Honey Bee Network

Presented at

ICT Development Forum & 6th German World Bank Forum on May 20th & 21st, 2003 at the Gästehaus Petersberg in Königswinter, Germany

Honey Bee NetworkA global initiative to give voice to creative and innovative people at grassroots

By

Prof. Anil K Gupta

Honey Bee Network

The NetworkSince 1989

Honey Bee Network

Honey Bee signifies a philosophy of discourse which is authentic, accountable and fair. Honey Bee believes that cross pollination of ideas by exchange of information across language and cultural boundaries, may increase societal capacity to spur, spawn, stimulate, and sustain grassroots innovations and provide resources for sustainable development.

Honey Bee Network

About Network continued….

Honey Bee Network brings together those creative and innovative farmers, artisans, mechanics, fishermen & women and labourers who have solved a problem through their own genius without any outside help whether from state, market, or even NGOs. Such self triggered and developed innovations whether technological or institutional are scouted, supported, sustained and scaled wherever possible with or without value addition, linkage with formal science and technology.

Honey Bee NetworkHoney Bee Network

The idea is to generate incentives and benefits for the innovators. The innovations could be developed by individuals or groups. These may have been developed in recent past or long past and some times these innovations or creative practices might have become part of traditional knowledge. We thus also look for outstanding examples of traditional knowledge, which help in conserving and utilizing natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Honey Bee Network

About Network continued….

Honey Bee Network

Honey Bee Network of volunteers, Grassroots Innovators, Traditional Knowledge Holders, Researchers, Scientists, Academicians, Policy makers, partners & collaborators extends to 77 countries across the world.

Publication of the Network’s Magazines in ten languages viz. eight Indian Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Pahari, Malayalam, Bengali and Oriya and two international English, Spanish is done by network collaborators.

Reaching out to people in thier local language to over come cultural & linguist barriers in sharing knowledge, is core to the network philosophy.

About Network continued….

Honey Bee Network

SEVA - Tamil Nadu, India PRITVI -Karnataka, IndiaERA - Himachal Pradesh, IndiaPDS - Kerala, IndiaCCD - Tamil Nadu, IndiaSGK - Uttaranchal, IndiaKSS - Uttaranchal, IndiaCollectives in West Bengal & Orissa

Abeja, Cali, Valle, ColombiaHoney Bee Network-UK <www.honeybee-uk.org>

Network Collaborators:

Survival StrategiesSurvival Strategies

Access to Factors & Product Access to Factors & Product Markets and Kinship networks Markets and Kinship networks

Public Policies for direct & indirect Public Policies for direct & indirect transfer & supporttransfer & support

Knowledge SystemsKnowledge Systems

IndividualIndividual

CollectiveCollectiveContemporary InnovationsContemporary Innovations Traditional KnowledgeTraditional Knowledge

IndividualIndividual

CollectiveCollective

Scouting and Scouting and Dissemination Dissemination

ConvertingConvertingInnovations into ProductsInnovations into Products

Rewarding Rewarding and and CompensationCompensation

Micro PolicyMicro Policy Macro PolicyMacro PolicyKnowledge Knowledge NetworkNetwork

Sustainable Natural Sustainable Natural Resource ManagementResource Management Sustainable LivelihoodSustainable Livelihood

Conservation of Conservation of Biodiversity & Associated Biodiversity & Associated

Knowledge SystemsKnowledge Systems

GIAN/GIAN/Sristi/NIFSristi/NIF

SRISTI/NIFSRISTI/NIFSRISTI/NIFSRISTI/NIF

IIMA/NIFIIMA/NIF IIMA/NIFIIMA/NIF

SRISTI/NIFSRISTI/NIFSRISTI/NIFSRISTI/NIF

The Network Framework

Empathy

Seven ‘e’

• Networking in Local Language• Honey Bee Magazines in eight languages (Eight Indian, English & Spanish)• Honey Bee Collaborators across the world• Honey Bee multimedia/multilanguage Database of grassroots Innovations & outstanding traditional knowledge• Village knowledge centres “Gyan Manthan Kendra” with Honey Bee Kiosks• Shodh Yatra’s “Journey of Exploration” from village to village in serach of creativity• Shodh Sankal, Linking innovators, developing peer group of knowledge holders

Commitment to Knowledge Providers

Honey Bee Network