Comment by AngryData

I certainly agree that it isn't a cure-all, I just don't see how any other program could ever end the cycle without those things included, and that despite the current prevalence of such ideas and projects it probably still isn't enough. Machine technology is what separates total poverty in the modern era from atleast some semblance of prosperity.

One part of the problem could be sending them super cheap/crappy tools because it seems like a better value per dollar and also the constraints of total funding. Sometimes maybe getting ripped off by foreign suppliers because there is a LOT of really crappy steel out there disguised as tools and engines that are all but useless. But tractors and tools that break down that easily are a complete waste of money and time to people who will barely get to use them before they stop working and they likely are right that it is junk. We have the technology to make a tractor that is robust enough that you wouldn't expect any maintenance for years if not a decade and minimal even at that point. I definitely don't see many decent manual CNC machines and lathes or other machine tools getting sent over in numbers enough.

Of course a lot of this still ultimately comes down to cost which is not an easy issue to deal with.