History
Compatible Technology International (CTI) is a nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger and poverty in the developing world by designing and distributing simple, life-changing food and water technologies. CTI was founded in 1981 by a group of missionaries, research engineers, and food scientists. The team formed an organization of skilled volunteers that would use its knowledge and expertise to help the poor use simple tools and local resources to resolve their food problems.
CTI’s promotes food security by building and deploying devices that address the post harvest side of the food chain. Many organizations focus their efforts on seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation for cultivating crops, but few consider farmers’ post harvest needs. CTI’s devices help farmers process, store, and sell their crops—improving nutrition and providing economic opportunities for the rural poor.Early Projects
CTI’s first program was in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh, located in the potato growing belt of India. Farmers in this region have about a month to sell their potato harvest before the high heat and humidity cause their produce to spoil, forcing farmers to sell their potatoes quickly at very low prices. 
In response, CTI worked with a partner in India to provide solutions for storing, processing, and selling potatoes. To extend the potato harvest shelf life, CTI designed and constructed the Cool Storage Shed, an inventive ventilated structure that stores crops over a pool of water, cooling the air temperature as the water evaporates. Potatoes can be stored in the Cool Storage Shed for as long as four months, adding significantly to value received by farmers. Additionally, a peeler and slicer were developed to help process potatoes into sun-dried snacks, allowing potatoes to be sold over several months at a higher profit. These devices are still open to the community at a public processing facility managed by CTI volunteers.
CTI’s work in Central America CTI began in Guatemala, where the Jalapa branch of CARE International was looking for a way to reduce the staggering loss of half of farmers’ corn crop. CTI volunteers taught farmers to construct corn cribs designed to keep the corn off the ground and away from rodents. Guatemalan farmers were also trained to make and use a simple corn sheller invented by CTI’s engineers. Finally, CTI trained local artisans to fabricate metal silos for storing shelled corn. The silos were financed through a women’s micro-finance lending program, a method of financing that CTI continues to explore.
Sustaining Projects
CTI has continued developing innovative technologies while expanding into other parts of the developing world throughout Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. Committed to meaningful, sustainable development, CTI designs its technologies to be compatible with, and adapted to, diverse cultures and environments. Rather than providing temporary food relief, CTI works with impoverished communities to find long-term pathways out of hunger and poverty.
Whenever possible, CTI encourages craftsmen and entrepreneurs in the developing world to build and sell CTI’s devices. CTI’s most popular technology is a food grinder that can make flour from various grains or a creamy, nutritious paste from roasted nuts. Of CTI’s two grinder models, the Ewing III grinder is optimized for manufacturing in the developing world. Requiring less sophisticated manufacturing steps, the Ewing III grinder is currently built and sold in Uganda.
Looking Forward
Many of the world’s people live on the produce of a hectare or less of land. Often the difference between abject poverty and a sustainable life is how their meager produce is processed, stored, and even marketed. This is just a sample of the many ways CTI has touched lives around the globe. By sharing tools, knowledge, and resources, CTI provides the 'bottom billion' an opportunity to lift themselves out of hunger and poverty; it's not about hand-outs, but a hand up.