Watch, Learn, Earn | One Farmer’s Path to Success

Each farmer’s path to success with the Innovation for Rural Prosperity program was slightly different. For Alalee Francis, it began with an experiment. On his small farm in Ghana, he installed a drip irrigation kit he purchased from iDE and used it to water part of his crop. Next to it was his control field where he continued to water his onions the old-fashioned way, with a watering can. Every week he noted the differences between the two fields: how much time was needed, how well were the onions doing.

With the help of Iddrisu Andeni, iDE market development officer, Alalee learned new, more productive methods for farming, such as drip irrigation and mulching. Along with other farmers in the region, he saw firsthand which approach to watering and planting worked best by trying several methods next to each other.

“They (iDE) take good care of us. They don’t just leave a product. They come time and time again, every week, to make sure things are working and if there are any questions. I am glad for them,” Alalee says.

In this way, farmers learned new techniques, observed how they worked and then practiced the best methods on their own farms. This reduced the amount of water needed, increased yields and increased incomes for farmers like Alalee. He spends the extra money he earns on school fees for his children, health care and more nutritious food for his family of five.

iDE Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty in developing countries around the world. We invest in local entrepreneurship, building businesses with a focus on two main sectors: agriculture and sanitation. These businesses produce desirable and affordable products that customers can purchase.

Thirty-five years ago, we recognized that those experiencing poverty were some of the savviest customers in the world, willing to invest in products and services that provide real benefits to their health and income. Through iDE’s business-minded innovations, our supporters have helped over 30 million people earn more money and lead more prosperous lives.