Activities of Prolinnova in South of India

10 March 2025. Brussels. In person meeting of the Collective Action Agroecology. This is a pre-event before the DeSIRA-Lift conference: Boosting agrifood research and innovation cooperation for impact at scale (11-13 March 2025 in Brussels).

Presentation on: Activities of Prolinnova South India (host organisation, partners, type of work)
by Brigit Letty Chief Scientist Institute of Natural Resources NPC South Africa (Online) & James TJ Country Coordinator PROLINNOVA South India

1. Prolinnova South India A decentralised community of practice that recognises, supports and promotes grassroots innovation James TJ, Sharad Rai, Brigid Letty 1 Peermade Development Society, Kerala; 2 Prolinnova–Asia; 3 Prolinnova International Support Team;

2. Introduction to Prolinnova O verview of Prolinnova as a global community of practice Focus on promoting local innovation in agroecology and natural resource management Importance of indigenous knowledge and local adaptation

3. Local Innovation and Participatory Innovation Development (PID) Introduction to the PID approach The role of multistakeholder partnerships in supporting grassroots innovation

4. Prolinnova South India: Peermade Development Society Host Organization, Achievements and Projects Pioneer NGO in India working on Sustainable Agriculture , Organic Agriculture , Farmer Innovations and Rural Technology Developed and implemented several replicable models in organic agriculture, local and farmer innovation & rural technology. Conceptualized and implemented several innovation based projects supported by FAO, UNDP, BMZ, GIZ, UNESCO, EEC, DST, DBT , NABARD Well equipped scientific Infrastructure facilities : Soil testing , Water Testing , Quality Control labs, Biocontrol labs , Tissue Culture Network with major R&D institutes in India (Centre of Excellence of DST , GoI ) . More than 2000 certified farmers & Women Groups

5. Documented more than 1000 innovations from different parts of South India , out of which 60 innovators got national award from National Innovation Foundation Three National awards for promoting grassroots innovations. Land to Lab approach : Conceptualized by Scientists of Peermade Development Society has been recognized by FAO as one of the innovations for promoting agroecology ( https://www.fao.org/agroecology/database/detail/en/c/1170240/ ) First Organization in Asia to implement benefit sharing project of ITPGRFA on farmer innovation. Converted more than 30 innovations into small business /enterprises. International Partners Network: 2025 (November 10 th to 14 th –Peermade Development Society , Kerala.

6. Prolinnova South India : Network Consortium partners: Network of NGOs, farmer producer organizations , farmer organizations/Women Groups ,Research organizations (national organizations :Indian Institute of Spice Research , Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) ) Network of more than 100 rural and farmer innovators from Southern Indian States Documentation ,Participatory Innovation Development and Replication of Farmer innovations (Soil enrichment , Soil Conservation and Soil specific Cultivation)

7. Thoughts for the call Ideas for the Fonds de Dotation Roullier (FDR) call How can knowledge about soils be improved and shared with farmers to ensure the fertility and sustainability of soil resources? Legal entity engaged in research activities such as a public research organization, a higher education institution, a university chair, an NGO or association, a foundation or endowment fund, an agricultural research and development structure, or a French or international institution.

8. How about P-South India? Not the proponent, as can’t move funds out of India easily and not a research organization HOWEVER, links with farmers and other actors Strong agro -ecological context Do we expand beyond India to include a country that can distribute externally? How does one handle subgrants within India?