$25 Rat Catcher Saves Fields

“Rat catching is an occupation for many poor people in the agriculture fields of India. The 25 percent crop loss due to the rat menace is economically devastating to farmers through the country. The income of rat catchers ranges from US $15 to US $30 a month. They use a traditional earthen pot fumigation method to kill rats in their burrows. This method comes at great cost to the fumigators' health as they inhale smoke that leads to severe occupational health problems, including problems with the respiratory system, heart and eyes. A study shows 30-40 percent of the rat catchers have one or many of these health complications.

The Center for Development of Disadvantaged People has developed a technology that would eliminate these health hazards and more than double a rat catchers' income because its method is twice as efficient. The cost of the instrument in between US $20 to US $25. Eliminating rats is essential to Indian agriculture, and the distribution and use of this technology could prove not only beneficial to farmers, but also to entrepreneurs in the rat catching business. “

I like this example for the simplicity of the technology, the low start-up costs, and the ease of training. How many places in the world could benefit from this technology, how many crops could it save?

Source: Where There Are No Jobs Vol. 4