Grassroots Innovation
Two girls make reusable pads at ASK4Girls Club session 3 in Kramokrom, Ghana on February 18, 2022.
Author: Rose Conklin
Innovations are any ideas, products, services, or methods that achieve a goal in a new or more effective way. When we try to use one innovation in several different environments, it will often fall short of this goal. This is because every region, location, and community has different needs, resources, and tools. This understanding of innovation is known as local, grassroots, or community-based innovation.
Western innovations are often rooted in technology such as apps on our phones or software on our computers. However, in poor rural communities, electricity may not be available and mobile phone service is poor. In these communities, an app may not be the most effective way to define innovation. They don’t have smartphones, and therefore do not have a way to access these apps. Instead, they may prefer an innovation that meets them where they are in terms of resources. In communities without running water or systems to remove waste, grassroots innovations that address these issues are life-changing in ways that Western innovations, such as apps, cannot be.
One example of an innovation that would be beneficial to the communities served by ACESWorld would be the Berkeley-Darfur Stove, which is a cooking device that provides a safe and energy-efficient way for people to cook. This stove reduces smoke inhalation by limiting the amount of smoke released in homes, and it reduces poverty by decreasing the time it takes to gather firewood. Another example of an innovation that would be transformational for the communities served by ACESWorld would be the program “Liter to Light”. This program teaches people without access to electricity how to turn recycled plastic bottles and other local materials into solar-powered light bulbs. These types of innovations transform the quality of life for people in these communities, and were either designed with them in mind or created by the people themselves. This ensures that they are usable, implementable, and effective in these regions.
ACESWorld’s task is to act as a catalyst and educate communities so that they can develop innovations that best fit their needs. It is easy to assume that what moves the needle forward in Western society will do the same in other communities. However, the best way to help a community is to truly understand it. Approach each community as a partner. Be willing to listen to them and support their needs. Instead of offering Western innovations, be willing to teach a community how to build the capacity to innovate for themselves. This is the best way to make a positive and lasting impact on a community, and is what ACESWorld aims to accomplish.
Sources:
Hoffecker, E. 2018. Local Innovation: what it is and why it matters for developing economies. D-Lab Working Papers: NDIR Working Paper 01. Cambridge: MIT D-Lab. Retrieved 26 February 2022, from https://www.idin.org/sites/default/files/resources/Local%20Innovation%20Working%20Paper%2001.pdf
Frigillana, M. (2016). 10 Technological Innovations for Developing Countries. Retrieved 26 February 2022, from https://borgenproject.org/10-technological-innovations-for-developing-coutries/
10 Innovations That Are Improving Lives. (2017). Retrieved 26 February 2022, from https://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2017/ten_innovations.html