Alternative Technologies, Organizational Forms and Initiatives in

Agriculture: A Review

Dinesh AbrolDelhi Science Forum and All India Peoples’

Science NetworkThrissur, India

13-16 October 2014

Social Movements, Science, Technology and Development: Deploy the lens of Undone S&T

Conflict between the powerful and the less powerful is fundamental to understanding the role of social movements in the development of alternative technologies and organizational forms. First of all, we therefore need to view the role of “Undone S&T” as a process of epistemic modernization of S&T fields. This is a historically determined process.

Contribution from the development of alternative technologies and organizational forms to “Undone S&T” is in the form of discoveries and inventions by working on:

Knowable unknowns; Undone S&T that the involved scientists and publics also see as positive or desirable to undertake

Undone S&T has the potential for surprising the architects of alternative pathways linked social carriers- groups of scientists and social movements);

Social Movements, Science, Technology and Development: Understanding the Situated Dynamics of Undone S&T-I

Using the lens of re-constructivism in S&T we can develop a historical and comparative perspective on the relationship of undone S&T with the worldwide movement of alternative technologies creation A political sociological understanding of the complex dynamics of the inter-field relations

and the politics of scientific knowledge and non-knowledge (agriculture and industry) indicates for example, what all was included in the priorities of Undone S&T and what got blocked for a while in the case of interventions in agriculture

Our analysis should also focus on the historically evolving relationships among science, the state (DST / ICAR), industry, social movements and civil society organizations (CSOs/NGOs).

Similarly, we need to obtain a better understanding regarding the significance of the Indian practice of alternative technologies and organizational forms in respect of energy, food and water (SOPPECOM, CERD) (Evaluation in terms of preparing the peasants, skilled, socially responsible and environmentally sensitive labour).

Social Movements, Science, Technology and Development: Understanding the Situated Dynamics of Undone S&T-II

Currently Undone S&T needs to evolve as a countervailing process to the growing corporate control of industrialization and the practice of neo-liberalization in the cultivation of development and knowledge production;

Since the Undone S&T involves recognition of a specific type of ignorance, we can ask how far we have ourselves been able to frame and tackle the challenge of Undone S&T For example, how have we been dealing with the issues of

environment, small land holders, rural labour; For example, we need to ask how much the current practice of the

efforts in respect of alternative technologies and organizational forms allow us to take the countervailing process further in Agriculture, RNFS and Energy?

Thus, where do we currently stand in terms of the framings and the perusal of mobilization and the strategies to be formulated for better success in respect of the historically evolving countervailing process

Closing and Opening of Spaces: Towards An Understanding

Framings of Undone S&T in India and the structural change shaped the work on alternative technologies and organizational forms; Do not we also need to situate the efforts in the framings and strategies of the

broader social movements in themselves in order to concretely reflect on the achievements and limitations in the case of Undone S&T under perusal in general in India during the decades of Sixties, Seventies, Eighties, Nineties and Two Thousands?

Analysis should focus on both the role played as well as the relationships emerging through Alternative Technologies and Organizational Forms work; Development of user capabilities, strategies for the institutionalization of the work

and competence building in the case of FGs and SGs, our own relationship with the TGs in mainstream S&T institutions, our own entrepreneurial leadership models

Strategies for scaling up (experiment, real world experiment, niche formation, regime change)

“Undone S&T” by Social Movements contributing to Industrial Innovation and Social Transformation

“Undone S&T” can be therefore better understood when embedded in a theory of dynamics of scientific and technological fields and industrial change, the two organizing axis involved in the building of our understanding of the

dynamics of undone S&T are the epistemic conflict dimension and the relationships between social movements and industrial-technological change are

the level of epistemic conflict in a research field of S&T and its extra-field relations in terms of relations between scientists, government, industry and people and

the relationship to industrial and technical change in terms of the policy and institutional reforms for (sun-rising) that support the creation of alternative technologies, techniques (practices), and /or organisational structures or the policy and institutional reforms for (sun-setting) that support technology / technique targeted for sunset and those opposed to existing or emergent ones

The level of conflict is variable, based again on the degree of opposition / of alternative to an existing scientific and technological field or to industrial order. The proposed two axis typology for analysis is required to be conceived as a continuum when applied to concrete cases.

Social Movements, Science, Technology and Development: Deploy the lens of Undone S&T

• When social movements undertake the development of alternative technologies and organizational forms their contribution needs to be understood as “Undone S&T” being organized– The concept of “Undone S&T” needs to be understood as a process

of epistemic modernization of S&T fields, which evolves as a countervailing process to its industrialization and neo-liberalization and involves recognition of a specific type of ignorance

– Knowable unknown but Undone S&T that the involved scientists and publics also see as positive or desirable to undertake

– Undone S&T has even sometimes the potential for surprising the dominant as well as alternative pursuing groups of scientists and social movements);

Dynamics of the Closing and Opening of Spaces for Alternative Technologies and Organizational Forms

Undone S&T needs to be understood in terms of the closure and opening of spaces under construction for alternative technologies and organizational forms Framings and implementation strategies of the movements that have been active in

the development of alternative technologies and organizational forms Understanding the dynamics of the nexus of relations among social

movements, governments, and industries (the extra-S&T field relations) is critical to working out our future strategies for scaling up (experiment, real world experiment, niche formation, regime change)

Development of a Typology of Undone S&T with respect to the relationship between Social Movements and industrial-technological change Alternative Industrial Order Movements (AIMs) Industrial Restructuring Movements (IRMs) Industrial Opposition Movements (IOMs) Industrial Access Movements (IAMs)

Alternative Technologies and Organizational Forms in India

A Historical and Comparative Perspective on the Closing and Opening of Space for the Emergence, Routinization, Crisis and Reconstruction of Alternative Technologies and Organizational Forms to the Mainstream Pathway (s)

Freedom Struggle and the Accommodation of Gandhian Technological Alternatives (Alternative-Industrial Order Movement -AIM) and Left Alternatives in Organizational Forms (Industrial Restructuring Movement-IRM by the Nehruvian Pathways to Development of Farm and Factory (National Planning Committee 1938, Radhakrishnan Commission 1948)

Understanding the Emergence, Routinization and Crisis of Nehruvian Pathway and the Dynamics of Closing and Opening of Space for the Movements under perusal for AT and Alternative Patterns of Industrialization

From the first FYP to second and third FYP and the developments in agriculture and industry, J C Kumarappa resigning, fourth FYP was crisis ridden moment of Nehruvian pathway, NCST and Emergency as the context of Alternative S&T

Extra-field relations of S&T in India in the seventies-relationship of Scientists, Government, Civil Society and Industry , ASTRA, Gaon Ka Karigar in CSIR and the Emergence of S&T for Weaker Sections in DST and CAPART, KVIC

Alternative Industrial Order Movements (AIMs): Alternative technologies targeted for Sunrise

Alternative Industrial Order Movements (AIMs), technology-and product-oriented movements (TPMs) and certification movements-the latter may develop out of the former) can indicate high epistemic conflict and involve the emergence of scientific counter-publics particularly when the technology is targeted for Sunrise,

Undone S&T during the emergence phase as research on alternative technologies, products, and production techniques – Extra-field S&T relations during the routinization phase institutional support and

funding granted for research but often limited, (Example of agro-ecology- ‘sunrising’ of agro-ecological approaches by the social movements, LEISA, Biomass based Industrial Production),

Extra-field S&T relations during the routinization phase involve the building of countervailing industrial power(Examples-Open Source Seed Systems, introduction of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides),

Extra-field S&T relations during the routinization phase evolve into complementation through incorporation & transformation (Examples- IPM or INM, Soil and Water management, drudgery reducing technologies, Or industrial regime transition through transformation ( certification schemes in organics)

Industrial Opposition Movements (AIMs): Alternative technologies targeted for Sunset

AIMs that though indicate high epistemic conflict and involve the emergence of scientific counter-publics but when the technology / technique is targeted for Sunset

Undone S&T during the emergence phase as research on risk, safety, uncertainty; Extra-field S&T relations during the routinization phase are funding granted /

demanded for risk evaluation and partial moratorium with precautionary politics (Examples-Genetically Modified Organisms, NPM),

Extra-field S&T relations during the routinization phase governments respond with public participation mechanisms and softening of technocratic governance S&T (Example- Non-pesticide Management (NPM), Jind Experiment, Karnal;

Extra-field S&T relations during the routinization phase industry may block change with contra-public strategies (Examples-Drip irrigation, Power Tillers

Movements for restructuring of state sector, public governance and industrial organization

• Industrial restructuring movements (IRMs)-indicate though low epistemic conflict but focus more on changing the ownership and organizational dimensions Undone S&T during the emergence phase undertaken as research into the new

organizational forms and the development of organizational technologies or techniques

Extra-field relations of Undone S&T during the routinization phase involves diffusion of new forms ,

Extra-field relations of Undone S&T during the routinization phase can involve radical restructuring of relations among the people, government and industry

Extra-field relations of Undone S&T during the routinization phase can mean organizational forms remain in niche position, and Or mainstream coopts some aspects of organizational innovation

• Examples of Peoples’ Planning, Kutumbshree, Green Army

Industrial access movements

Industrial access movements indicate though low epistemic conflict but focus more on access dimension

Undone S&T as support for research on access issuesFunding granted for access categoryAdvocacy organizations partner with industry Advocacy organizations shift into service provisioningContra-public dynamics emerge from neo-liberal ideology

Examples: Access to Water, Energy, Fertilizers, Laboratory and on-farm research (OFR), farmer field schools

Development of Social Carriers

• FGs, TGs and SGs: • Group enterprise formation• Stage of development of relations with S&T

personnel and institutions• Need analysis, User capacity building,

Continuous technology improvement, Network formation

• Relationship with larger political movements