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Grantee: International Development Enterprises (IDE)
August 10, 2010
This grant had a successful year making progress against its 2009 milestones and remains on track to meet its overall goals.
Improving farmers’ lives: IDE sold microirrigation technologies to nearly 108,000 smallholder customers, enabling them to move from subsistence rain-fed farming to income-generating farming. Farmers using the new technologies have seen their annual incomes increase by an average of $600, giving them money to pay for school and health care and to invest in their farms.
Technological and marketing leadership: After consulting farmers, IDE introduced new improvements to its irrigation systems, resulting in substantial cost reductions for some technologies, including treadle pumps, sprinklers, and water storage bags. With more than 180 research and demonstration sites across India, IDE has been able to both test and market its products successfully across the country. Demand for IDE’s products is also on the rise in Africa, where IDE is working to scale up its sales and marketing efforts to reach smallholder farmers, and in South America. IDE has successfully expanded its microirrigation program into Ghana and is starting trial expansions into Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It is also considering starting a trial program in Burkina Faso.
Supply chain development: IDE trained and coordinated the work of 731 agro-dealers across India to ensure that products and spare parts are available to customers in remote rural areas. While IDE’s original goal was to train 800 agro-dealers, the project achieved its customer outreach and sales targets with fewer dealers than anticipated. IDE will continue to train more dealers, helping to spread microirrigation technologies even further.
To ensure the continued quality of its products, IDE trained 14 manufacturers and 22 component suppliers on how to perform quality control tests and provided one-year warranties on all IDE products. To enable customers without cash to access microirrigation technologies, it developed a series of financing pilot programs that linked approximately 12,000 farmers with appropriate micro-lending institutions. IDE India hasalso helped its dealers, manufacturers, and component suppliers access financing.
Farmer-centered design: IDE conducted a customer satisfaction survey in 2009 to continue improving its products. The survey revealed that an overwhelming majority of customers are satisfied with their purchases, but respondents asked IDE to improve the timeliness of installations, speed of services, and coaching on farm management and crop selection. Respondents also requested more effective, easier-to-use treadle pumps, and longer drip systems.
Learn more about this grant to IDE.
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