Recognize people's science for value addition in post-harvest management of horticultural crops

Abstract

The traditional models of cooking craft have been an outcome of endless trial and error experimentation which they in totality adopted by virtual of their faith in their developmental attempts and this phenomenon may be termed as “People's Science”. After all, there is a reason behind a madness, if faith be termed as though, yet the art of performance, art of practical demonstration, art of learning by doing an expression, art of exercising by experience etc. are all innovative models of exhibiting truth; and therefore, innovations may be institutionalized, commercialized and conceptualized in the context of creativity and economic environment. Thus, the grassroot innovations, social innovations, community based innovations and bottom up innovations are the product of systematic planning and development. Moreover we need to create a new model of integrating traditional wisdom and farmers innovations, most probably the rural farm women's innovations, with R&D in agriculture, so that we could provide solution to the problems faced by large majority of small, marginal and women farmers who are operating as the bottom of the pyramid. Women farmers, in particular, has the natural instinct to socialize themselves, work in common harmony for a common cause relating to the development and strengthening of an individual, group, sect, segment or entity. However, the past experiences of national extension agencies working with women have also shown that rural farm women can also work together, create informal community based organizations like women interest-groups or self-help groups and pool resources or mobilize resources to address the issues that address them or that affect them. While we are witnessing innovative sparks among them, they need an enabling eco system for creating innovations.