In Zambia, IDE's first African country program, IDE has found that low-cost irrigation is a very practical way to address the poverty and hunger that have accompanied two decades of recurring droughts and economic decline in Zambia.
Treadle pumps, drip-irrigation systems, and other affordable technologies have been adapted to the local context and distributed through a sustainable network of local private-sector manufacturers and dealers.
Zambia's low population density and long distances between settlements pose a challenge to smallholders wishing access markets for their produce. To help farmers overcome these barriers, IDE Zambia has facilitated linkages between smallholder groups and local supermarkets, vegetable export companies, and other output markets.
Polak Wins Monito del Giardino Prize
(June 1, 2008) IDE Founder Paul Polak recently traveled to Florence, Italy, to accept the prestigious Il Monito del Giardino prize. The award, which included a €30,000 grant, is presented annually...
Friends of IDE Holds First Meeting
(June 18, 2008) A new group for Denver-area residents who want to get more involved with IDE will hold its first meeting Friday, June 27, from 6-8 p.m...
Polak's Out of Poverty Now Available
(February 15, 2008) In this hard-hitting new book,IDE Founder Paul Polak tells why traditional poverty eradication programs have fallen so short, and how he and his organization developed an alternative approach that has succeeded in lifting 17 million people out of poverty...
IDE Receives Second Grant From Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
(January 25, 2008) IDE today announced a grant of $27 million over four years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in support of its micro-irrigation programs for Indian smallholder farmers...
