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Sanitation Marketing Scale-Up (SMSU)
Timeline: 2009 - 2023 | Budget: $30.8 million | Country: Cambodia
Rolled out across seven provinces, the program facilitated the installation of more than 410,000 latrines, delivering access to improved sanitation for one in five rural Cambodian households.
Read more: iDE Cambodia has successfully completed implementation of its flagship market-based sanitation program -
To earn a living Nepali women leave gender norms and housebound stereotypes behind
iDE is engaged in a broad effort across rural Nepal to support women becoming small scale entrepreneurs
As part of a broad effort across rural Nepal, iDE is engaged in a range of gender transformative projects that support women to become small scale entrepreneurs.
Read more: Investing in women can also bring about positive change – not only for women themselves but whole communities -
Postharvest technologies provided by women entrepreneurs benefit Kenyan farmers
Switching from manual to mechanized processing saves time and increases profits
The She Feeds Africa project, funded by Zinpro Corporation and the Anderson Foundation, provides women entrepreneurs with access to financing, tools, and training, equipping them to improve postharvest practices and incomes across Kenyan communities
Read more: Switching from manual to mechanized processing saves time and increases profits -
Cambodian children encouraged to eat nutritious foods
With funding from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, iDE rolls out global effort to improve nutritional outcomes for rural families
Despite Cambodia's economic growth, substantial progress, socio-economic and gender inequalities persist, hampering people's access to a nutritious diet, according to the World Food Programme.
Read more: iDE aims to improve nutritional outcomes for children in their first 1,000 days of life -
Building a circular economy to clean up plastic waste
Vietnamese effort sees trash turned into building materials and tote bags
The 3-year, US$1.6 million project, funded by Denmark’s Danida Market Development Partnership, aims to transform Danang’s plastic waste into everything from boards used to construct buildings, to designer carry bags, sold by socially-conscious brands around the world.
Read more: Training informal waste pickers is part of a new approach being taken by iDE to support circular economies -
Empowered women in three African countries
Women entrepreneurs deliver greater business results
The US$6.4 million ($8.5 million CAD) project, being implemented by iDE and funded by Global Affairs Canada, has been designed to enhance economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive growth by providing support to women involved in agricultural value chains.
Read more: 25,000 women are being targeted across Sub Saharan Africa – in Zambia, Ethiopia and Ghana -
Women economically empowered in three African countries
Women entrepreneurs deliver greater business results
The US$6.4 million ($8.5 million CAD) project, being implemented by iDE and funded by Global Affairs Canada, has been designed to enhance economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive growth by providing support to women involved in agricultural value chains.
Read more: 25,000 women are being targeted across Sub Saharan Africa – in Zambia, Ethiopia and Ghana -
Women economically empowered in three African countries
Women entrepreneurs deliver greater business results
The US$6.4 million ($8.5 million CAD) project, being implemented by iDE and funded by Global Affairs Canada, has been designed to enhance economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive growth by providing support to women involved in agricultural value chains.
Read more: 25,000 women are being targeted across Sub Saharan Africa – in Zambia, Ethiopia and Ghana -
Agricultural value chain bears fruit
How adopting a new crop helped boost incomes and climate resilience of Cambodian farmers
The World Bank says improving the performance of agricultural value chains in emerging countries like Cambodia will be crucial to ending poverty and hunger, boosting shared prosperity, and stewarding the world’s natural resources.
Read more: iDE was instrumental in establishing the value chain, under our Climate Smart Commercial Horticulture Cambodia (CSmart) program. -
Entrepreneur Unleashes Latent Power Of Local Markets
Farmer uncomfortable knowing middlemen were profiting handsomely
Working as a cashew farmer in central Cambodia, In Laihout, 40, was uncomfortable with the fact that most of her crop was being exported to Vietnam where it was being processed and then on-sold by traders to bulk buyers at a significant profit.
Because there weren’t many processing centers in her low-income region, farmers like her were selling their cashews for small margins, only to see these foreign traders capitalize on their hard work and lack of local value chains.
But instead of accepting the situation, Laihout decided to start her own cashew collecting and processing business, initially working through a farmers’ association and community processing center in her village in Kampong Thom province, paying local farmers a fair price for their product and processing it herself.
Read more: Farmer uncomfortable knowing middlemen were profiting handsomely -
Climate Changes Farm Advisor's Message
Inutu Now Tells Farmers To Prepare For Drought
The rains didn’t come in November, as they used to. When they did begin in December, here in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, they didn’t last long.
“The drought has really impacted the farmers,” said Inutu Musialela, 53. “In February, it didn’t rain at all. In March, it did rain, but not until the last week.”
“Most of the crops were planted, like maize and sunflower. The rains started but then they went off. The farmers were hit with that. Their crops didn’t grow.”
Since Inutu began working with iDE in 2012, she says the local climate has changed significantly. As a Farm Business Advisor (FBA), Inutu has taught small scale farmers how to fertilize and protect their crops from pests.
Nowadays she spends just as much time teaching farmers how to become resilient to climate change, telling them to plant early maturing crops that require less water, or that they should plant a greater diversity of crops should some varieties fail.
“Because climate change has hit us now, I encourage them to prepare the land before the rains come.”
“They dig holes, like a basin, to plant their crops inside. These potholes hold water around the roots. There they can grow soybeans, maize, anything.”
Read more: iDE has trained more than 300 FBAs across Zambia who leverage existing market players, such as suppliers and transporters, to increase small farm productivity, improving access to inputs for farmers and building links with commercial markets. -
Microloans Help Zambian Farmers Cover Their Nuts
iDE Works With Communities To Establish Catalytic Savings And Loans Groups
Tryness Nsofwa, 57, proudly inspects her field of groundnuts. She uproots a clump of pods from the damp, red earth and is pleased with what she sees. Cracking open a husk to reveal edible fruit inside, Tryness notes the nuts are well formed and plentiful. “It’s looking very nice,” she says of her crop. “I will keep some for my family and I will sell some.”
Read more: iDE is working with 379 community savings and loans groups across six Zambian 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.
Read more: Livelihood variety for the next generation -
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.
Read more: Opportunities need capital and technical know-how -
Nutrition Boosted By Income Generation in Bangladesh
Most households receiving training on poultry farming
Farhana Yeasmin, 24, remembers what it was like when her husband was the family’s sole earner. Because he was a day laborer and made little money, they struggled to even pay for basics. And if he couldn’t find work, the family sometimes skipped meals.
Read more: Gender discrimination leadings to poor nutritional status among women and children -
Climate-smart farming pays off
Innovative program focuses on increasing profits for small-scale farmers
By improving access to technical assistance, market information, quality inputs, and new technologies, iDE increases value-chain efficiency and competitiveness to benefit small-scale farmers.
Read more: Technical training improves incomes in Cambodia -
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.”
Read more: Find out more about iDE's Commercial Pocket Approach -
Hope & Water On Tap
A Donor Story by Tom and Gayané Ebling
Published by Tom Ebling on December 5, 2017The Eblings joined iDE and 11 other guests on a trip to Nepal and Bhutan where they saw how their support has enabled iDE to deliver transformative programming in Nepal.
Read more: DONOR PERSPECTIVE: Hope & Water On Tap -
We’re making big waves
Celebrating a milestone: 200,000 toilets sold in just 18 months
Microentrepreneurs have sold 200,000 toilets in just 18 months. This is a major milestone—for iDE’s WASH team and for our partners, who dedicated two years to lay the foundation for this market system, and then a year and a half to catalyze sales.
Read more: Celebrating 200,000 latrines sold in Bangladesh in just 18 months -
A latrine to be proud of
Increasing hygienic practices in Vietnam
Mr. Nhai, whose village lies in Tuyen Quang, is a happy recipient of iDE sanitation information. “I wish I had known that it was this cheap to have a clean latrine long ago,” he said with a smile.
Read more: Improving sanitation by working with the government to disseminate knowledge -
Farming is a business
Cambodia Agribusiness Development Facility (CADF) focuses on increasing the profit of small-scale commercial farmers
By improving access to technical assistance, market information, quality inputs, and new technologies, iDE increases value-chain efficiency and competitiveness to benefit small-scale farmers.
Read more: Cambodia Agribusiness Development Facility (CADF) focuses on increasing the profit of small-scale commercial farmers -
Drip+ Alliance
Affordable drip irrigation plus a comprehensive set of tools
What if one million farmers could grow more food with less water?
Read more: Solving the drip equation by convening experts from industry, research, philanthropy, and social enterprises -
Seeding the market with the right agricultural technologies
Increasing crop yields through dynamic private sector partnerships.
Axial flow pumps, power-tiller operated seeders, and mechanical reapers have the potential to transform farming practices by increasing precision and conserving resources. iDE works with local entrepreneurs who can ensure farmers have access to these machines.
Read more: Making the right equipment available can spark an agricultural revolution -
The business of impact
Market engagement unleashes multi-faceted benefits.
iDE has been building markets for over 30 years. One thing we know for sure is that every market is different. Replication of what works in one context is not a guarantee of success in another. We replicate our approach, but each context dictates a unique solution.
Read more: Approaches in private sector engagement, market facilitation, value chain development, and social enterprise creation get results