2009 Economic Development Award Laureate
Driptech
Laureate Country: United States
Project Countries: India, China
Website: http://www.driptech.com
Driptech’s affordable and water-efficient drip irrigation solutions enable small farmers to increase their crop yield during the dry season.
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According to the International Water Management Institute, 600 million small farmers lack irrigation water and are therefore mired in poverty. Drip irrigation systems deliver precisely the right amount of water, but these systems have been inappropriate and too expensive for small-plot farmers in developing nations.
Driptech invented a new manufacturing technology that makes precise, consistent holes in thin plastic tubing which can be used for low-cost but highly reliable drip irrigation. With as little as $5, farmers can invest in Driptech’s Family Nutrition Kit which will irrigate 20 square meters and pay itself back within a season. A pilot study of 15 small-plot farmers in India unanimously agreed that the Driptech system saves water, time, and labor. This enabled them to use their limited water resources more efficiently and grow vegetables during the dry season.
In response to their successful pilot study, Driptech has sold its first 200 drip systems to a rural municipality in China. They are now focused on finding the right partners to scale up distribution.
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