International Journal of Technology Management & Sustainable Development - Volume 9, Issue 1, 2010

This article looks at innovation as a product of the interaction between scientific and indigenous knowledge (IK). The innovation process raises questions about how knowledge on medicinal plants (MPs) is acquired, commoditized and politicized. By invoking the experiences of two related Indian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the article examines attempts made to promote IK in MPs through botanical knowledge and knowledge based on policies of biodiversity conservation, global health and development. The case studies further help shed light on how local knowledge is reinvented to fit into new global networks. Making traditional medicine (TRM) more visible through NGOs helps promote IK in MPs; it also has the effect of disbanding TRM from embodied knowledge and daily practices.

This article looks into the triple helix system as a basis for promoting technology and innovation in the Thai small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, with particular reference to the Thai dessert industry. The article draws on the significance of networking and social capital development for cultivating the indigenous knowledge base of the Thai dessert industry with the aim to improve prospects for technological capability development and long-term growth of firms in the industry. Best practice cases in knowledge acquisition and use are discussed in the context of network development, innovation and technology improvement in three cases of community-based business. Network facilitators or leaders play a crucial role in promoting the development of entrepreneurship and social capital in the community. They act as gatekeepers, acquiring knowledge from outside the community and making it accessible for members to use and engage in knowledge sharing and exchange. The aim is to build a culture of trust to stimulate interactive learning, creativity and innovation within the evolving social network.

This article examines the effectiveness of a farmer-to-farmer learning process (FFLP) developed and tested over three years in four amphoes (districts) of Northeast Thailand, and changes in adapted technologies and diversification. Assessment was made of the adaptation of four introduced technologies and of the effects of these technologies on farm income and diversification through annual interviews of 100 farmers from 2006 to 2008. Sixty-four per cent of the farmers adapted custard apple management, 58 per cent adapted liquid organic fertilizer, 38 per cent adapted herbal repellent extraction and 18 per cent adapted cassava-based animal feed. Farmers who adapted more technologies and generated more diversification gained higher incomes. Technologies introduced and adapted through the FFLP contributed 24 per cent of farm income and 21 per cent of the total income of the 100 farmers.

Forest Resource Accounting (FRA) is an important instrument of sustainable forest management (SFM). It facilitates estimation of the economic value of tangible and intangible forest benefits and the contribution of the forestry sector to gross domestic product (GDP). This article presents a critical review of the practice of FRA in the light of experience in India. Case studies are used as the empirical basis to propose an improved system of FRA on lines of the system of integrated environmental and economic accounting (SEEA). Also explored is the role of FRA in facilitating the achievement of the goals of SFM. The study shows that the contribution of the forestry sector to India's economy could be significantly enhanced if the value of unrecorded forest benefits were included in the national system of accounts.