Martin Fisher and Nick Moon

Brief description of achievement:

Social entrepreneurs Fisher and Moon, are the founders of ApproTEC, a Kenyan non-profit organisation dedicated to the proposition that low-tech high quality hardware can transform the lives of small scale African farmers by making their work profitable. ApproTEC's premise is that technology should respond to the needs of the people who will be asked to buy it. This innovative mode of giving demonstrates how effective solutions that allow people to help themselves can be delivered.

Detailed description:

ApproTEC (Appropriate Technologies for Enterprise Creation) began when Fisher and Moon, who were working for an international aid agency in Kenya, became disillusioned with the traditional prescriptive approach to development.

Fisher and Moon set up ApproTEC with an initial grant from the British ODA which came under the condition that it was matched pound for pound. Fisher and Moon donated their own money, their salaries and undertook consultancies, putting the proceeds into ApproTEC. The first products were developed in the early 1990s. Their most successful development is the 'MoneyMaker' irrigation pump - a small, foot-operated pump, adapted for Kenyan farmers' particular needs and which is now been used by over 32,000 East African farmers. It is sold via their unique cascade sales approach, while ApproTEC researches and develops products, it uses factories in Kenya to make them, while ApproTEC concentrates on marketing the products through billboards, radio, newspapers and travelling demonstrators.

For every $1000 ApproTEC invests in marketing, it creates five new businesses that go on to make more than $20,000 profit over the next 3 years and generates income for retailers. The private sector manufacturers, distributors, and retailers who form the supply chain all make their respective margins making the approach sustainable, and profitable for all involved.

ApproTEC now has over 80 employees in East Africa and plans to expand into Western and Southern African countries. Fisher and Moon continue their involvement in the organisation.

"I have been wildly impressed by the work that ApproTEC has accomplished in Kenya. Their contribution is amazing. The success experienced by Kenyan entrepreneurs using ApproTEC's approach is a testament to the potential for ApproTEC-like models in developing economies worldwide. There's no telling how huge an impact this work can have."

Professor David Kelly, Professor of Design, Stanford University

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