Describe the critical need your solution addresses.

Without simple technologies to increase income and efficiency farmers will remain in a poverty trap. By using the internet to communicate design concepts to entrepreneurs in Malawi, the Acceleration of Innovation plan will efficiently disseminate solutions designed to increase income for farmers.

Explain your initiative in more depth and its stage of development.

The Full Belly Project (FBP) mission is to design and distribute income-generating agricultural devices to improve life in developing counties. FBP was founded in 2003 to support Jock Brandis after he successfully developed a Universal Nut Sheller (UNS). The UNS is a low-cost tool, constructed with locally available materials, that adds value to crops by removing the shells of peanuts, coffee, shea, neem and jatropha. As of October 2009, a patent is pending for a “Rocking Water Pump,” a person-powered water pump, also to be locally manufactured.

In early 2009, the Board of Directors began a long-term commitment (five years) to Malawi through the Full Belly Project’s “Acceleration of Innovation Program.” The Acceleration of Innovation Program is a scalable program being piloted in Malawi. The intent of the program is to develop and disseminate, at an accelerated rate, simple, inexpensive, locally replicable technological solutions to farmers. This will be done by using the ‘wisdom of the crowds’ via the FBP website, the entrepreneurial spirit in Malawi, and grass-roots global volunteerism.

How does your strategy and approach respond creatively and comprehensively to key issues?

The Acceleration of Innovation Program maximizes The Full Belly Project website to provide a global workshop. Innovative solutions will be created by global volunteers and shared with a network of entrepreneurs in developing countries. Farmers will play a major role in solving their own problems. With the assistance of Total Land Care Malawi (TLC), FBP is performing a needs-based survey to collect data that will drive future research and development. Once complete, FBP will be armed with a list of priorities based on farmers needs. FBP will then post “design challenges” to volunteers who then design simple solutions via the interactive FBP intra-net site. FBP will seek patents for developed products that are marketable in the US and in developing countries.

FBP has an established licensed manufacturer and distribution center for the locally produced UNS. As of September 2009, 100 shellers have been manufactured and 24 have been sold. FBP has a patent pending on a water pump with global applications for small scale/organic farms. The ‘Rocking Water Pump’ will allow farmers to irrigate in the dry season, thus improving the health of the people and the local economy. During 2009 and 2010, FBP will develop a plan throughout Malawi to franchise the manufacture of the UNS and the “Rocking Water Pump.”

The Acceleration of Innovation Program does not provide food to feed the hungry. This program provides an efficient system that develops the tools necessary for a family to earn sufficient income to feed themselves. The ultimate goal is self-sufficiency.