The Business Solution to Poverty

I've been associated with the irascible, entrepreneurial, contrarian psychiatrist Paul Polak for about 40 years. He was the founder of iDE (www.ideorg.org) which had the mission to create income opportunities for dollar-a-day farm families in developing countries. The technology iDE is best known for is the treadle pump; it is estimated that more than 3 million have been sold in South Asia and Africa; the pump allows famers to dramatically increase the quantity of (high value) food they can produce, and hence their income.

iDE treats poor people as customers (it is a respect issue) not as beneficiaries, and requires they invest in their technologies. Paul just turned 80 and has just released his second book. In the Flickr set, he is pictured with his wife and his daughter (who has his social media voice).

He also believes in sanitation marketing. I was honored to succeed him for 5 years after he retired.