Me

http://sristi.org

Knowledge can be produced by individuals or groups and can be governed by private (proprietary), community and public domain. Likewise, the resources around which knowledge is developed can also be governed by private, community or public property rights.
Intellectual property rights provide only one set of incentives, among many, that are possible and necessary for encouraging creativity and innovation at grassroots, besides conservation of biodiversity. Material and non-material incentives for individuals and groups have to be combined in a proper portfolio, matching the specific knowledge and resource context. The incentives for individual experts cannot be at par with that of the communities. However, if communities don’t conserve the resources, individuals will not be able to access, experiment, innovate, develop solutions and specialise. Therefore, there has to be a proper recognition of the rights of communities as well as individuals.
A policy framework must recognise that the nature of innovations in traditional knowledge brought about by individuals can become community- wide or public domain knowledge. My suggestions for policy reforms are based on the activities of our Honey Bee Network over the past 16 years, pursued by various voluntary organisations who have contributed towards a database on innovations and traditional knowledge.
The experience of Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (Sristi), Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network (Gian) and the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and the National Micro Venture Innovation Fund managed by NIF, has been drawn upon in advocating policy changes, nationally and internationally.
To reduce transaction costs of inventors, innovators and traditional knowledge holders, the National Register of Grassroots Innovations and Traditional Knowledge, being developed by NIF, may be accorded legal protection, such that disclosure to NIF entitles knowledge-holders a minimum protection, if the knowledge is not already in public domain. The registry should have a grace period for disclosure, so that protect- ion can be not only for knowledge produced within one year of its earlier disclosure, but perhaps during the past five to 10 years. India should plead for a like international registry.
Honey Bee Network has experimented with prior informed consent (PIC) extensively for over a decade. NIF has modified the framework and has developed a two-stage process. In stage one, consent is sought for sharing, adding value or blending the knowledge with other innovations/ TK practices, etc. In stage two, if something useful is considered possible with or without value addition, then a benefit-sharing accord

Water for Future: A civil war in the corner

As demand for water hits the limits of finite supply, potential conflicts are brewing between nations that share transboundary freshwater reserves. Look at the global climate change and sudden hysteria of action towards sustainable agriculture. Need of the hour is to balance the action towards need for drinking, luxury and food security. There is a long way to go to provide a sustainable way for urban and rural water distribution. The Future Irrigation – Practice and Technology program is focused on providing the leadership and capacity to capture, develop and promote new irrigation practices, technologies and management systems to ensure the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the urban, peri-urban and rural irrigation sectors.

Generating new insights into practiceNew information on innovative irrigation management practices has been developed. Within the Improving the Precision of Irrigation project, the use of partial rootzone drying and regulated deficit irrigation practices have been assessed in crops from pears to cotton. The Open Hydroponics project has examined the intensive, innovative horticultural management practice which uses almost continuous irrigation with nutrient enriched water. The irrigation and nutrition management principles used by open hydroponics systems can be efficient but the level of efficiency is directly linked to the implementation of good management. A preliminary ecological risk assessment identified several major risks to sensitive catchments from open hydroponics. The Improving the Precision of Irrigation project is developing the tools and frameworks for assessing and determining the importance of crop variation across the paddock. Based on this, the potential of adapting irrigation systems to deliver variable rate irrigation applications can be assessed within both biophysical and profitability frameworks.

Tools for improving performanceAs the value of water increases, growers and advisors are being asked to understand and manage their irrigation storage and distribution systems with greater precision. New tools are required to support these decisions. The Improving the Precision of Irrigation project has provided an economic ready reckoner to assist irrigators evaluate alternative evaporation reduction strategies for on-farm water storages. At the farm level, the project has delivered a tool for choosing the optimal irrigation system for dairy farms. In the paddock, tools have been developed for improving grower management of centre pivots and lateral move irrigation machines and refining performance of travelling gun irrigation machines.

Global mood: Biotechnology innovation India

Dishman expanded to the global market by acquiring in 2006 Carbogen-Amcis, a Swiss research company with three production facilities in Switzerland. The acquisition boosted Dishman's contract manufacturing business, allowing it to become the only contract manufacturing organization in India with high-potency manufacturing capability. "The model we are now offering is interesting as there would be one project manager, and absolute seamless development," says Vyas. "If it is a large tonnage product, we also offer our USFDA facilities in India, and can provide the customers with tailor-made development solutions. When an innovator works with someone like Carbogen, up to preclinical Phase I, they will want someone willing to do a very fast job for a few grams. After Phase I, when the biovalidity and the dosage is known, and the customer is deciding the target price for the API, that's when they start looking for the company who can improve upon the process. This is where we come into the picture. In Phase II, cost optimization becomes essential. India is the best location for that, as cost structure is optimal. You can therefore commit many chemists to be able to work this optimization at best. You need hundreds of experiments to find the best routes for your production, and the cost structure here makes it possible under the best conditions."
While looking for additional opportunities in the United States and Europe, Dishman is also venturing into API production in Saudi Arabia and considering options in Africa. Dishman has established a sales presence in Japan as well. "Today, 90% of our business is generated around the world with 10% in the US, but with our acquisition of Carbogen-Amcis, we expect deeper changes," said Vyas.