The animal cart is the most powerful and accessible innovation which could be introduced into many rural situations.
Transport is essential to rural development and future prosperity.
But in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, from the Sahel to the Zambesi, the cost and inconvenience of transport for farmers is very high. Each person in a rural community in Africa is likely to spend an average of over two hours per day on transport tasks, despite walking less than 10km with a payload of only 20kg or so. This represents a poor level of effectiveness when compared with more sophisticated transport methods. Such ineffectiveness adds to the burden already carried by the farming community and severely inhibits improvements in productivity and hence development. Improved transport is needed to allow ready movement of materials and tools around the farm to improve the timeliness and efficiency of farming operations and reduce wastage of crops.