Our mission

To create income opportunities for poor rural households.

International Development Enterprises UK (IDE-UK) is a registered charity that helps poor farming families in Africa and Asia to escape from poverty by doubling their income. IDE's mission is to confront the challenge of rural poverty by developing products and market systems that serve poor women andmen enabling them to access and control water, increase production, create wealth, and improve the quality of life for their families.

While most designers focus their efforts on developing products for the richest 5% of the world’s customers we design and develop low-cost products, such as irrigation technologies, for poor farmers living on less than 60p a day.  We make links with local manufacturers and dealers who make and sell these products to farmers at an affordable price which they can repay in one growing season. 

These products help poor farming families to dramatically improve their productivity and move from living hand to mouth to selling surplus produce at local and regional markets for a good price. 

The impact of our work is felt quickly.  A more secure income leads to better nutrition and improved health.  It also means that poor farmers can start to invest in their family’s future by sending their children to school, often for the first time.

You can download our current Annual Review

IDE-UK welcomes new Chief Executive

Lewis Temple has just started with IDE-UK as the new Chief Executive. Lewis has many years experience working in some of the world's poorest communities... read more about Lewis and his vision for IDE-UK

IDE-UK receives £400,000 from Comic Relief to Assist Poor Rural Farmers in Ethiopia to Increase their Income

Over the 2008-2010 period IDE-UK is receiving £391,870 from Comic Relief to work alongside IDE-Ethiopia and other Ethiopian partners to improve the lives of 2,800 rural honey and pepper producers in Ethiopia. The grant from Comic Relief will allow IDE to work directly with local smallholder farmers to improve their ability to lift, store and distribute water through the application of IDE's proven and effective irrigation products, as well as increase their effective participation in local and national agricultural markets to allow them to sell more of their products at a competitive price. T he project will support 2,800 poor rural farming families in Ethiopia, assisting them to increase their income and achieve more stable livelihoods, with greater ability to pay for food, medical supplies and education.

Click here to read more