Indigenous Technology Research Articles

Orgatma – the 3PL challenge

Learning outcomes This case study would help students in understanding the dynamics of logistics and logistics vendor roles and contributions to overall business operations. The case study covers real-time information for applying the theoretical knowledge students gain related to the selection of logistics vendor. It would help students to understand and evaluate the dynamics of a new start-up related to cost, profits and dependency; understand and analyze the importance of third-party logistics (3PL) service providers in the supply chain; become aware of the key performance indicators (KPIs) important in the selection of logistics vendor; and develop and create measures for selecting logistics vendors on the basis of KPIs. Case overview/synopsis This case study was about an innovative start-up operating in the field of organic edible oils. The company catered to end consumers with its indigenous technology and processes. The innovative and healthy products were appreciated by the consumers, as was reflected in the surging demand figures. With the increasing popularity of organic products, the orders were surging. At the same time, issues such as damaged product delivery, increased cost per delivery of small packages and failure to deliver because of unserved pin codes by their logistics partners were being faced by the company. The case discusses the dilemma faced by the protagonist regarding the selection of the right 3PL partner. The case study is suitable for teaching courses in operations and logistics, supply chain management and entrepreneurship-related courses. Complexity academic level This case study is appropriate for postgraduate courses in entrepreneurship, operations management, logistics and supply chain management and general management. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS9: Operations and logistics.

Examining the Antecedents of Defence Indigenization for Modernization of Armed Forces in India

When it comes to protecting a nation's sovereignty and national security, the role that the defence industry plays is indispensable.In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on indigenization, which refers to the development and manufacturing of military items within the borders of a country. It entails putting in place a robust military industrial base that can both contribute to the nation's overall security and fulfill the requirements of the country's armed forces.The modernization of the armed forces is dependent on acquiring latest military hardware , best served through developing indigenous technology. Given the importance of defence indigenization, this paper tries to examine the antecedents of defence indigenization in India using structural equation modelling. The analysis of the data reveals that government policies and private-public partnership play a vital role in defence indigenization. However, transfer of technology is yet to play a significant role in indigenization. Further, there is a strong relationship between defence indigenization and modernization of armed forces. Defence indigenization can be facilitated by fostering private-public partnerships, enhancing technology transfers, and streamlining government regulations.

Compressed biogas plants in India: Existing status, technological advances and challenges

The application of compressed biogas (CBG) in day-to-day livelihood has garnered significant attention in modern day era. It is considered as a potential solution to curb the increasing energy demand and other environmental concerns. The process involves anaerobic digestion (AD) (hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis) of organic substrate under an optimum operating condition (pH, temperature, etc.) via anaerobic microorganisms. This paper aims to describe some major facts about different technological options related to pre-treatment, AD, cleaning and up-gradation system. It also highlights the practical challenges related to high investment cost, inadequate infrastructure, clearance and approval issues, poor feedstock supply chain management etc. in adaption of CBG plants in India. The review examines the significance of both dry and wet continuous digester systems, which includes its advantages and challenges, considering factors, such as feedstock characteristics, process stability, and operational efficiency. It was also found that the type of feedstock and its availability in existing market plays a vital role in smooth functioning of CBG plants. Therefore, the study presents a comprehensive review discussing potential feedstock readily available for CBG plants in Indian market. It was concluded that the usage of agricultural waste (such as Napier grass) has higher CBG potential compared to other feedstock. At the same time, the study presents a broader aspect to policy makers and governing authorities to reframe the existing structure for financial assistantship, regulatory laws, subsidiary schemes etc. for CBG plant owners. It also gives an opportunity to technocrats, industrialist and investors to come-up with an indigenous technology with in-house manufacturing units to promote CBG production in India.

Mausoleum or museum: Engaging the significance of cultural museum collections for heritage tourism in the 21st century

AbstractTangible and intangible elements of culture are the primary sustenance of heritage tourism. They include traditional dance, folklore, songs, arts and craft, indigenous technologies, festivals, rituals, and rites. All these are cultural products designed to embody different activities. They constitute some of the major attractions of present‐day cultural museums. Although these objects are imbued with functional roles through which they interact with society, yet within the confines of cultural museums, they are seemingly lifeless; needing the curator to narrate their relevance. Their functional role in the community seems lost as no opportunity is given or created to display their cultural relevance to amuse curious museum visitors. This raises some questions, is the museum a mausoleum of cultural products? How can mere narration of lifeless objects satisfy visitors' curiosity and taste for a new experience? To answer these salient questions, this paper employed desktop research design using two case studies, the Osun Osogbo sacred grove in Osun state and the palace of the Oba of Benin Nigeria, to explore the significance of cultural museums in promoting heritage tourism through the functional role of its collections. The study found that living heritage negates their original community role upon entry into the modern museum. The paper concludes that the significance of cultural museum collections can be revived by decolonizing the Eurocentric paradigm and indigenizing curatorial practices of western‐modeled museums in Nigeria.

Climate change and the livelihoods of food crop farmers in Lesotho: Lessons for the implementation of the national climate change adaptation strategy.

The vast majority of Lesotho's rural population is reliant on agriculture for survival. However, Lesotho, Southern Africa is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which has a negative impact on rural livelihoods. Furthermore, despite the fiscal challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lesotho's National Climate Change Policy Implementation Strategy has been hampered by implementation issues and has yet to be implemented. This sparked the necessity for this research, which aims to inform the government of Lesotho on how farmers are combating climate change in their own tiny way. This study employs a survey to gather data from 200 farmers from farming villages across the country's 10 regions. According to the findings of this study, farmers have experienced climate change in the areas of drying rivers, delayed on-set of rainfall, and excessive frost or cold. As a result of these events, farmers have experienced poorer agricultural yields, increased insect and disease attacks, and lower-than-normal harvests. The adaptation methods the farmers are using include the employment of indigenous technology for pest and disease control, fruit tree planting, conservation agriculture (water and soil conservation), and rainwater harvest storage for use during dry seasons. Some of these adaptation strategies are feared to cause further environmental challenges for Lesotho. Therefore, in order to enhance the lives of Lesotho's farmers, the government of Lesotho should consider implementing the National Climate Change Policy Implementation Strategy.

The Impact of International Technology Transfer on Technology Gap in the Context of Developing Countries

The study aimed at the effect of International Technology Transfer (ITT) on the technology gap in developing countries. The study investigated the effects of ITT on the policies and strategies that can be implemented to improve ITT in developing countries. The study was anchored on dependency theory. The study employed a qualitative method. The study’s narrative review was chosen as it is an evidence-based review that concentrates on previous literature. The study used a search strategy. Previous empirical studies were screened using Prisma Flow-diagram. It was found that the effects of ITTs on the technology gap in developing countries remain a subject of debate and investigation in academic research and that empirical evidence from different studies has shown mixed findings. The study concluded that ITT could positively and negatively affect the technology gap in developing countries. The study recommended that developing countries prioritize investment in education and human capital development to build a skilled workforce capable of utilizing and adapting to new technologies. In addition, they should encourage local innovation and development of indigenous technology to reduce dependency on foreign technology and promote sustainable development.

Vernacular Architecture: Exploring the Architectural Characteristics and Changes in Traditional Settlements of Rana Tharu from Far Western Nepal

Vernacular architecture and settlements are considered culturally meaningful, socially acceptable, locally harmonized, and ecologically sustainable. The traditional buildings seem to be more connected to the local places, environment, culture, indigenous technology and people. However, with the development of new technologies along with increase in population, replacement of these vernacular buildings and settlements has become a regular phenomenon in many of the nations including Nepal. In this regard, considering the case of vernacular buildings and settlements of Rana Tharu from far western region, this paper aims to (i) examine the characteristics of settlement pattern, house form, construction technology, materials and spaces in Rana Tharu settlements; and (ii) identify the changes and crucial factors behind the acceleration of such changes. The paper applies a qualitative approach through explanatory qualitative analysis for exploring the transformation in architectural style, settlement patterns, house forms, construction techniques, use of spaces, and community livelihoods in the Rana Tharu settlements. Field observations, key informant's interviews and informal discussion with locals were carried out. This research contributes in understanding the factors causing changes in traditional Rana Tharu buildings and settlement, and also highlights on significance of vernacular architecture and settlements.

Indigenous Technologies and Flexible Design for Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings: A Case Study Approach

This paper explores the application and future development of indigenous technologies and flexible design in reducing energy consumption in residential buildings. The paper introduces the principles, applicability, and comparison of indigenous technologies and flexible design with modern technologies, and examines the sources and current status of energy consumption in residential buildings. The study details how indigenous technologies and flexible design can be combined and explores their application in residential buildings and how they can improve the energy efficiency, adaptability, and quality of life of residential buildings. Through case studies, the paper presents examples of residential buildings that have adopted indigenous technologies and flexible designs, exploring their effectiveness in terms of energy consumption and the impact on user experience and quality of life. Finally, the paper discusses the implications and direction of this approach for future buildings.

Is It Possible to Create a New Indigenous Technology from an Imported Technology?

The transfer of technical artifacts from industrialized countries to other parts of the world is nowadays a common and everyday occurrence. But the differences in the cultural backgrounds of societies, and the cultural and social consequences of technological incursion on destination societies have led to conflicts and dichotomies that have sometimes destroyed the cultural infrastructure of these destination societies. Therefore, making changes to imported technologies and the possibility of developing technology based on the needs of the native culture have been indispensable necessities for destination communities. In this article, we explore the possibilities surrounding this issue and look for a solution to be implemented. To this end, we first review and critique the views of scholars of science and technology studies and also of the philosophy of technology, and in particular look at the work of Ihde and Feenberg. We found their answers to these questions to be constructive but lacking a holistic approach that is also practicable. Finally, by presenting a three-step solution of our own, we try to bridge the gap and link the ideas of thinkers and the real issues of technology and culture in non-industrial societies. We believe these three steps offer a way to indigenize various forms of imported technologies.

‘Rantak’: Perishing indigenous wisdom of cold arid Region of Ladakh

The present study done in four purposively selected villages of district Leh in the union territory of Ladakh documents the perishing indigenous technology of cold arid Ladakh, a water mill used to grind grains. The traditional water mill of this region, locally known as the ‘Rantak’ or ‘Churak’ is used for grinding grains of different crops and vegetables. Driven by fast moving water usually coming or made to come from a height, the Rantak serves the people in grinding cereals like barley, wheat, buckwheat and vegetables like pea, broad bean etc. The mill is made by the villagers having expertise in this by using locally available materials. Unfortunately with the passage of time, a few of them are left in the region and among those left many are non functional. The present generation does not know much about these. The indigenous wisdom of the people of the region is now perishing and the technology is on the verge of extinction.

Indigenous technical knowledge of Assam for pests management – Exploit potential in organic agriculture

One neighborhood investigation was conducted amongst 500 farmers of Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat and Dibrugarh districts of Central Brahmaputra valley Zone and Upper Brahmaputra valley Zone of Assam. Only 21.8% of farmers completely practiced the indigenous technology knowhow (ITK) for pest management, though 48.4% were aware about ITKs, whereas 41.8% famers apply synthetic chemical driven approaches. A total of 30 different types of ITKs had been collected which weresorted out crop wise and placed in different groups based on their use i.e. rice (20), pulses (1), tuber crops (3), vegetables (2) and fruits (4). It is speculated that a comprehensive study on different ITKs of Assam and their appropriate validation could be the valuable components for organic farming technology.

Gharat – A sustainable source of livelihood

Gharat is an ecofriendly source of livelihood for villagers since ages especially in Himalayan region. It is an indigenous technology converting kinetic energy of flowing water into mechanical energy and is used for grinding flour, maize, spices and producing electricity locally. The present study aims to create awareness to the village inhabitants on refurbishment of this indigenous eco-friendly technology to enhance the quality of life. But, in recent years, disinterest from youths towards this ancient carbon free energy has been noticed. In the present paper, the authors have emphasized that technology upgradation can improve the existing efficiency of gharats in many fold which in turn increase the revenue generation for the locals and enhance the standard of living.

Analysis of Landscape Patterns Changes and Driving Factors of the Guangdong Chaoan Fenghuangdancong Tea Cultural System in China

Guangdong Chaoan Fenghuangdancong Tea (GCFT) Cultural System is the second batch of China’s Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS), identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2014 as having rich biodiversity, valuable knowledge of indigenous technology, and unique ecological and cultural landscape. Under the dual background of rapid urbanization and agricultural industry structure transformation, China-NIAHS-GCFT is facing the reality of structural changes in land use/cover and landscape patterns. Therefore, it is important to systematically portray land use/land cover (LULC) changes in China-NIAHS-GCFT sites and clarify the spatial pattern differences due to the impact of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition on tea garden areas and the tea industry. This study was conducted in Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, where GCFT is located, to compare and analyze the LULC characteristics of the core area of the heritage site (Chaoan, Chaozhou) and the control area (Raoping, Chaozhou) before and after recognition. We assessed the spatial variation in tea garden area and the intrinsic driving mechanisms of the change by integrating social factors, such as China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition, and natural factors, such as elevation, precipitation, and temperature. The results show that: (1) Around 2010, the change in LULC of the core and control areas progressed from slight changes to dramatic changes, mainly shifting from natural to anthropogenic landscapes. The decrease in the cropland and grassland and the increase in built-up land in the core area were obviously larger than those in the control area. (2) Before and after GCFT was recognized as China-NIAHS in 2014, the changing pattern of tea garden shifts from “basically stable and small growth” to a trend of “substantial expansion”. Specifically, the recognition brought about tea garden area expansion and tea industry development in the core area, especially Fenghuang. Meanwhile, a radiating effect extends to the control area, especially the townships adjacent to Fenghuang. (3) Similar natural climatic conditions of temperature and precipitation in the two regions provide a basic growing environment for tea trees; however, elevation was the key natural resource condition affecting the distribution of tea gardens. The elevation conditions of the core area are more suitable for growth of tea trees compared to the control area.

Intellectual Property: Legal Provisions and Legal Cases in Nepal

Strengthening the legal protection of intellectual property (IP) is a major concern for entrepreneurs, inventors, and intellectual communities. It is accountable to the nation to protect its indigenous technology by strengthening its legal footing. Nepal, being a member of the World Trade Organization, is bound to develop a legal framework for the protection of intellectual property. Hence, the country has updated the laws related to IP within the Constitution, Acts, and Rules. There are an increasing number of legal conflicts arising regarding intellectual property in the courts of Nepal. The paper deals with the decisions forwarded on IP-related cases by the Supreme Court of Nepal. In the context of Nepal, an issue or complaint related to IP is initially filed at the Department of Industry as per the prevailing legal provisions relevant to IP. If the settlement is not confined to the department, then the case is forwarded to the District Court. The district-level court settled most IP-related legal cases in Nepal. Further, if the district-level court does not settle the case, it is then appealed to the High Court (then the Appellate Court). Few IP-related legal cases have reached the jurisdiction of Nepal’s Supreme Court, where they have been quashed on appeal, upheld lower-level court judgments, or even upheld or defended the decision of the Department of Industry or the Copyright Registrar’s Office. Nevertheless, given the dynamic nature of the business environment, the court of law should also go for amicus curiae for a better understanding of the crimes and to give a proper judgment on IP-related cases. At the same time, the government of Nepal needs to enact the necessary acts to show a commitment to the promise made in an international arena like the World Trade Organization.

Política industrial, tecnonacionalismo e Indústria 4.0: a guerra tecnológica entre China e EUA

ABSTRACT This paper aims to analyze the evolution of the technology war between China and the USA in a context of exacerbation of techno-nationalist strategies for industrial and technological development. This analysis refers mainly to the Chinese strategy to deploy Industry 4.0 and the implications derived from US imposed restrictions on Chinese efforts to develop indigenous technologies that are central in the forthcoming paradigm. The hypothesis is that such policies, by boosting Industry 4.0, aim to create a new techno-economic paradigm and thus reconfigure the bases of inter-capitalist and interstate competition. The main contribution to the literature is providing an analysis of the implications of the technology war between China and the USA in different layers of the Industry 4.0 techno-economic paradigm, in addition to the mainstream debate about the transition to 5G communication networks.

Review: Christ Returns from the Jungle: Ayahuasca Religion as Mystical Healing, by Marc G. Blainey

Review: <i>Christ Returns from the Jungle: Ayahuasca Religion as Mystical Healing</i>, by Marc G. Blainey

Indigenous knowledge systems for land condition assessment and sustainable land management in the Talensi District, Ghana

&lt;p&gt;The quest for sustainable land management has led to the development of modern technologies for land condition assessment and management, but these approaches have often failed in rural contexts due to their high complexity and incompatibility with the socio-economic conditions of land users. Although indigenous systems are known to be accessible, compatible, and economically affordable for rural farmers, less is known about indigenous technologies for the assessment of the land condition and sustainable land management. The present study identified indigenous indicators for the assessment of land degradation and examined indigenous practices for sustainable land management in the Talensi district of the Upper East region of Ghana. The study employed a qualitative approach in which interviews were conducted with sixty farmers in three selected communities of the Talensi district. Generally, land degradation was observed by respondents in the form of soil degradation or loss of vegetative cover. Among indigenous indicators of land degradation, soil erosion emerged as the most frequent indicator (75%), while the proliferation of mining pits (10%) was the least observed indicator. Indigenous practices for sustainable land management in the district include stone bunding, contour ploughing and zero tillage. The most used soil fertility improvement practice identified was crop rotation (47%) while the application of compost/manure occurred as the least (18%) practice. The study recommends that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture incorporate indigenous knowledge and technologies into land management programmes.&lt;/p&gt;

Community Initiated and Practiced Climate Resilient Technology and its Effectiveness in Disaster Risk Reduction at Barisal, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a low-lying deltaic plain country in which three-quarters of the population lives in rural areas, and they are the primary victim of climate invented worst situation (Siddiqui, 2009). As rural area’s people were deprived from the modern technology to mitigate the disaster, so that rural area’s people created y own initiated climate resilient technology to protect themselves. The purpose of this study was to identify indigenous disaster mitigation measures that the community had implemented in order to reduce the negative effects of disaster. The study area was Bakerganj upazila, Barisal which is also a rural based disaster-prone area. In this research, two types of data collection techniques were used, such as as primary and secondary data collection methods, afterwards the collected data were analyzed through Microsoft Excel. The major findings of this study were that, due to climate change the most drastic change was in temperature, which is responsible for occurring different kinds of disaster. Among those in the study area flood was the most prior disaster which may fallen impact on house and agriculture of study area. It was mainly influenced by poverty and lack of community awareness. So that the mostly used climate resilient technology of this area was raising of house platform above flood level (95.87%), plantation of disaster resilient tree around the house (76.29%), raising platform for cultivation (73.20%), using homemade fertilizer for enhance productivity (62.89%) and tying of house to minimize the possibility of destroying (61.86%). Among those raising house platform and cultivable land platform was more sustainable and resilient indigenous technology of this area. Beside more the study area’s people also got support from different GO and NGOs. And also, this area had strong social bonding with each other and local authorities, so that they got advantages from them and they consider this support as their capacity to fight against any kind of disaster. As indigenous technologies are very important for disaster risk reduction so that those should be linked up with local level adaptation plans for increasing the efficiency and resiliency of those locally invented technology, so that those will be easily accepted by the vulnerable community and implemented successfully against disaster.

Use of sisal fiber and cement to improve load bearing capacity of mud blocks

Using soil as a construction material for masonry works have been indigenous technology. The present research investigates on use of sisal fibres and cement additives to enhance compressive strength of properties of mud block to advance traditional native knowledge and meet current construction material standard qualities. An experiment with total of twenty-four mixes consisting of 96 blocks was designed with mixes of 0% to 15% cement; 0% to 1.25% sisal fiber proportional to clay soil dry mass. At 28 days, compressive strength and density tests were performed as per ASTM standards. Test results showed use of sisal fibers and cement increased compressive strength of mud blocks up to 210.1%. Optimum mix design for enhanced mud block compressive strength performance were 10% cement and 1% sisal fiber composition.

​​Evaluation of Botanicals Crotalaria burhia Buch-Ham and Anacardium occidentale L. against Termite Odontotermes obesus Rambur (Isoptera: Termitidae) in Wheat

Background: In recent times, termites have gained importance in agriculture as a pest in wheat crop. Famers are using chemical pesticides for the management of termites, which eventually leads to degradation of soil, insecticide residue, pest resurgence, air pollution, water pollution and also affects human health. In this regard, botanicals as an effective alternate to insecticides in the management of termites is crucial. The root and leaf extracts of Crotalaria burhia Buch-Ham and Anacardium occidentale L. against termites was evaluated. Methods: Field experiments were conducted to assess the efficacy of botanicals viz., Crotalaria burhia Buch-Ham and Anacardium occidentale L. along with Indigenous technologies, biofungicide and standard chemicals against Odontotermes obesus Rambur in wheat. An experiment was laid at the Research Farm, Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology, Gurgaon, Haryana during two seasons, i.e., November 2014-March 2015 and during December 2015-April 2016. Result: The test botanicals incorporated along with indigenous technologies and widely recommended termiticides assessed for their efficacy against O. obesus in wheat at two locations proved to be effective in the order of imidacloprid 17.8 SL at 350 ml ha-1 greater than chlorpyrifos 20 EC at 2 l ha-1 greater than B. bassiana 2x108 at 500 ml ha-1 greater than C. burhia root extract (10%) at 50 l ha-1 greater than A. occidentale leaf dust (5%) at 25 kg ha-1 greater than irrigating plots greater than neem oil (2%) greater than dusting salt at 25 kg ha-1.