In 1996, a scientist
working with local tribals in the forests of Kerala discovered the
potential for a new herbal drug to enhance the immune system. Dr.
Pushpangadan sought the prior informed consent of the Kani tribe before
commercialising their medicinal knowledge. All royalties and profits
from the herbal product called Jeevani were shared equally among the
forest dwellers and researchers.
Thus begins the story of how an ancient culture began unleashing its
entrepreneurial energy to transform the modern world. The Kani tribe
benefit sharing model was the first of its kind and has subsequently
been modelled in several countries in Africa and Latin America.
The Kani tribe model provides a small example of the enormous potential
for growth in herbal products and medicines derived from the knowledge
of rural communities. Today the sale of drugs based on traditional
medicines generates over $50 billion a year. It has been estimated that
by consulting indigenous peoples, bio-prospectors can increase the
success ratio in trials from one in 10,000 samples to one in two.
Intangible assets
What does this mean for India? Tapping into the local knowledge of
tribal communities can provide an effective means of lifting them out
of poverty and generating income. Secondly, the country’s vast reserve
of intangible assets, if effectively harnessed, can help India achieve
the millennium development goals.
Indigenous Knowledge (IK), also referred to as ‘traditional’ or ‘local’
knowledge, represents the intangible assets (intellectual capital) of
local communities, and is a potentially cost-effective and sustainable
resource in the development process.
Farming technologies
The World Bank funded Uttar Pradesh Sodic Land Reclamation Project
provides another example to illustrate the potential in agriculture for
IK to help alleviate poverty and empower rural India. The project is a
farmer-driven effort to improve soil fertility and reduce the incidence
of brown plant hoppers that destroy 40-50 per cent of paddy and wheat.
Applying their own knowledge and experiences, farmers reclaimed over
68,000 hectares of sodic land belonging to 247,000 families. They
spread gypsum, built bunds, leached the soil, started multi-cropping
and green manuring and crop rotation, used compost and ploughed the
land. Farmers controlled brown plant hoppers with neem extract, rice
husk and green manure. After five years, wheat and paddy yields and
incomes had risen by 60 per cent.
India’s rich tradition of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani practices can
contribute to improving the nation’s ailing healthcare system. Given
that India has one of the largest number of HIV/AIDS infected people in
the world, traditional medicines can help save lives.
India has embarked on an exciting knowledge journey led by an army of
knowledge workers who run the back offices of the world. But knowledge
extends beyond the realms of information technology. It thrives among
India’s farmers, healers, artisans and rural communities who know best
how to make optimal use of their limited resources to ensure their
survival.
The time has come to provide due value, recognition and rewards to
harness the creative capabilities of local grassroots innovators. The
National Innovation Foundation is a step in the right direction.
The Foundation has established an enabling environment to support local
innovations in health, agriculture and natural resource management.
India’s future lies in its dynamic culture of innovation,
experimentation and creativity at all levels of society.
(The writer is an economist and has worked in Africa and Asia for the
World Bank and the WTO)
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