knowledge, Heppell was able to offer the growers fresh perspectives and strategies to manage the disease.
“One of the biggest challenges was this mentality of ‘we can’t do that’ because no one in the area does it that way,” he says. “Unfortunately, many third-world countries look only at what their neighbors are doing and miss out on innovations happening elsewhere.”
Heppell’s insight was met with tremendous appreciation from the growers — and the recipients of the food. He says he was able to spend time with the children living in the five safe houses.
“I hugged each one of them. It was so powerful,” he says, acknowledging that he’d expected sorrow, given the harsh realities these children had endured. Instead, there was overwhelming joy. “It was life-giving instead of life-sucking.”
For Heppell, this trip was about much more than sharing his knowledge about farming; it was personal.
“One of the most evil things happening in the world is the exploitation of children,” he says. “When the opportunity arose to help make a difference, it gave me so much purpose. A chance to make a difference in a child’s life.”
Returning home, Heppell carries with him not only the warmth of human connection but also the lasting impact of his work.
“Going there and seeing their joy made it so worthwhile,” he says. “It’s incredible to know that I made a difference. It’s definitely going to stay with me.”
