Technology, Innovation & Development
Towards Food, Health & Environmental Security |
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| In 2000, the United Nations agreed upon eight essential objectives, referred to as the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs to be attained by 2015 in order to ensure a more equitable and sustainable development of the planet. The Indian government has confirmed that the attainment of the MDG is a national priority. The main sectors concerned are food, health, education, environment and energy. In order to attain the MDGs it will be necessary to increase the quantity and quality of products and services produced in these sectors, while ensuring ecological sustainability and accessibility to the poor in an environment, governed by market forces. Four kinds of approaches are possible to attain these ends: (i) improving the efficiency of the production and distribution system; (ii) investing in capacity building (infrastructure, training etc.); (iii) introducing regulatory changes; and/or (iv) introducing innovation. |
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| A conference on Technology, Innovation and the Millenium Development Goals in India was organised in Thiruchirapalli in July 12-14, 2007. The conference had two main objectives. The first was to explore technological solutions, organizational routines, social norms and public policy to attain the MDG . The second was to initiate a dialogue between mainstream academics, NGOs, policy makers, private funding agencies and citizens. Significantly, the conference made a particular point that innovation was not to be viewed only in terms of new technologies but also include the possibility of introducing new physical structures, organisational routines, social norms and standards to support communities, institutions or markets. |
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| In India, as in most countries, clear strategies have yet to be developed in terms of investment allocation, due to insufficient data and understanding of the processes underlying the evolution of the sectors associated with the MDG. In particular interlinks between the different millennium goals such as environmental management, livelihood provision, gender equality and security for children have not been much studied.
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| The present conference proceedings volume comprise eight selected papers covering notions of development, and the role of technology for the attainment of food security, health security and environmental security and empowerment of depressed sections of society.
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| The first paper provides a historical overview of development as seen from the perspetive of the inheritors and beneficiaries of the historic changes. The second by Sukhpal Singh particular developments in agriculture and their complex impact on social access to food and health and to the econonomy. The third paper by Arijita Dutta prompts the reader to consider how neither inward looing policies nor the new globalization has had the desired impact on health provisions nor improved health access especially of the poor. Dhruvajyoth Ghosh's takes readers on a journey into the urban waterbodies of Kolkatta and the unique environmentally sound waste disposal systems designed and implemented by the local population over generations. M. Manimekalai in the following chapter reports on a revealing study on microenterprises deriving from self help groups and points out that it is not enough to simply evolve policies and programmes without creating a demand for them. The next three papers are field-based analytical papers. Oswald Qunital looks at the exploitative tendencies in agricultural development and their detrimental effect on food security and food sovereignty. Subburaman describes the problems of environmental sanitation, challenging the notion that people are fundamentally reluctant to adopt clean and environmentally sound habits of waste disposal. In the last chapter Antonin Benyacar et al discusses at length Ecosan toilets the innovation and the problems of not just promoting it but of creating a market for it.
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| These papers are a sampler of the analytical and scholarly work that is being generated on the many innovations in technology and organisational systems and social behaviour that are being put in place in India and the further challenges they are generating. We invite you to read on contribute to the dialogue and discussion on these issues. |
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| - Shyama V.Ramani |
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