From Hardware to Software

Over the past 15 years, IDE has focussed on identifying and mass marketing “killer technologies” like Treadle Pumps and low cost drip systems. This has been a remarkably successful way to increase the income and agricultural productivity of small poor farmers. But in the last few years our customers have repeatedly told us that they need something more. Some of them need reliable high quality seeds; others fertilizers; and still others effective ways to deal with pests and crop diseases. Most of them need access to critical information about farming. Has the time come to broaden our single minded focus on hardware to incorporate selected agricultural inputs and critical information about farming into the core IDE package?