Excellent post . Congratulations Reena Jana for bringing this news to readers of smartplanet.
I agree with the panelists that any sustainable products should meet the demands of the users if they have to make any impact.
We often talk of APPROPRIATE TECGNOLOFY(AT).
It should be:
Affordable Technology
Accesseble Technology
Accdeptable Technology
Adoptable Technology
Human Resources ??? Traditional Knowledge and Methods ??? Great Assets to Developing Countries
Ideas float around in bewildering numbers, and scores of designs, ranging from windmills to the spinning wheel, are available ; papers are circulated stating the wonders of intermediate (not innovative) technology what could be done, why it should be done, what must be done, and how the rural countryside can be changed if intermediate technology is implemented. Experts are called from abroad to tell people this.
In all this talk, there seems to be no place for the ideas generated by farmers, rural artisans. A stand seems to have been taken that this transfer of technology for the socio-economic regeneration of the rural areas is a novelty for country-folk. But rural communities have survived for generations without any help in ideas and materials from outside. They have developed a low-cost technology of their own, suited to their own particular areas. It would be foolish to overlook and take for granted methods used by farmers and artisans. When a ploughshare develops trouble on the field, when a bullock cart breaks down on the road to market, when a house collapses in a storm, the villager uses materials available in the immediate vicinity to solve his problem. It is the scientist who must see these problems as challenges that must be met if there is to be development in rural areas. It is clear that the villagers and scientists will see the problems of the villages quite differently, and it will not always be true that the projects proposed by the scientists will be meaningful to the villages. If projects are imposed on the villagers, they are likely to be skeptical and may well resist rather than co-operate with the programme. Rural Development Schemes, in the broadest sense, requires first a good sociological approach, and as much psychology as scientific knowledge. After all ???country means people and not soil???.
Problems ??? People ??? Solutions
Research, Development and Demonstration projects in developing countries have generated a variety of devices and systems for exploitation ??? for example, solar cookers, wind battery charges etc. In Innovation theory, this is a classic case of technology push, that is, technical solutions looking for a social application. Technology push innovations might of course be adopted if they happen to satisfy a real demand, or are heavily promoted. Success is much more likely, however if the needs, priorities and demands are studied before attempting to introduce a new technology or system. This is the demand pull approach to innovation.
Often identifying the right problem is difficult rather than finding a possible solution. People are better judges to identify the problems and since they benefit most by the solutions, they can contribute for finding the best solutions.
A novel and innovative scheme is suggested to achieve the above goal.
In developing countries the Government can advertise in the media seeking problems from the people in different disciplines like education, health, energy, industry etc. The problems received can be screened, studied and short-listed by a committee comprising government officials, experts, representatives from N.G.O???s etc. The short-listed problems can be re-advertised seeking solutions from people. The solutions received can be studied in detail and the best solutions given awards. To catch a fish the bait should be attractive enough. As such there should be sizeable incentive so that people can devote their talent and energies for finding solutions. As the saying goes ???Anything can be done for a Dollar???. In this way the creative potential of the people can be tapped to the full and a thought process will be set in motion in the country. In India a general knowledge programme conducted by a Super Star on TV is a roaring success and children, youth and old-all alike have become addicted to get equipped with general knowledge so that they can try their luck for winning fabulous cash prizes.
The Author has developed Novel solutions and sustainable technologies for the benefits of bottoms billions like Everybody???s Solar Water Heater, Simple Solar Drier, Safe Drinking Water from Solar Disinfection,Energy Conservation in Irrigation pumpsets,Hand operated Battery charger,Savonius rotor with concentrator for Battery Charging, Multiple Uses of Gas Stove,Pedal operated Washing machine etc.,
Conclusions
Innovation, Invention and creativity are the pillars of progress of any Society / Nation. The greater the participation of people in the developmental activities, the quicker will be the progress. A new approach ???Innovative Technology (IT)??? deliberately involving people from all walks of life is the need of the hour in identifying the felt needs in the developing countries and finding solutions. Such a technology will contribute to Integrated Development (ID).
Modernise the Traditional ??? Traditionalise the Modern
Dr.A.Jagadeesh
2/210 First Floor
Nawabpet
NELLORE- 524 002
Andhra Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail:anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/anumakonda.jagadeesh
Blog: http://www.drjagadeeshncda.blogspot.com
Phone: ++ 91 861 2317776
Mobile: +91 9490125950
NEW YORK-We all know design is often a key factor in creating appealing consumer goods, from sleek iPads to gleaming BMW sedans. But what role does design play in terms of successful humanitarian products and services? How can design contribute to sustainable initiatives that are “scalable,” or easily adapted by large audiences–including the poor–around the world?
A panel discussion titled “Form and Function: Designing for Humanity,” held on September 21 at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, attempted to address these questions–and offered specific tips.
The group of experts assembled represented varied disciplines, ranging from biomimicry (Janine Benyus, president of The Biomimicry Institute) to industrial design and branding (Yves Behar, founder and chief designer of fuseproject) to South Asian politics (Mohammed Waheed, the vice president of the Republic of the Maldives). Start-up culture was represented by Jessica O. Matthews, co-founder and CEO of Uncharted Play, which has invented a toy called the Soccket, a soccer ball that harnesses enough energy when kicked around to keep an LED light lit for 24 hours or to charge a cell phone.
Jessica O. Matthews demonstrates a soccer ball that harnesses energy when kicked
And Debbie Aung Din Taylor, co-founder of Proximity Designs, which creates water pumps for people who are resource-challenged in Burma, represented the so-called “bottom of the pyramid” sector.
Jocelyn Wyatt, co-lead and executive director of IDEO.org, moderated the panel, prompting each participant to address both theoretical and real design challenges, from imagining how to achieve the Maldives’ goal of becoming a carbon-neutral nation by 2020, to how to decide what durability trade-offs must be made to achieve low-cost products.
Here’s a list of design strategies offered by the panelists, which could prove insightful for corporations, entrepreneurs, government agencies, NGOs, and designers alike:
- When designing for the poor, treat them “as customers and not charity or aid recipients,” said Taylor. “This is important for affirming [their] dignity. Don’t decide what people need or want. They decide through marketplace…[you will] get direct signals.”
- When introducing new sustainable, humanitarian products to communities, it’s “important to understand how to integrate them into cultures–will it be through schools, parents, community centers?” said Matthews. Try to use or refer to designs that people will already be familiar with, and use technology that already exists for faster production. “We thought, people know how to use a ball,” she said, explaining why she and her colleagues decided to harness energy via a soccer ball, and why they added a standard cell phone jack to its design to help people figure out how to use it as a charger.
- Use rewards or awards to generate interest. The Maldives are “providing government incentives, tax reductions, and financing to introduce solar panels…and also providing environmental awards to [tourist] resorts that pay attention to sustainability,” said Waheed.
- Consider how a socially responsible product will achieve the most widespread, large-scale audience possible as you start creating it–in other words, add scalability into the design. “Thinking about scale from the very beginning is key,” said Behar, rather than later struggling over manufacturing, logistics, or distribution issues.
- Ask whether it’s more appropriate for a product to be designed as durable than as ephemeral. “In the natural world, there is timed degradation. We dont have this–we use a [plastic] fork for 10 minutes and then it winds up in a landfill for 10 years,” said Benyus. “Sustainability is something that can be built in–it can be repaired, can self-heal, like life.”