Featured Agriculture Grant: IDE-India
Moving Water to Even the Poorest Farms in India
Lack of adequate irrigation is a significant barrier for small farmers in India – they are often limited to subsisting on rainwater for their crops. With minimal access to cost-effective irrigation techniques, farmers are unable to ensure even food security for their families, let alone earn cash income and remain trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty.
International Development Enterprises India (IDEI) sees that lowering the cost of irrigation technologies significantly will enable impoverished farmers to overcome their water constraints. Recognizing the high co-relation between rural poverty and lack of access to water, IDEI has identified micro irrigation solutions as a strategic entry point to poverty alleviation. It designs, develops and delivers small plot irrigation technologies that are commercially viable and low cost. The technologies are sold through supply chains to smallholder farmers. IDEI-promoted low cost irrigation technologies have reached out to over a million smallholder farm families (more than five million people). These technologies include Drip Kits and Treadle Pumps and are sold under the brand name of KB. KB stands for Krishak Bandhu which means ‘farmers friend’.
With Lemelson Foundation support, IDEI is creating awareness amongst smallholder farmers and developing new supply chains to meet the ensuing demand for drip irrigation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In addition, the Foundation is supporting the creation of the Innovation to Impact Center, which will develop new products for smallholder farmers.
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www.ide-india.org |
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