Impact in North Carolina

Hunger is often not about food; it's about water. NC has to be ready for it's farm future.

The Full Belly Project has already had creative design suggestions from NC farmers on how to make machinery that fits their needs better. Whenever that starts happening in developing countries they know they are on the right track. In NC, they have the luxury that test users already have great information connectivity and no language barrier. Flexible prototypes generating real time feedback is the best way to move quickly to final designs.

Our machinery has gotten better faster because our final builder knew the best way to make it efficiently, given his local options. Essentially, it was like digging a tunnel. We designed from both ends and met in the middle.

There is every indication that Rutherford County, NC will become a center for teaching sustainable agriculture. Foothills Connect will be central to that, and, as our partners, our machinery will be featured. FBP's experience in Africa is that training materials, videos especially, will be essential for success, no matter how simple the machinery appears to be.