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Got an idea for African farmers? Post it.

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Haley Blake
Topics: Agriculture, Economic Development, Globalization, Humanitarian Aid, Informal Economy, Technology and the Internet
A fruit farm in South Africa. Photo: <a href="http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/mekong-06162009095500.html">flickr (Harris S)</a>
A fruit farm in South Africa. Photo: flickr (Harris S)

Do you have ideas that might help African farmers be more successful?

If so, a new Peace Corps initiative called African Rural Connect, or ARC, wants to know about it.

Through its website, ARC hopes to connect people with ideas to the development community and even the farmers themselves. The site is relatively new, but a solar-powered irrigation system and an easy-to-build and inexpensive grain silo are just two examples of recent ideas.

ARC explains:

The humblest farmer can have the idea with the greatest impact. We believe there is untapped collective wisdom that just needs a space to ignite. This is a growing movement... No idea is too grand — no contribution is too small. Share your story — we will hear you.

It's ideas like these that fit the bill for the grassroots approach U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hopes will help African farmers improve their agricultural capacity, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

To help kick things off, ARC is offering a contest for the best idea. The winner gets $20,000 — and some help from development experts — to put their idea into practice.

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Keywords: African Rural Connect, Christian Science Monitor, Peace Corps

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