Grassroots to Global: Taking the movement forward

Large number of small enterprises provide greatest guarantee of democracy. In this age of acquisition and mergers, it is questionable if small enterprises will be viable unit of analysis in future. Knowledge networks of small producers, entrepreneurs, designers and marketers could create as effective supply chains as some of the large corporations try to achieve.

Polycentric development of entrepreneurial urge requires availability of autonomous spaces for individuals to try, experiment, fail and still persist. However, globalization has shrunk such spaces for small innovators and entrepreneurs. It has been by and large a one-way street. The Honey Bee Network has been trying to reverse this process. Today, there is an extraordinary need to spur the entrepreneurial revolution around the developing world and for that a new model has to be invented. This model would link the grassroots ideas, innovations and institutions with global market players and other stakeholders in a way that globalisation acquires a new perspective. There has to be a creation of new ethics and institutional culture to support the grassroots innovations developed by often uneducated or less educated or valorised to address global demands.

Already the innovative products have reached five continents. But, a great deal remains to be done. The successful entrepreneurs can mentor the start-ups whether in formal or informal sector. However, the mechanism of mentoring small, scattered and disconnected innovators without access to much education, banking or communication systems is not easy. Distributed mentoring is a challenge that we have to meet, if Grassroots to Global (G2G) has to become an international reality. In other words, if triangle of linking innovation, investment and enterprise has to be formed across the world, then transaction costs of each actor will have to be reduced considerably using online platforms. Honey Bee Network approach is working on this Golden Triangle.

This effort to reach out to grassroots innovation and traditional knowledge has evolved as one of the biggest social movements in India. A major means of facilitating people to people interaction is through the Shodhyatras which are conducted twice a year.

With the grassroots innovation movement spreading all over the country there is a need to immediately undertake legal protection and enhance international IPR regime to respond to these grassroots innovators and traditional knowledge holders. One has to evolve strong policy measures in such a scenario.