Ongoing Projects at GIAN
Here is the list of all ongoing projects.
Partnership between Honey Bee Network and UNDP Accelerator Lab [Global] through GIAN
1. To codify solutions mapping as a practice, develop a learning curriculum and to build capacities of the Accelerator Labs Network for mapping, tapping and experimenting with grassroots innovation for sustainable development and policy level impact.
2. To support Accelerator Lab teams and the wider network to:
- Map solutions and identify unmet needs to inform development programming and public policymaking.
- Identify solutions and spread them across local communities, regions and the global network.
- Embed solutions mapping as an innovation method in UNDPâs programming cycle and inform national innovation policies in countries where UNDP operates.
Partnership between Honey Bee Network and UNDP, India through GIAN
The deliverables in this project are :
1. Making the local and global solutions database of HBN easily accessible by updating, translation, tagging, and annotations of solutions.
2. Under this, Updating, translation, tagging, and annotations of 1500 HBN global and local solutions database in cultural context in 2 languages (English and Hindi)
3. A Mobile based App for making global and local solutions database an open source database.
4. Establish Innovation cell in one state government.
5. A blueprint of innovation cell in two State Governments
6. Webinars and technical sessions for horizontal exchanges between UNDP & HBN
Rural Development & Livelihood Enhancement Programme (On-farm trials)
GIAN is working on a project of conducting 100 on-farm trials in different districts of Gujarat and Maharashtra. This project is supported by Godrej Agrovet Limited Company. The proposed locations of this project in Maharashtra are Nasik, Ratnagiri, Gadchiroli and Ahmednagar districts; and in Gujarat are Narmada and Panchmahal districts.
1. Reduce the input cost of farmers by provide DIY (Do it yourself) technologies and seeds of farmer varieties as well as traditional varieties of some of the crops, livestock practices, water and soil management etc.
2. Increase household resilience by encouraging diversification of crops and cropping practices to deal with climatic fluctuations and other sources of stress
3. Setting up micro social and economic enterprises based on these technologies and connecting them to the local markets.
Gramin Navonmesh Protsahan, Micro Venture Innovation Fund
MOU between SIDBI and GIAN to fund grassroots innovations with specific focus on ideas of ITI and Polytechnic students through MVIF (micro venture innovation fund)
The project will be implemented on Pan India basis with focus on aspirational districts and adjoining areas, rural- semi urban and urban areas.
The following criterion will used to prioritize the investment in projects:
– novelty/ innovation (potential for filing patent)
– ready innovations which will need some marketing and mentoring support to reach the market or scale up
– social impact
– affordability
– inclusivity and gender sensitivity
– innovations for niche markets
– potential direct / indirect beneficiaries
All enterprises may not be out rightly innovative or commercializable. Even social enterprises might be supported. The funds are given as loan with the understanding that they will have to return these to GIAN at 5% interest. Some of the innovations may also fail, and in that case, the loan can be converted into grant. Some of the existing innovation should be supported with investment towards the marketing of their products.
Technologies supported by SIDBI
1. Innovation: Paddy Husk Stove, Innovator: Mr. Ashok Thakur, Bihar (Scouted by: AzharHussian Ansari)
2. Innovation: Low cost Irrigation water pump, Innovator: Shri Nandeshwar Sharma, Bihar (Via 22nd Bihar Shodhyatra)
3. Innovation: Low cost Heavy duty welding machine, Innovator: Mr. SukhramMistri, Jharkhand (Scouted by: Shri Mukesh Pandey & Shri Rajeev Ranjan Pandey)
4. Innovation: Smart Walking Stick, Innovator: Mr. Akash Singh, Uttar Pradesh (Scouted by: Direct Entry)
5. Innovation: Feed Mixing Machine, Innovator: Yasir Arafat, Bihar (Scouted by: Direct Entry)
Nutrition garden in government schools
Last year GIAN did a unique experimentation with the help of teachers of government primary schools. âMy Nutrition Kitchen Gardenâ Project to improve nutritional status of school children through diverse local varieties of vegetables. Last year, we distributed 247 traditional vegetable seed kits in 247 different government primary schools across India. The same is being expanded this year.
We had selected these schools on the basis of form filled by teachers and principals. Every school is different in terms of people, activities, interest, and students. Due to covid19 schools didnât open in June, 2021 so many schools have grown these seeds in different places like school Campus, own house, villagersâ farms, studentsâ homes, and also grown these vegetables on the roof due to lack of space. Some schools have successfully sowed seeds in school but due to bad weather, heavy rain and no proper maintenance because of lockdown, it failed but teachers and Principals are willing to sow vegetables in next monsoon season. Some schools have received seed kit late so they were unable to sow the seeds past season, but they will sow in next season.
MDM was not prepared in school due to the lockdown but ready vegetables were distributed to pregnant women, adult women, children, economically weak families, neighbours, and school guests. To make villagers aware of the value of biodiversity and encourage them to stop use of chemical, pesticide and learn the importance of traditional vegetables seeds, school teachers have conducted workshops. They gave information about School Nutrition Kitchen garden and herbal practices pursued by schools to the local community members. Many schools depend on farmers and agro centres for Seeds, some of the schools have started their own Seeds bank in the school where anyone can borrow seeds and also deposit the same.
Â
On-farm trials of farmer varieties
GIAN conducts-farm trials of the best shortlisted farmersâ bred plant varieties, herbal practices of agriculture and livestock, innovative agriculture implements etc., from the Honey Bee Network database (grid.undp.org.in). The seeds and herbal products are given for trial on a farmerâs field with their prior consent. The information is shared through meetings, field visits, live demonstration, literature/content in local language-printed and multimedia format etc. After harvesting, some farmers store seeds of the trials in next season. Also new scouted entries and innovations are validated and supported for setting up local enterprise. Farmers of Panchmahal and Narmada districts exchange, farmers adopt some practices from HBN database and do trials at small scale in their farm and also teach other farmers too. GIAN has developed âGrassroots Innovation Database [GRID] grid.undp.org.in under a project with UNDP Accelerator lab, India. The database is open source and easy to access. In addition, the HBN database has numerous small farm implements which can reduce drudgery of small and marginal farmers, who cannot afford commercial equipment. The seed, herbal and mechanical technologies need to be tested in a given geography to ascertain their suitability to the local conditions. These trials are purely experimental based as against demonstrations where the results are already known.
There never has been an all-India testing framework for farmer-bred varieties in the formal or the informal sector. In a few cases, some of the varieties recognized by Honey Bee Network and NIF were taken up for such. But no durable platform exists for such an opportunity to be given to farmersâ varieties in an institutionalized manner. Augmenting agrobiodiversity is a necessary, even if not sufficient condition for generating climate resilience and sustainability. Farmer varieties can complement the choices of the farmers who have indeed benefited a great deal by the high yielding varieties developed by public and private sectors.
GIAN Telangana: MoU between Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) and Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network (GIAN)
Objective of the MoU:
Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) and Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network (GIAN) shall work together to establish GIAN-Telangana to deepen the cooperation between the two entities and promote utilization of shared resources. GIAN shall have an office in Telangana and shall deploy a dedicated shared resource for the smooth functioning of the operations. The cost of the GIAN-Telangana and support team at GIAN shall be borne by TSIC or through other means at the discretion of TSIC.
The objective of this MoU is to establish a close partnership between TSIC and GIAN that will foster a collaborative environment in leveraging the collective effort of both Parties and enumerated as below:
GIAN shall help the grassroot innovators of Telangana by including them as beneficiaries under the purview of existing MoUs and the future MoUs that GIAN signs with external stakeholders; Inter alia, innovations mobilised by TSIC from various sectors and segments will also be given global visibility as a part of Honey Bee Network database including techpedia.in.
GIAN shall help Telangana State Innovation Cell in vetting, validating, and in properly understanding the technical and commercial aspects of scouted Grassroot Innovations. This would be done periodically, contingent on the need as expressed by TSIC. It will also help build capacity of the GIAN-Telangana to do prior art search, and build value chain.
GIAN would act as a knowledge partner for TSIC. GIAN shall extend its support in designing initiatives, evaluation of innovators, and as an execution partner on the request of TSIC.
GIAN shall allow access to its own workshop and the laboratory facility of HBN sister organization for the grassroot innovators of Telangana, on the recommendation of TSIC. The cost involved in the process shall be borne by TSIC, or through other means at the discretion of TSIC and agreed upon by GIAN.
GIAN shall nominate one member to be part of the Committee for the Promotion of Social and Grassroot Innovation (CPSGI) in the state of Telangana. This committee, which is currently in the process of formulation shall act as an advisory body for TSIC in nurturing and promoting social and grassroot innovations across the state of Telangana.
GIAN will help TSIC in creating a vernacular language version of the knowledge already existing with NIF, GIAN, other open sources of Innovations, and DIY leading to local language publications, and other learning content.
TSIC shall extend outreach, publicity, and other cooperation efforts to the initiatives of GIAN, with mutual agreement. The initiatives must have an objective of helping the grassroots innovators of Telangana.
Low-cost sustainable sanitation solutions for Agariyas
Gujarat Industrial Investment Corporation Limited (GIIC) has supported GIAN to solve the grave sanitation problems of Agariyas (Salt Workers) families in the Little Rann of Kutch, State of Gujarat by providing them ecological Sanitation Facilities.