Hutton Technologies

Using Solid Edge enables farmers in the developing world to exchange five hours of carrying buckets for one hour of pumping

A simple product, a huge impact

David Hutton, managing director of Hutton Technologies Ltd, was only 3 years-old when he designed and built a system for transporting domestic garbage downstairs on waste collection day. Although the system turned out to be better at carrying garbage the “wrong” way, his career as an inventor had begun. When he was 13 he came up with the idea for a simple water pump that would make irrigation easier for farmers in the developing world, and this became the topic of his final year project as an engineering student at Bath University.

Aside from the physical effort of carrying water over a long distance and the time spent on multiple journeys, farmers in developing countries who collect water from rivers and lakes often face an additional personal hazard: crocodiles. In particular, crocodiles congregate in areas where people regularly draw water. Hutton wanted to create a pump that would not only cut the time spent on irrigation, it would be safe and easy to use as well.

“Research undertaken by the University of Cambridge shows that worldwide there are 500 million small holder farmers supporting a total of 2 billion people,” notes Hutton. “That’s almost one-third of the world population. Helping these farmers boost crop yields and increase their income could make a massive difference to many lives. Yet it seems that only about 5 percent of engineers work on projects or products that specifically benefit people living in the developing world.”