how do reduce ex ante and ex post transaction costs of grassroots green innovators to link them with investment and enterprise. what are the lessons for augmenting GRI and how do we learn form honey bee network experience. why reverse globalisation is necessary. how to link formal and informal sector of innovations. economically poor people are not at the bottom of all pyramids. they may in fact be at the top of the innovation, ethical and creativity pyramid, a facet which terms like BOP miss completely.

1. Engaging with Knowledge rich-economically poor :
choosing the right road
Honey Bee Network building upon green grassroots innovations and people’s
knowledge systems
NIF, sristi, gian, IIMA
Honey Bee network, anilg@sristi.org
anil k gupta

2. Loops
for linking innovations
with investments and enterprise,
science and technology and
culture of nurturance are still too
longwinded

3. Why are loops so longwinded?
Unwillingness to recognize
and resolve the ex ante and
ex poste transaction costs
of each actor,
the innovator, investor,
entrepreneur, and of
course scientists and
technologists
who could add value,
designers who could
improvise,
packager, the logistics
chain manager etc.,
who can deliver

4. Result: empty benches
•
Unless we pay for
unmet transaction
costs, bench will
remain empty

5. ABC to DEF :
Honey Bee Network’s next
milestones
• A: access ( of grassroots inventors and
innovators
• B: bridge formal and informal science
• C: creativity, collaboration and compassion
What are the DEF?
any guess????

6. From ABC to DEF
Technology, institutional and cultural networks to AUGMENT GREEN
GRASSROOTS INNOVATIONS

7. ABC to DEF :
Honey Bee Network’s next
milestone
• A: access ( of grassroots inventors and innovators, and
traditional knowledge holders)
• B: bridge formal and informal science
• C: creativity, collaboration and compassion
What are the DEF?
any guess????

8. DEF
• D: design( by young technology students, see www.techpedia.sristi.org
20,000 + projects uploaded in the last four months, distributed design
through MAD ( Management of Autopoesis Design ), Diversity,
democratization, debunking of ‘holy
cows’,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
• E: energy efficiency, social effectiveness and ethical
fulcrum
• F: fabrication,
Fostering
(FAB Lab Network),
partnership
between modular design platforms, mentors and grassroots and
high tech innovation networks) and Fellowship

9. Key challenges
Most grassroots innovations are at a proof of concept
stage
• Most grassroots innovations are at a proof of
It is not easily known to innovator as to which part of the
form, feature or
concept stage function should be optimized and in what
sequence
• There is no common language to describe
different components and parts since innovators use
often local salvage material to design products
• It is not easily known to innovator as to which part of the
form, feature or function should be optimized
and in what sequence

10. Challenges
continued:
Key elements of analyzing trajectory/path of a
problem such that it becomes solvable
How to combine efficiency with affordability,
local maintainability, adaptability and
rejuvenability( as against junking or
salvagability)—greenness quotient
How to embed ethical values, that maximize
role of local knowledge, culture and institutions
and minimize the materials to reduce
entropy and generate socio-ecological
efficiency

11. Features of collaborative platform
• Multi-media, multi-langauge : overcoming
barriers of language, literary and localism
• Different people can participate in design
analysis, solution, debate, fabrication
• Identifying Problem, solution &
substitution or elaboration space

12. Durability and renewability : different components have different life scales,
fatigue levels, how to combine elements with different time scales of life, what
to do with those whose life is over vis a vis those which might live for hundred
years more
Should scale be enemy of the sustainability : logic of the Long Tail, investing
in ideas, technologies with limited diffusion, without that sustainability is
threatened
How to transfer science for development and diffusion of
technologies( Gupta,1988)

13. Honey Bee 17(1 & 2) January-June 2006

14. Labour First!!!
•
Manifesto of the labour
• The concept of "farmers first" has been talked about in India
as well as worldwide for at least twenty years.
• But the idea of " labourers first" is yet to emerge as a priority
for any political party or for that matter scientific community.
• When political debates do feature farm labourers, they tend
only to stress the right to manual work rather than mental
work, or the need for better technologies or knowledge for
building upon the knowledge systems of labourers themselves
•
Are some problems neglected even by grassroots innovators, the problem
of women workers, for instance? Tea pluckers, paddy transplanters, cooking
stove…………………..

15. Global silence on grassroots
creativity:
A simple search on the web on various key words related to grassroots
innovations, creativity and attributed traditional knowledge [as distinct
from institutionalised anonymous knowledge] will reveal an
extraordinary silence and a zone of darkness.
Why should even after 20 years of HBN and 17 years of CBD, 14
years of TRIPS, and WTO, there should be such a great silence on
the issue of unaided creativity and innovation at grassroots?
Why should there be so few examples about a phenomena which should
appear to be so fundamental to the spirit of participative and
entrepreneurial development?
Has ethics to do some thing with it?

16. GOLDEN TRIANGLE OF
CREATIVITY
Innovation
Enterprise
Investment

17. Learning from people:
• User driven innovation but who scales up/or do
non scalable solutions have no merit?
• Authenticating what we learned, sharing our
findings with people, acknowledging them,
connecting them
• Social Networking: among which part of society?
• In which language, where is the content in multilanguage, multi-media
• Reduce Transaction costs: whose, how and
when

18. What can India and China learn
from Brazilian slums
Mr Ubirajara, 47, in
slums around Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil,
inventor of stand on
front wheel of cycle
More stable, easier to
vend things, portable
bench

19. Honey Bee network in Limpopo,
South africa
What it became
Modified donkey cart
(One among many designs )
What it was????
Differential-40 kg, what is it
doing here, amrutbhai

20. CHIN: Shanzhai Breathing Apparatus
Honey Bee Network in china TUFE
Ji
led by
mb
e asse un
hin
o sh
g mac
athin
Ma ba
d
br e
hai an lungs!
crude
wen
The
’s
Meng
i,
iaoyan
oX
jun ha
life int
ing
pump

21. Barriers Barriers
Enablers
Literacy
•
•
Language •
Localism
Language
literacy
localism
Knowledge/technology
Institutions
culture/values
Other transaction costs
Overcoming asymmetry
Isolated
disconnected
fragmented
Learning communities

22. Layers of Triggers /motivations
how do knowledge rich –economically poor people think
Materials
methods
purposes/uses
oral/visual
iterative/isolationist
irreverence
Client problem/
community problems
user needs
See Riya Sinha, 2009 PhD thesis research
own problem
just
fun

24. In search of freedom for innovators at grassroots
freedom is to look
in the mirror
and learn that
fairness to
oneself
and others
is not
divisible

25. Why do some
hang the straw
bundles,
when in others parts,
it is heaped
on the ground?
Freedom is to
Ask
questions
seemingly trivial
but holding a
tenuous link
with diversity,
design,
and survival
algorithm

26. How do poor
people take rest,
what do they
laugh about,
Does this world belong to them at all?

27. Creativity counts
•
•
•
•
Amphibious cycle
Tree climber
Who is physically challenged?
Washing machine cum exercising
machine Cycle that makes bumps work for
you

28. • Simple can be optimal

29. Ribbed teflon coated aluminum
tawa

30. IIP Dehradun says:
• Its Ribbed Circular Bottom in aluminum tawa
gives 7.9% higher thermal efficiency (52.17%)
compared to conventional Iron Tawa
(44.27%) and ribbed bottom gives about extra
1.09 per cent over ordinary aluminum tawa.
• Fast cooking due to its higher thermal
efficiency
» Design of this Tawa is registered, design registration
No. 201308

31. Shadows of sustainable spirit:
trying to look for frugal, diverse, resilient and simultaneous solutions, as
nature does all the time

32. Bicycle based Innovations
Rider Induced bicycle
Mr. Kanak Das, Assam
Bicycle based sprayer
Mr. Mansukhbhai Jagani, Gujarat
Bamboo bicycle, Mr. Dodhi Pathak, Assam
Multipurpose Bicycle, Md. Kamruddin, Rajasthan
Farm
Plant
Implements &
Agro Processing Variety
Bicycle with gear
Mr. Jayanti J Patel,Gujarat
Amphibious Bicycle
Mohd. Saidullah, Bihar
Bicycle based mobile spray pump
Subhas Vasantrao Jagtap, Maharastra
Bicycle operated pump, Mr. Vikram Rathore, AP Bicycle based portable Pump, Mr. Nasiruddin Gayen, WB
Energy
Cultivation Plant
&
Practices Protection Water Management
General Utilities
Transport
Small
Implements Artisanal Livestock Herbal
Mgmt.
Mechanical
Idea Student Women Handicapped
Incubation
Clusters

33. Portable cycle
USD 70
Sandeep Kumar

34. Saga of an innovator:
Bachhu Bhai, tenth
class pass
Jamnagar, India
Tractor driven by a joy stick and a bulb that lasts very

36. Four in one: flour mill, iron cutter, water pump and dynamo for power

37. Seen during Shodh Yatra in
Anantnang, J and K

38. JANAKI Devi,
Western
Champaran,
Bihar,
innovator of a
herbal pesticide,
patent filed by
NIF on her
innovation,
testing done in
SRISTI natural
product lab

39. Samvedana se srijansheelata
( empathy triggering innovation)
Virendra kumar sinha
Solves the problem of
sound and air pollution
Invented a silencer cum
pollution control device,
12-14 kg carbon in eight
months
Now likely to be used in Chilka lake, Orissa, on boats so that birds and dolphins are not
disturbed

40. Md Rojadeen: cooker for coffee
creativity in champaran
( 22nd shodh yatra Dec 2008)

41. Service at your door step:
Sheikh Jahangir, Jalgaon, Maharshtra

42. How did honeybee network evolve its framework

43. Rethinking logistics for
sustainable future
learning from grassroots
innovators
Minds on the margin are not marginal
anil k gupta
minds:
anilg@sristi.org
shall we join hands in learning from grassroots innovators

44. Survival
Strategies
Access to Factors & Product
Markets and Kinship networks
Public Policies for direct & indirect
transfer & support
Knowledge Systems
Individual
Individual
Contemporary Innovations
Collective
Traditional Knowledge
Collective
Converting
Innovations into Products
Scouting and
Dissemination
NIF
SRISTI & GIAN
SRISTI
Micro Policy
Livelihood Reinforcing
Experimental and
Innovative Ethics
NIF
IIMA
Knowledge
Network
Sustainable Livelihood
Rewarding and
Compensation
NIF
SRISTI
NIF
IIMA
Macro Policy
Conservation of
Biodiversity & Associated
Knowledge Systems

45. Shodh yatra
every summer, every winter

46. Are these the marginal minds?

47. Corridors of creativity

48. Will we have the humility to
learn from Ms Ram Timari
Devi
Champaran, jan 2009,

49. Bhabi mahato, Puruliya, West Bangal, with her broom, to sweep cow webs in our mind

50. 7th Satvik
Traditional Food Festival, iim campus
Higher Boron in local varieties of maize makes consumers less vulnerable to
arthritic pain in joints, than those who consume hybrid maize in Africa and
elsewhere, creating markets for local foods, fashion and feelings about healthy
life

51. Ignite
• Recognising creativity of children and
nurturing their dreams

52. Why pierce skin to
get a blood test done?
I wish to make a blood testing system
that would do the required test by
scanning the skin surface or testing
the skin excretions :srishti class iv
I want to integrate the
gait of a person with a mobile. As walking style differ person to person,
the software will be able to identify the signals based on the body movements while
walking
If the mobile will sense a different movement once act
will lock itself and send a message about its location
predefined number. : anurag rathor 9th class
I want a high tech school bus
which can give alert signal as
it approaches my bus stop. I
would not miss my bus this
way!!: pallavi, 9th class

53. The young Creators: Inventions from Whitmore Primary School
An idea contest triggered by a short video message sent to the students at
Whitmore Primary School, Hackney, UK resulted in the compilation of an
invention book having innovative ideas presented by children of 7-10 years old.
Mrs Romee Day, a school headmistress joined the 18th Shodh Yatra with Peter
Day of BBC London and was so deeply touched by the experience that she
decided to test the idea in her class. The results are presented here. It does not
matter if some of the ideas have been tested or proved by seniors recently, the
point really is that little kids can invent if only they were challenged!

54. Shoes that walk on water
What if we could walk on the rivers?
Ephraim of class III wants to develop
shoes that can walk on water. Such
shoes will make help us cross lakes
and rivers easily.
A similar invention has been made
by Rosen of Massachusetts
http://www.primidi.com/2004/08/
02.html )Also see HB 17(4) & 18(1):
8-16, 2006 & 2007 for similar innovation by Chaurasia, NIF

55. Car that swims in water, runs on roads, has sails to use
wind energy
Ife, class 4, Whitmore school, London

56. Mobile pencil
Louis, class IV has thought about a pencil by
which you can stay in touch with your friends
and family. The rubber on the tip of the pencil
will flash when you receive a call, and the caller’s
name will be displayed on a small screen provided
on the side.

57. Alarm bed
Do you have problems in waking up early, and
going to school early?
Kyle, class V has a solution for your problems.
He thinks of inventing a bed, which will have an
alarm system installed in it to ensure you wake
up on time!
(Also see HB 11(4) & 12(1): 11-12; 2000-2001 for
an interesting wake up alarm system designed by
Mr Abdul Khadar Nadakattin of Karnataka)

58. g2G
India, China and Brazil
collaboration steered by sristi grassroots to global
Global GIAN – Building Global Value
Chain for augmentation of Green
Grassroots Innovations

59. Global Enquires for grassroots
innovations
Businessg2G)
( Development
and2009
MVIF
National Innovation Foundation
www.nifindia.org/bd

60. Product enquiries received at Business
Development (International)
Product enquiries: Source by countries (01/01/09- 17/07/09)
Sr. No.
Products
Enquiries
Countries
1
Sanitary Napkin
making Machine
8
Bangladesh (4),
USA, South
Africa, Kenya
2
Areca Nut
Machine
1
Indonesia
3
Pomegranate
Peeling Machine
3
Germany, Iran,
Kuwait
4
Coconut tree
climber
8
USA(4),
Singapore,
Australia, Dubai
5
Raisin Grading
Machine
2
USA, Mexico
6
White Flowered
Cardamom
Variety
1
Sri Lanka

61. Product enquiries received at Business
Development
Product enquiries: Source by countries (01/01/09- 17/07/09)
Sr. No.
Products
Enquiries
Countries
7
Blind Man Stick
1
Ethiopia
8
Walnut Cracker
2
Iran, USA
9
Bio gasifier
3
Romania,
USA(2)
10
Coconut husker
2
Malaysia, USA
11
Hydropower
Turbine
2
Liberia, Malaysia
12
Pedal operated
pump
1
USA

62. Product enquiries received at Business
Development
Product enquiries: Source by countries (01/01/09- 17/07/09)
Sr. No.
Products
Enquiries
Countries
13
Milking Machine
7
Tanzania, USA(3),
Germany, Canada,
Israel
14
Cassava Peeler
6
USA, Sierra Leone,
Scotland, Bolivia
15
Multi Purpose
Processing
Machine
2
Venezuala, Brazil
16
Rural Egg
Incubator
1
Haiti
17
Tile Making
Machine
1
South Africa
18
Cotton Stripper
1
Saudi Arabia
19
Bamboo Teeth
1
Australia
Comments

63. Product enquiries received at Business
Development
Product enquiries: Source by countries (01/01/09- 17/07/09)
Sr. No.
Products
Enquiries
Countries
20
Development of
new coagulant
1
Malaysia
21
coconut defibring
machine
1
Indonesia
22
Garlic Peeler
2
USA, Syria
23
Talking Poster
1
Singapore
24
Sugarcane Bud
Chipper
1
Saudi Arabia
25
Ajooba Tube light
1
Australia
Total
58
Comments

64. Sales made
1.
Coconut tree climber- USA (Florida, Massachussets, California,
Hawaii etc.) Australia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Mexico, West
Indies
2.
Pomegranate deseeder-Turkey, USA
3.
Garlic peeling machine-Pakistan
4.
Arecanut husker- Singapore
5.
Milking machine-Phillipines, Uganda, Ethiopia
6.
Resin grading machine-Peru
7.
Cassava peeling machine-kenya

65. Lessons from Technology
licensing:
design in use

66. 1
1
2
2
3
3
Vanraj Small Tractor
Prototype development
– Developed a prototype in collaboration with M/s
Greendot International, Ahmedabad
– Design inputs received from NID
– Designed special small plough and harrow with the
help of Vishwakarma Fabricators (Gandhinagar)
Test Status
– Sent the prototype to Budhni (May 2003)
Modified trial prototype
Final Convertible
Models
4 Wheel
3 Wheel
4
4
5
5

67. Tree cum Pole climber
Innovator
Address
: Mr. Mustaq Ahmad Dar | 28 years | 10th Standard
: Kreeri, Anantnag District, J&K
Innovation Summary:
Tree cum Pole climber: It is a small portable device that
makes climbing trees/poles simple and easy. What is
remarkable about this innovation is that it uses body
weight to lock the climbing steps and is very light, low
cost and easy to maintain.

68. Business development and Technology licensing
Technology license:
Technology has been licensed to India Innovatix,
Ahmedabad
(An established small enterprise with over 20 years of business in
safety climbing equipments)
– Nature of rights: Exclusive manufacturing and marketing rights
for India
– Date of Agreement :29 Feb, 2008
– Status : R & D and value addition in process

69. Groundnut Digger cum Separator
Yusufkhan
Vill: Jeweli
Dist: Sikar, Rajasthan
Educated upto 7th class
Manufacturer of agricultural
equipment
Scouted by: Sundaram Verma
(1993)
Rajasthan has predominantly sandy soil which is quite suitable for groundnut
cultivation. The yield of the crop is affected as up to 20% of the pods are left
underground during harvest.
Complete digging out of all the groundnut pods from the soil is not possible as
manual labor is scarce, costly and other means are not available.
It is unique tractor mounted device which is used to dig and separate the left over
groundnut pods from the soil. It gets drive through PTO.

70. IPR Protection:
•Patent filed in India (1806/DEL/2004 dated 24/9/2004)
•Status: Final examination report awaited
Recognition and Reward:
•Awarded first by NIF under the National Award category in the year 2005
•Yusuf Khan has also been nominated for the Asian Innovation Awards 2005
and has qualified among the ten finalists.
•He has been honored in several district level events
•The expert involved in the testing and evaluation has also co-authored himself
with the innovator to write a paper for a National Journal.

71. Septic tank baffle system - An Effluent Filtering Device
•
The cost effective filtering device is
a compact co-axial system of PVC
pipes which allows out flow of
treated waste water while retaining
the solid waste allowing anaerobic
decomposition of waste
•
Results in cost saving of 5% over
conventional septic tanks by doing
with baffle walls and dividers
Video

72. Conventional tanks

73. Technology licensing
GMI Zarhak, Goa
(In the business of rotational moulding,
which is on of plastic processing.
Started in 1996 with the manufacture of
SHAKTI brand water tanks, moved into
custom moulding of material handling
viz: bins, pallets etc )
– Nature of rights: Exclusive
manufacturing and marketing rights for
the assigned area for Goa and 200 Km
radius of Goa
– Date of Agreement :Dec 2007
– Status of Business: R & D and value
addition in finished. Product just
launched

75. Case study on social diffusion
Modified hand pump
GIAN (n) Jaipur,
Honey Bee Network

76. Origin
• The improved hand pump is a combination of
two innovations and ideas recognized by NIF
during its second and third National
competition
on
grassroots
innovations
( Swyambhu Sharma and Chandan Agarwal)

77. Issues addressed
3.Uncomfortable
position for drawing
water and drinking at
the same time, with a
lot of water wastage

78. The solution ( yusuf and Kumawat)
•
New hand pump has a
provision of 25% water
donation for the animal
trough, which is collected
from the runoff
•
A provision of about 1 liter
water storage inside the head
of the pump which can be
utilized through a tap for use
as a drinking source just by
pumping once

79. mansukh bhai jagani: cotton stripper for rainfed
cotton varieties :patent in India, USA
1st Award by National Innovation Foundation Award in the
year Feb 2002
Best Technology Award for the year 2003 by National
Research Development Corporation, Govt. of India
Honored by SRISTI by including him in the Governing body
Recognition by Community

80. 1997 - From Scrap to …….
2007 –
Solid,
susta
inable stable,
soluti
on

83. BENEFIT SHARING FORMULA
S. No.
1
Innovator
holder)
Index
(Traditional
%
knowledge
30
4
Nature
Community
Innovation Fund
20
5
Research and Development
15
6
Over head
15
7
Contigency
Women fund
5
2
3
8
5
5
5
100

84. Linking open source with IP
protected technologies and
services
“”technology commons””
open for people to people learning,
fabrication and adaptation for self
use but licensing needed for firms
to use

85. Just for the pain of the mother
Asu making machine for Pochampally
sarees: C Mallesham, Nalgonda
Laxmi Asu machine by Mallesham
has relieved women from 8-9 hours
of labour everyday.
•
•
•
it just takes 90 minutes to weave a saree compared to the four
hours required in the manual process.
This has brought a revolution among the weaver community. The
Indian Patent has been filed for the Innovation. The innovator has
sold more than 500 units of the same.
Also see Honey Bee 19(3): 4-6, 2009 for his detailed profile

86. This is how it was

87. This is how it is

88. Automatic watering in flower pots and others
Mr. Abdul Kaleem
Video-flower pot
Video-electric shock

89. Phone operated switch & others
Mr. Prem Singh Saini

90. Compressed air car, propelling bicycle using gravitational force and
others
Mr. Kanak Gogoi

91. Pomegranate de-seeder, arecanut peeler and other innovations
Mr. Uddhab Kumar Bharali, Assam
Pomegranate De-seeder: It separates the granules of
pomegranate from the outer cover and thin inner
membrane without damaging the seeds. It has a capacity
of deseeding 50-55 kg of pomegranate per hour. The
machine has been exported to two countries, viz.Turkey
and USA.
Arecanut Peeler: Annoyed by the injuries caused while
peeling the areca nuts manually, the innovator has
designed and developed an areca nut peeling machine.
The machine has a capacity of peeling 100-120 nuts per
minute.
Cassava peeler: It is a portable electric machine that can
process up to five kg of cassava in as many minutes. One
unit has even been sold to a customer based in Kenya.
Bamboo processing machines: It is an assembly of machines
that can perform operations from splitting long lengths of
bamboo, sizing, surface finishing and polishing etc.
Video small-pome
Video-arecanut (open fr source)

92. Will you join the open source
and/or ip protected collaborative
platform
Honey bee Network seeks your involvement

93. CCC:
CREATIVITY, COMPASSION, COLLABORATION
Way ahead

94. The strategy for unleashing the creative
potential of millions of people at the
base of economic pyramid:
The development strategy should build upon the resources in which a
region and the people inhabiting that region are rich in,
Local knowledge and innovations can provide a signal about the stress
and pain points and some of the ways in which these pains have been
dismissed, diffused and diluted
Documentation of such knowledge with prior informed consent can
provide a basis for blending formal and informal science to develop
value added products,

95. It is understood that not every knowledge holder may become or may
even like to become an entrepreneur. At the same time many
knowledge holders can become entrepreneur or tie up with other
entrepreneurs to diffuse their knowledge through commercial or non
commercial channels.

96. No society has developed or can ever develop by relying only on
private markets for creating positive externalities. Public goods have
to be created in the form of open access knowledge based,
laboratories, workshops, fab labs, tool rooms, design centres etc.
Shortage of such facilities stifles the growth of public spirited science,
technology, art and culture.
Conversion of ideas, innovations and traditional knowledge into
product and services requires funds for product development,
testing, demonstrations for user trial, designing, market research,
production and distribution. Absence of dedicated funds clearly
imply either lack of faith in the genius of creative minds at grassroots
or the assumption that such knowledge does not deserve any
significant public support.
Irony of global diffusion of micro finance matched with global
absence of micro venture finance conveys the current state of art
with regard to knowledge-based approaches to social development.

97. It is not that only technological creativity deserves support for
generating employment opportunities for poor. The cultural
knowledge is no less important for similar support to generate
income-enhancing opportunities.
Creating a horizontal knowledge network among local creative
communities is most vital for improving the living conditions
immediately within and across the countries. This will require multi
language, multi media databases and networks. Examples of several
problems having been faced by farmers in India as well as China
triggering similar solutions proves the potential that exists for saving
civilizational energy in discovering solutions. Honey Bee Network
has provided numerous examples where applicable solutions can help
Indian farmers and vice versa. In such for sustainable solution there
is no north but only south. There is a great need for exchanging
knowledge among different communities.

98. Engagement with youth is necessary if future leadership has to
be in sync with the contemporary needs and aspirations.
However, neither the technology youth nor youth engaged in other
streams of studies have been mobilized for benchmarking
technological inertia, add value to innovations and solve the
persistent problems and practices involving lot of drudgery. The
portal techpedia.sristi.org is an attempt to pool more than half a
million projects done by students every year without any
connectivity or accessibility for small scale entrepreneurs or others.
Distributed design and manufacturing with horizontal and near term
supply chains have to be conceived to reduce energy use and save
cost.

99. There are lot of other changes required for unleashing the
economic potential such as land and water reforms, educational
reforms to promote social and economic entrepreneurship from an
early stage, reorganizing national social services scheme (NSS) and
create National Innovation Service corpse.
It is a pity the poor people are seeing only as consumers and
not as providers of knowledge and ideas. More difficult the
living conditions, higher has to be the reliance on knowledge and
social networks for survival. There is little else to fall back upon.

100. Creating licensing opportunities for local knowledge based
products to large and small companies in a transparent
manner with full accountability towards the knowledge
holders, (with or without testing, value addition)

101. Poor not just as consumers alone,
but as providers
•
the mechanism of mentoring small, scattered and disconnected innovators
without access to much education, banking or communication systems is
not easy. Distributed mentoring is a challenge that we have to meet, if
Grassroots to Global (G2G) has to become an international reality. In other
words, if triangle of linking innovation, investment and enterprise has to be
formed across the world, then transaction costs of each actor will have to be
reduced considerably using on-line and off line platforms (see Tianjin
declaration, China, May 31, 2007, www.sristi.org).
•
Assume that an entrepreneur in China or UK selects an innovation from
India and wants to set up an enterprise in South Africa or Brazil with
investment from say, UK, or USA then a G2G model would have come
about. Likewise, if entrepreneurs in developed countries can find
applications for ideas of grassroots innovators in third world, then a poverty
alleviation model will emerge which would look at poor as provider of
solutions. Diversity, development, dignity will manifest when ethics, equity,
excellence, efficiency, empathy, environment and education fuse.

102. Creativity counts,
knowledge matters,
innovations transform,
incentives
inspire
institutions sustain

103. How did it happen:
The journey…..
Honey bee network , informal global social movement,
started in 1987-89,
SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH AND INITIATIVES FOR
SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES AND INSTITUTIONS
(www.SRISTI.org ) info@sristi.org
GRASSROOTS INNOVATION AUGMENTATION
NETWORK (wwwGIAN.org)
NATIONAL INNOVATION FOUNDATION
(www.NIFindia.org) info@nifindia.org
Anilg@sristi.org