Report R5.11 Experiencing Agricultural Innovation: A Journey of an Amateur Researcher Seminar Leader: Koen Beumer, University of Maastricht, Netherlands koen.beumer[at]gmail.com "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." -- Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996) Carl Sagan’s journey of research on the entire cosmos and Koen Beumer’s journey of research on culture and technology on this lonely planet appear to have brought both to the same conclusion, quoted above. Beumer, is interning at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands and at XIMB, in pursuit of his Research Masters (MPhil). While introducing himself and his work, he recounted the diverse topics he has selected to study during his tenure at Maastricht for his Bachelors and Masters in Cultures of Arts, Science, and Technology. One topic was user innovation, which refers to innovations developed by consumers and end-users rather than by manufacturers. Eric von Hippel of MIT had shown how user innovation could be used in new product development. Another topic that Buemer studied was scarification of human bodies and its significance in the West (scarification is scratching, etching, or some sort of superficial incision or cut inflicted on the body). Yet another topic was panopticon in traffic systems (panopticon is a type of prison building that is designed in a way that all prisoners have a constant sense of being under observation, even when the guards are not watching them--the design became famous, or notorious, after Michel Foucault’s analysis of the design as a metaphor for modern “disciplinary societies" with perverse inclination to observe and normalise). It was Beumer's diverse interests and desire to visit India that made him pursue the suggestion of his guide at Maastricht to explore working with Dr C. Shambu Prasad of XIMB. He chose to work on a topic with which he had no prior familiarity--agricultural innovation and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). He had no background in agriculture and had never seen a rice field before he came to India. So, in a new country, with a new guide and a new subject, surrounded by new languages and cultures, Beumer was in totally unfamiliar territory. This was partly by design, as Beumer explained, as his aim was to develop skills in adaptation. For the community of doctoral scholars and research guides at XIMB, Beumer’s experiences offered a chance to discuss the process of choosing the path of research. One normally selects a topic with which one has some familiarity. Beumer’s approach was just the opposite. One would normally like to work in an area that would build up to later work. Beumer was consciously choosing areas to work in that he may never touch again. By the time he had finished with a topic, however, he would have assimilated it in a way that it becomes integral to him. His focus was more on developing different types of skills of assimilation. For instance, SRI poses the challenge of acceptance. SRI or System of Rice Intensification is a set of six principles of rice-growing practices, first distinctly assembled in Madagascar by the French Jesuit priest, Father Laulanie, in 1983. A number of countries have adopted it or are in the process of adopting it, including major rice-producing countries such as China, India, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Scientists or science-oriented establishments have been hesitant to bestow SRI with the status of a true innovation, as it has come not from the laboratory but from efforts of civil society. Even where it has been accepted, it is seen in the “green revolution” mould with researchers believing that they could transfer scientific agricultural knowledge to farmers through extension systems. The learning alliance now developed around SRI has been emphasising that taking a narrow view of SRI is unfortunate, because SRI works best when accepted as a set of ideas to be locally adopted. There is something to be said for the more rigorous scrutiny that potential innovations are subject to under the scientific approach. However, considering that in farming many innovations have traditionally come from farmers and civil society, there is need to let go of the linear view of innovation. Further, accepting SRI requires breaking out of the mould set by prior investments in infrastructure such as fertiliser plants and a subsidy regime, which discourage any diversion from the accepted path. Farmers’ approach to innovation is less rigid. Instead of trying to purify some "real" SRI as the scientist would do, the farmer would look at what SRI can be, as operationalised in different settings. But this “economics of evolution” could turn favourable in future, when SRI turns from being “nobody’s business” at present, to becoming “hot property” as commercial organisations and lobbies develop products and services around SRI. Through his work on SRI, Beumer has become part of the community that are pushing for wider acceptance and practice of SRI. While working on SRI, Beumer could learn the terminology related to rice and its cultivation, and experienced that the farmers had different priorities and could not relate easily to the queries and concerns of the researchers. The field visits helped in the research design. Actually putting one’s feet in the muddy field offered the researcher an insight into the farmer’s world. Presenting his work at the national symposium on SRI in Tripura helped in sharpening Beumer’s perspectives on SRI and its progress. The symposium was also a source of empirical knowledge. Hence, being open to learning can lead to interesting results for a researcher. For Beumer, his ability to be part of an emerging community in SRI enabled him to use his editing skills to document and even edit a book with his colleagues. He has come up with ideas for papers and a possible PhD in the field. Reported by Sanjay Varma, with inputs from Koen Beumer, C. Shambu Prasad, and D. P. Dash. [November 30, 2007] Copyleft Xavier Institute of Management, Xavier Square, Bhubaneswar 751013, India Research World (ISSN 0974-2379) http://www1.ximb.ac.in/RW.nsf/pages/Home |
