About CTI

Compatible Technology International (CTI) is a nonprofit that is dedicated to helping families in developing countries access innovative farming tools so they can produce food more sustainably and bring their crops to market.

We believe that a world without extreme poverty is entirely possible, and for us, it starts with providing tools for communities that are traditionally overlooked by mainstream engineering. We design tools in collaboration with smallholder farmers who evaluate our prototypes and provide feedback to ensure our designs are effective and culturally appropriate. We deliver our tools at an affordable price through direct sales to small farmers, entrepreneurs and organizations. We believe in the powerful idea that if people in poverty can improve their food production and raise their incomes, they are on the way to opening up greater opportunities for themselves, their children and their communities.

Helping farmers produce an abundance of nutritious food and bring it to market is one of the most effective methods of reducing global poverty.

We collaborate with small farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa to develop practical, affordable tools that help communities harvest and process their crops more efficiently and effectively. In Malawi, we are working with women peanut producers to design new tools for harvesting, stripping, and shelling their nuts, so they can increase the production and value of their crop. 

We work with partners globally to distribute our tools, which provide the rural poor—women in particular—with opportunities to transform their lives. Women's groups in Kenya, Guyana, and in over 50 countries across the globe are running thriving micro-enterprises selling peanut butter and other products milled with our grinder. In Senegal, we are distributing grain threshers to help farmers and entrepreneurs reduce their drudgery and improve the quality of nutritious pearl millet grain.