HELPING POOR FARMERS

Winnipeg Free Press story

June 22, 2009

RUNNING a marathon relay is tough enough, but imagine doing it with an added 50 pounds on your back.

That's what five volunteers with Winnipeg-based IDE Canada did Sunday as they passed along not only their time chip but one of the non-profit organization's drip irrigation kits.

The kit, which costs only $4 but holds 20 litres of water, is geared towards farmers in impoverished countries who own small pockets of land. It uses a bag and different sizes of plastic tubing to deliver water to crops

Duncan Farthing-Nichols -- who ran the first leg of the relay for his team -- said the idea was to get people talking, but he heard more comments than questions.

"I heard one person say, 'I can't even hold myself up and that guy's carrying a backpack'." It was for a good cause but carrying an irrigation system on his back hurt his time. "It knocks you off your stride."

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BAG

IDE's "Totally Pumped" team relays drip kit 26 miles at Manitoba Marathon

June 21, 2009

[Winnipeg] - This Sunday a team of runners created a flood of questions as they carried a portable irrigation system on their backs to highlight innovative solutions to global poverty. The Winnipeg-based IDE Canada Marathon Relay team lugged a 20-litre drip irrigation kit - one of the low cost irrigation products that the organization designs and promotes for poor rural farmers in developing countries.

"IDE has helped over 17 million people improve their livelihoods; we're excited to share this with people and how they can get involved," says runner and IDE staffer Krista Smith. This summer Smith, along with Summer Intern Duncan Farthing-Nichol and their team of volunteers, is promoting IDE's unique solutions to rural poverty at local festivals. IDE's affordable technology, including the drip kit, foot-powered irrigation pumps and low-pressure sprinklers, will be cooling crowds at a variety of events this summer, including the Winnipeg Folk Festival and Fringe Festival.

The team is not concerned with finishing the race in record time or winning awards says Smith, "these farmers work incredibly hard for everything they have; running 42 kilometres to support their efforts and possibly open up more opportunities for them is reward enough."

About the Drip Irrigation Kit - More crop per Drop

The original idea for the drip irrigation system began with an inventive farmer viewing his children enjoying frozen syrup from plastic tubing similar to a freezee. He successfully installed a system using the same plastic to irrigate his crops, but the system only lasted a few weeks before the sun had destroyed it.

IDE built on this idea to create a drip irrigation system that farmers in developing countries can purchase at a cost low as $4 and extended the average life of the system two years. It's a simple system, using a poly bag to store water and plastic tubing and micro-tubes (similar to straws) that distribute water directly to crops to minimize evaporation and run-off. Systems range in size from as small as a kitchen garden to a field the size of a football field and are substantially increasing farmers' incomes.