Dr. Martin Fisher, PhD ’85: Engineering a path out of poverty

Stanford Engineering Hero Dr. Martin Fisher harnesses the power of irrigation to lift millions in Africa out of poverty.

The best way for millions of farmers in Africa to escape poverty is to move from rain-fed farming to irrigated farming. Irrigation transforms farming by allowing for annual production instead of sporadic production. Using the irrigation technology developed by KickStart International, a nonprofit social enterprise co-founded and led by Dr. Martin Fisher, farmers in Africa are able to generate income during the dry season, a period when it’s common for farmers who are dependent on rainfall to fall back into poverty. Fisher says, “On average, farmers in Africa using our technology increased their net income by 400% per year.”