Mission
iDE
iDE believes that markets are the most powerful tool for creating prosperity, building resilience, and ultimately ending poverty, and that one entrepreneur can transform his/her community and millions can transform the world. iDE powers small businesses which bring families and communities out of poverty by creating solutions for food, security, nutrition, sanitation and water.
Sponsoring P&G Alumni
Sponsoring Alum: Linda Porter-Cox
16 years at P&G in CMK, Product Supply and CBD in the U.S. and Latin America
Linda joined iDE’s Board in 2018, being drawn to its model for building resilient market ecosystems to help households pull themselves out of poverty.
Linda writes: “I am passionate about creating sustainable solutions to improve peoples’ lives around the world, which is why I joined iDE’s board in 2018. IDE is grounded in an inclusive, sustainable approach which leverages human-centered design to build solutions that power local entrepreneurs to launch profitable businesses that are impact multipliers in their communities. The PGAF was one of the first partners for the project to enable farming families to build biofertilizer businesses in Nepal and it’s so meaningful to see the progress achieved since; to date over 400 people have benefitted from increased production, directly impacting their food security, nutrition and wellbeing. Last year, in partnership with the PGAF, iDE made critical strides in creating an emerging market for this biofertilizer.”
Biofertiliser Enterprise Phase III
The target beneficiaries for this project are populations in marginalized ethnic groups in the Kaski District in Central Nepal. Many small-scale farmers do not have access to the agronomist knowledge and inputs necessary to improve their baseline productivity and combat new challenges related to climate change; quality fertilizer is a critical need. iDE developed an effective biofertilizer solution, resulting in less soil-borne disease and 15% greater crop yields. After a successful pilot program, iDE expanded this proven solution to 40 farmers in 2 farming cooperatives, improving farm productivity, increasing incomes and identifying the business opportunity for a new income stream. In Phase II iDE further demonstrated the demand for this biofertilizer as emerging businesses sold US$7,000 in fertilizer where the annual income is often under US$ 1000. iDE also identified 100 farmers across 2 new cooperatives with interest in production and sale of regenerative biofertilizer. Phase III fully integrates the success of Phases I and II by continuing to train new farmers while also engaging collection centers/members in cementing business models and marketing plans to drive sales demand.
2025 Grant
The PGAF grant funds of $12,500 will be used to continue to support farmers to produce, market, sell and distribute the biofertilizer product.
Specifically, funds will be applied in 3 key areas:
1. Supporting farmers in the technical aspects of biofertilizer production (including critical measurements of compost pit development and final product quality),
2. Support establishment of biofertilizer enterprises (training in business model development, operations and packaging) and
3. Stimulate sustainable demand of biofertilizer (marketing strategies, media campaigns/materials, supply chain networking and links with local government/other stakeholders) to raise awareness of biofertilizer. With the successful training of these 100 farmers involved with the program, we expect that 2000 farming families will gain access to this essential good, growing their long-term production, income and resilience. (Note from author: this impact will likely change given award is half of what was requested and around which these metrics were built, and we will have to manage accordingly).
Success Story
Though additional stories will be provided in the Marketing Request form, iDE did provide a story of a woman who participated in an earlier phase of the program: Bimala is a woman farmer who has grown vegetables on her farm for nearly a decade. She recalls times when money was so tight that her family would sometimes go three to four days before they could gather enough funds for food. “During tough times, I was often worried about how we would make ends meet. The uncertainty of not knowing where the next meal would come from was overwhelming,” she shared. “There were moments when I felt helpless, but I knew I had to keep pushing forward for my family.” A turning point came when she enrolled in iDE’s biofertilizer development program. In her first year, Bimala produced 1,000 kg of vermicompost, resulting in a great cucumber yield and earnings of 20,000 rupees. By the second year, she had expanded her vermicomposting setup, joined a local savings cooperative, and used her profits to support her household and children’s education. Today, as a successful woman entrepreneur, Bimala financially supports her husband and shares her agricultural knowledge with her community, advocating for women’s financial independence through farming as a business. “This has truly transformed my life. Initially, I was unsure if it would work, but seeing the results firsthand filled me with pride and confidence,” she said. “It wasn’t just about earning money—it was about realizing my potential and knowing that I could make a real difference for my family.