Help Family Farms

ProblemWater extraction and moving methods for irrigating family farms in developing countries are most often too expensive and too labor intensive, severely limiting small and marginal farmers' abilities to water a sizeable enough plot to make more than a subsistence income. A low-cost and locally built technology like the treadle pump can help to substantially increase farmers' income and significantly reduce womens' burdens since they are often responsible for watering the farm. The Gift At a cost of $50, a treadle pump allows a farmer to move 6,000 liters of water per hour from depths of up to 33 feet and to distances of over 300 feet (one football field). Using them a farming family can double its annual income generated from vegetable production ($300 to $1,700 per farming family, depending on the country context). A simple, affordable gift like this treadle pump has already helped raise the hopes and productivity of thousands of families in developing countries around the world