Successes

Over 13 million treadle pumps have been sold in Asia, resulting in a new $130 million in income each year for small-scale farmers in that region.

IDE entrepreneurs are now introducing low-cost, slow-drip irrigation systems to many of the same customers. These irrigation systems provide similar productivity gains for the farmers.

In Vietnam, a coconut processing plant for which IDE provided the initial design and manufacturing advice, made a profit in its second month, provided jobs for 60 people, and moved to complete independence and local ownership in less than a year. The plant processes desiccated coconut, then packages it for export and sale in such markets as China and Nepal. "That has been an out-and-out success, and it was an industry that didn't even exist," Polak says.

How It Works

IDE's technology operating principle applies throughout the organization. The first step is to perform tests with local farmers and workers using the new technology. With their feedback and input on product design, a mass-market product is finalized. All technologies used must be made as cheaply as possible but with high quality. Technologies are produced locally using local materials. Workers and farmers are assured spare parts, and IDE provides extensive training on maintenance of equipment and products.

IDE assists in market promotion through demonstrations and information distribution (including brochures in local languages and hour-long soap operas, which are staged live and then filmed). Once the product is established, IDE fades into the background or exits completely, though it is still available for consulting.

IDE presently operates on an annual budget of $4.5 million, most derived from direct grants from such organizations as the Swiss Development Corp. and U.S. AID. Most of this money goes to individual country expenses.

The organization budgets $30,000 for each country project feasibility study. It spends another $100,000 to evaluate new technology applications, which the IDE staff spends considerable effort identifying and testing.

"It's not just technology that works," says Polak. "It has to be adaptable to local manufacture so we can be sure it is affordable. Something that is downright cheap by Western standards, such as a $25,000 solar energy power system for a village, is prohibitive under our business model."

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