Affordable Irrigation

IDE didn't invent drip irrigation (a way of delivering water directly to plants), but Polak and his team developed a version that costs roughly $200 an acre, compared to $1,000 an acre for a conventional system, making it an affordable option for millions of small-farm customers. The organization's sales have been so brisk that existing companies—which previously ignored the low-cost market, despite its huge potential size—have begun to develop competing products. Polak estimates there is a potential need for at least 5 million low-cost drip irrigation systems in India alone.