New Irrigation System Inspires A Community

iDE powers thousands of Zambian farmers with demonstration plots

A 2015 report by Hystra, a global consulting firm that works with business and social sector pioneers to design and implement inclusive business approaches that are profitable and scalable, says it is important that development organizations identify the right farmers and “over-invest” in their farms through tailored and intensive support.

Sylhet’s Resilient Market Ecosystem

Bangladeshi Region Characterized by Sufi Shrines and a Changing Climate

This Sylhet market ecosystem map shows the location of more than 2,360 iDE-powered touchpoints – local business advisors, livestock service providers, agricultural collection points, sales agents, entrepreneurs and latrine producers – all engaging with market actors, communities, and individuals – spread across Sylhet.

Change Agents Power Recovering Mozambican Farmers

iDE Adapted To Combat Natural Disasters and Socio-Economic Disruptions

Farm Business Advisor (FBA) Flora Mostiço is a change agent in her Mozambican community. At her market store in Nhamatanda, in the Beira Corridor, the mother of six sells affordable agricultural inputs including high quality seeds, fertilizer, and water pumps. Despite repeated cyclones in the region, she runs a successful small scale farm and provides business support to other farmers. “I started with something small and now I am growing,” Flora says of her business. iDE has trained some 332 (117 women) FBAs like Flora across Mozambique’s Maputo, Sofala, Manica, Tete and Zambezia provinces.

Young pastoralists expand business

Eager entrepreneurs want to work but are unaware of or unequipped for job opportunities

While both men and women in the lowlands of Ethiopia have increased their engagement in local markets, they often lack access, agency, and commercial scale.

Transitioning out of Pastoralism

Nomadic communities in the southern lowlands of Ethiopia diversify their income

Pastoralist communities can no longer rely on traditional livestock and agriculture for high-quality, nutritious food production and consistent income generation.

I De Global Nep Anukulan Nepalese Women Fetched 21 X9

Nepalese Women Fetched Water Before Daybreak

But an iDE program now pipes it to their villages

Kamala Magar’s day began before dawn. The Nepalese farmer would get up and walk miles in the cold to fetch water for her family. It would take her most of the morning to retrieve just one jar, which she’d use to make breakfast before setting out for more.

Doing good through sustainable businesses

We're highlighting three social businesses that we’re excited to follow as they grow and make an impact.

Using profit to build a sustainable business that meets people’s needs, social enterprises flourish while doing good.

Adapting to climate change

The Farmer Resilience & Rebuilding Initiative in Mozambique

How iDE is helping smallholder farmers increase their resilience following both Cyclone Idai and the COVID-19 pandemic.

I De Ex Eth Jimma Jafare Coffee Farmer 21X9

The future for Ethiopian coffee farmers

In the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopian farmers are adopting new practices to enhance a way of life that’s been passed down for generations.

In the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopian farmers are adopting new practices to enhance a way of life that’s been passed down for generations. With the support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, iDE is working with farmers in Jimma, Ethiopia to practice sustainable coffee production.

Building resilience through hubs of commercial activity

A foundation for stability and growth in Nepal

To build Nepalese farmers’ resilience, iDE engages in what we’ve termed the “Commercial Pocket Approach.”

Protecting the watershed and a way of life in Honduras

Watersheds are crucial to the sustainability of businesses, communities, and ecosystems. In Honduras, we’re working with people all along the watershed to protect water at its source, ensuring it continues flowing for generations to come.

Scientist. Humanitarian. Mother.

STAFF PROFILE: We’d like you to get to know Chiara, iDE’s Senior Advisor on Climate and Resilience.

STAFF PROFILE: Chiara Ambrosino is dedicated to finding sustainable ways for people to grow food in difficult climates. As iDE’s Senior Advisor on Climate and Resilience, she leads our country teams in strategies to build farmers’ resilience to climate change.

Plentiful plantains

ENTREPRENEUR PROFILE: A farmer makes the switch from flood to drip irrigation

Nicaragua is known for its lakes and rivers—water scarcity has not been a problem until now. The rains are coming less frequently, and weather patterns are less predictable. Farmers like Candelario are having to pivot their practices—making such changes as switching from traditional flood irrigation to water-saving drip irrigation.

Tunnel vision

ENTREPRENEUR PROFILE: Increasing production despite changing weather patterns in Nepal

Gita Pariyar lives in Lahachok village, within the Kaski district of central Nepal. She is raising 2 daughters and a son while her husband works as a laborer in the Middle East. A member of the disadvantaged Dalit community, she helps supplement her family’s income through agriculture. But she’s noticed a change in the rainfall in Nepal.

Creating a food safety net

Farmers build climate resilience in Ethiopia

iDE provides farmers access to improved seeds and training in proven agricultural practices to increase crop yields that enable small-scale households to have food year-round.

iDE Ex Vietnam Planting On Straight and Narrow

Planting on the straight and narrow

Changing agricultural methods to increase yields sustainably in Vietnam

Compared to mainstream fertilizers and air-borne applications, Fertilizer Deep Placement produces 40% less chemical runoff and 30% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. It also increases yields, leading to a win-win for the farmer and for the environment.

iDE Ex Nicaragua iDEal Way To Demonstrate Effectiveness

Balancing social good and profitability

Social enterprise in Nicaragua

Irrigation systems aren't off-the-shelf kinds of purchases. They require proper design, good installation, and operator training. iDE's social enterprise iDEal Tecnologias provides these services to farmers in Nicaragua.

Drip+ Alliance

Affordable drip irrigation plus a comprehensive set of tools

What if one million farmers could grow more food with less water?

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