International Development Enterprises (IDE) is an international non-profit organization that employs market principles to strike at the roots of rural poverty in the world's least developed countries. By taking advantage of market forces, IDE is able to have widespread impact using minimal resources.



Founded in 1981, IDE has worked for decades helping rural farm families to increase their agricultural productivity, providing them with a basis for food security, income generation, integration with markets, and the beginnings of an upward spiral out of poverty.



IDE’s identity derives from a common set of beliefs that are shared throughout the organization:



- Markets are a powerful force for fighting poverty.



- The rural poor are customers, producers, and entrepreneurs, not charity recipients.



- Development efforts will succeed by learning from the people needing help.



- Innovation and entrepreneurship are key to sustainability.



- Demand-driven, decentralized, private-sector led efforts succeed where others fail.