IDE's Treadle Pump & Drip Irrigation

IDE's Original Sensation: Treadle Pump

The treadle pump is a human-powered irrigation device that sits on top of a well. Pumping is activated by stepping up and down on treadles which drive pistons, creating cylinder suction that draws groundwater to the surface. Treadle pumps free farmers from dependence on rain-fed irrigation, provide capacity to raise crops in two growing seasons per year, and help farmers maximize return on their small plots of land. Pump prices, including installation, range from US$20 – $100 based on country of purchase and type of pump.

In Bangladesh, IDE played an instrumental role in popularizing treadle pump technology through focused value chain and social marketing interventions. Presently, 84 manufacturers now produce treadle pumps and 1.4 million treadle pumps have been sold to small plot Bangladeshi farmers since 1985. IDE's successful treadle program in Bangladesh stimulated organizations such as the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), KickStart, and Enterprise Works to begin their own treadle pump initiatives in other countries, and triggered a groundswell of interest in the design of small-scale water technologies for poor farmers.

If you're interested in supporting our technology development, please visit our Affordable Technologies Initiative page.

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Also see Drip Irrigation w/$5 hanging bag system:

http://www.ideorg.org/OurTechnologies/DripIrrigation.aspx

Entry into High Value Produce Markets

Drip irrigation provides farmers the most efficient way to grow crops in water scarce areas, but historically has been too expensive for small-plot farmers. After first approaching manufacturers of commercial drip irrigation systems, IDE developed its own design for small farmers. Our designers lowered the cost of drip systems by replacing conventional emitters with holes and micro tubes, shifting water distribution lines extending to crops, and customizing system layouts for small plots. Development of a hanging plastic water storage bag further lowered the cost to about $5 for a household garden kit covering 20 square meters (215 square feet).

In fact, any plot under .4 hectare (one acre) can benefit from these systems, but their modular design allows for expansion above that. They provide water savings of 30–70 percent, greatly reduce labor, and accurately deliver fertilizers. This makes cultivation during the dry season possible, with resulting yield increases of up to 30 percent.

IDE promotes drip irrigation throughout the developing world. Our drip systems have helped people with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe to improve their nutrition by growing vegetables, as well as coffee-growing families in Nicaragua by reducing the flowering time of plants from three years to one and a half years. In 2008, IDE sold approximately 8,500 drip systems to small farmers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

And lots more: http://www.ideorg.org/OurStory/

IDE is a Social Enterprise

We operate in eleven countries creating income opportunities for poor rural households. By providing our customers with low cost access to water for agricultural use, and profitable links to markets, we can immediately double their income, creating economically stable communities and providing our farmers with life-altering choices. Over the last 28 years we have worked with more than 3.8 million families, increasing their aggregate income by over one billion dollars.


Facebook: Paul Polak, Founder at IDE - International Development Enterprises
 
https://www.facebook.com/paul.polak?sk=info

Easy Latrine, dirt, solar pump, roof, mortar & cement

A.G. Vermouth
Director of Marketing and Communications
IDE – International Development Enterprises
+1 720.235.3460 (direct)
http://www.ideorg.org
IDE creates income opportunities for poor rural households.


from A.G. Vermouth
to "Catherine S. Todd"
date Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 11:50 AM
subject Re: Easy Latrine
mailed-by ideorg.org


Catherine:

I like portland cement (available almost everywhere) with a bunch of extra sand for more moisture retention, but really depends on what you’re ramming the bottles with and how rigid they are going to be. What’s the mud like where you’re working? Obviously you don’t want the mortar more rigid than the walls themselves.

I think it always comes down to tests (realizing you probably don’t have much time) of a range of materials.

We just mounted this exhibit in Denver... http://artofdirt.org

Just yesterday I added a prototype of a solar steam pump we’re designing for Africa. Pumps 12000 liters per day on a little water and sun. I’ll be adding a virtual tour to that site above. You can keep up there.

By the way, are you looking for roof construction? I’m involved with a group here in Denver that uses thin shell composite hypar. Very light, strong using locally sourced materials, and easy to learn...

http://tscglobal.org/

Keep in touch,

Andy

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IDE Innovation Update

IDE.org: Creating Income Opportunities for the Rural Poor


Solar Pumps

We continue to work toward development of a solar pump that will be feasible for large-scale application. In the past year, we have increased practicality by switching from pentane to water as the working fluid, increased output from 10 to 15 watts/square meter (3 to 5 Btu/square feet), and developed a solar collector (pictured above) which is about a third of the cost of a vacuum tube collector, resulting in considerable overall cost reduction.
Water Wheels

As they access new technologies which enable them to grow new crops, our customers are frequently challenged by the lack of information on proper growing methods. As part of the Rural Prosperity Initiative IDE developed a simple "Water Wheel" calculator based on local conditions to assist poor farmers in determining optimal water requirements for vegetable crops in Myanmar. Different versions are now being printed for each of the three major agro-climatic zones of Myanmar. These wheels will allow farmers to minimize waste and increase yield since crops will be receiving optimal amounts of water during all stages of growth.

A separate Drip Planner Chart (DPC) based on FAO planning guidelines is being developed in Ethiopia. It consists of two disks: one with crop and climatological data for calculating irrigation requirements, and a second containing soil-specific information for calculating maximum allowable irrigation intervals.
Water and Sanitation

Increasing water and sanitation development is a necessary step small farmers and villages must take on their way out of poverty. IDE takes an unsubsidized, demand-driven approach toward increasing the use of appropriate water and sanitation technologies throughout the developing world. Ceramic water purifiers, treadle pumps, and rope pumps all provide poor farmers with access to sanitary water; decreasing the presence of water-related illnesses, and providing them with potential income generating opportunities.

IDE is working to develop a latrine that would sell for between US$10-20, a significant improvement over the US$150 latrines currently offered by many non-governmental organizations. IDE will also design and conduct a social marketing campaign based on prevalent knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning sanitation in rural areas. This campaign will help small enterprises provide scalable, upgradeable latrine packages suitable for poor families, and will rely on marketing promotions with local enterprises and government partners to build demand for latrines.

Participatory Market Chain Approach

Originally developed in Peru in 2003 and applied in several other countries, the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) has been proven effective in involving the private sector in market processes with a pro-poor orientation. The PMCA process aims to foster collaboration between farmers and traders, buyers, and intermediaries, providing efficient means of marketing good quality produce for good prices. IDE is implementing the PMCA process in three countries—Cambodia, Nepal, and Vietnam—through our participation in DFID's Research Into Use program. See below for an example of a PMCA schematic.

...(more)

Easy Latrine Wins IDEA Award!

IDE: Creating Income Opportunities for the Rural Poor

24 Jun 2010 | Posted by: Aaron Langton

What do a consumer technology product, an ecologically responsible laundry detergent, and a simple design innovation for an age old product have in common? They were all selected as winners of the prestigious Best in Show Award at the 2010 IDEA Awards for international design excellence.

Latrines are a decidedly unsexy topic, more likely to induce uncomfortable giggles than provoke innovative thinking. People in the developed world take access to sanitation for granted. Yet in most of rural Cambodia, lack of adequate sanitation causes more deaths than HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Despite this fact, many villagers view purchasing sanitation equipment as an unnecessary luxury, partly because of the expense and difficulty of installing traditional latrines.

Jeff Chapin, a designer on sabbatical from IDEO worked with our IDE Cambodia team to tackle the problem. The solution? A low-cost sanitation system that villagers could build themselves using cheap, locally available materials. Each latrine costs about $25, and more than 2,500 have already been purchased and installed by villagers.
The award judges appreciated the Easy Latrine’s integration of product design, social strategy, and sustainability. In the end, they decided that excellence in affordable technology deserved equal status with the other two winners, the Slingbox 700U and Method Laundry Detergent with Smartclean Technology™. Judge Anton Andrews, of FrontEDGE Experience Planning for Microsoft Entertainment, said, “We’re choosing all three because it’s a sustainability story. All three tell the same story from different angles. One is cloud computing, the other is behavioral change, and the third is applying design thinking at its best to an extreme problem in another part of the world.” Industrial Designers Society of America’s Chief Executive Clive Roux explained, “Design works across the spectrum of human needs and issues and can produce excellence at both extremes.”

We couldn’t agree more. Congratulations to Jeff Chapin and the entire IDE Cambodia team on this well-deserved recognition.
Learn more:

2010 IDEA Awards Gallery