Use the Comment Section Below to Post Your Questions to Social Entrepreneur Martin Fisher
OneWorlders have chosen social entrepreneur Martin Fisher as their Person of 2008. Now's your chance to really get to know this incredible person and the work he's doing to help thousands of families move themselves out of poverty across Africa.
Fisher and his company KickStart have designed innovative products that generate $81 million of new income each year for farmers in some of the poorest countries of the world. Over 350,000 people have moved out of poverty thanks to the products they've bought from KickStart.
"These poor rural farmers have one asset: a small plot of land; and one basic skill: farming. The best business they can pursue is irrigated farming," Fisher said, accepting an award for his innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in April. "Once they employ irrigation, the farmers can grow and sell high-value crops, like fruits and vegetables. They can grow year-round and reap four or five harvests, instead of waiting for the rain to grow a staple crop once or twice a year."
The most widely used of Fisher's pumps -- the aptly named MoneyMaker -- retails for about $100 and earns farmers an average of $1,000 profit per year. It's easy to use and maintain, portable, and it can irrigate as much as two acres of land.
A new version of the pump costs about one-third the price of the MoneyMaker, and allows a farmer to pump water using his or her arms, legs, and body weight in a simple rocking motion.
Over 60,000 farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mali are running profitable businesses using Fisher's pumps.
"At KickStart, we see [the poor] as entrepreneurs," says Fisher. "We see them as extremely hardworking people seeking the opportunity to get out of poverty."
Fisher and his team are ready to answer your questions about life and livelihoods in Africa, and his company's innovative approach to ending poverty.
Post your questions or comments below by Jan. 9.
Click here for a more detailed description of Fisher's work. And keep an eye out for similar dialogues with the other top vote getters for the People of 2008 Award, Pamela Adoyo and Patricia Smith Melton, later in 2009.
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Comments: 4
Your work is really incredible, and your results speak for themselves, but what about all the people living on less than $1 a day -- surely they could not afford to buy one of your pumps. And there are over a billion people living at that level worldwide -- nearly 20% of the world's population. Why have you chosen not to price the pumps on a sliding scale, or even make them free for people who absolutely can't afford to pay anything?
All the best,
Jeff in Minneapolis
Your water pump, solar stoves, water purifiers are among the new technologies I am hearing about now. Are you getting support from NGO's, the World Bank etc. seems that technology on this scale makes a lot more sense than massive dams and hydroelectric projects that are being proposed for East Africa. What can I do to help these small scale, manageable efforts grow?
On the KickStart Web site I see the organization works in Kenya, Tanzania and Mali. Can you talk about plans to expand the reach? Have other organizations used this model?
Thank you,
-Julia
Wind farm resort