Chennai, April 23, 2018: MSSRF  Wayanad in  partnership with KSCSTE is organizing a rural innovators’ meet  in Wayanad on May 14-16, 2018.  The rural innovators meet is specially meant for rural innovators and youths from various parts of rural Kerala; Scientists, Technocrats, Academicians, Development Practitioners, and representatives of R&D institutions and Farmers, women, tribes and students interested in technologies and engaged in application of rural technologies.

The Meet will be held at MSSRF’s Community Agrobiodiversity Centre of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Wayanad Kerala. The venue is located 4 Km away from Kalpetta, the head quarter of Wayanad district and 80 km away from Calicut City.

Background 

Rural India is considered to be economically backward, because of lack of penetration of appropriate technologies that restrict agriculture productivity, sustainable natural resource management and utilisation of bio-resources. Technology provides solution to the rural issues like unemployment, degradation of natural resources, low productivity in agriculture, stagnation of non-agriculture sectors etc.

There are large numbers of individuals and institutions engaged in developing and disseminating technologies in rural India to address the current issues. However, benefits of such technologies are enjoyed by only a few sections in the rural settings. At the same time there are rural innovators, who invest their time and efforts to find solutions to the problems the rural communities have been facing. There is also a need to demystify the existing technologies for bettering their life and livelihoods. This necessitates dissemination of technologies among all sections of rural population through appropriate strategies.

In order to link the rural Kerala with advanced technologies, to promote rural innovators and expose their technologies for refinement if necessary, and to establish a strong network between rural innovators and formal research and development institutions for promoting better technologies for rural life, MSSRF partnership with KSCSTE is organizing a rural innovators’ meet  in Wayanad on May 14-16, 2018.

Significance of Rural Innovators’ Meet

Rural innovations need further handholding and attention to standardise the technical know-how, and disseminate on a larger scale with proper scientific, research and development backups. Rural innovators do not have a platform to share their innovations and experiences as well as their new thoughts and ideas. They also lack access to research and development institutions or restricted opportunities to interact with technocrats working in the formal sectors.

It is imperative to develop low cost but sound technologies to transform the lives of rural people. This necessitates interaction between rural innovators and hardcore technologists, and between technologists and rural folks. In this context, through Rural Innovators Meet, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation is keen on making positive changes in the life and livelihood of women, rural farmers and tribes.

Specific Objectives

1. To identify and promote rural innovations those are potential to change rural life
2. Provide a platform for rural innovators to showcase and present their innovations
3. To identify potential innovations those  deserve special technological attention and further research
4. To facilitate networking and collaboration among rural innovators, technocrats, and formal research and development institutions

For more details contact

Dr  V. Balakrishnan, Head , MSSRF CAbC

email: balakrishnan@mssrf.res.in 

or

Dr Girigan Gopi,

Principal Scientist, MSSRF CAbC

email id: girigan@mssrf.res.in