Technology
Our research is driven to understand the conditions under which technology can not only increase productivity but also contribute to resource conservation. The initiative on Forest Economy will empower the collectors of Seasonal Forest Products, especially women, by developing technology that is useful to them!
Our Vision of Technology
Technology has been at the center of environmental crisis. Contrary to the popular notion that increasing efficiency in resource use leads to resource conservation, all human efforts to increase productivity using technology have resulted in environmental degradation with short-term and long-term effects. The initiative on Forest Economy at Indian School of Business aims to understand the conditions under which technology can create positive synergies in outcomes such as increasing productivity and contributing to resource conservation.
We believe that such positive synergies in outcomes can be created through a combination of institutions and technology. Our emphasis on technology for creating an inclusive forest economy is to provide greater control over the technology to those who are affected by the negative outcomes of that technology, such as environmental degradation. There are three ways in which technology can contribute to building an inclusive forest economy.
The first is to use Digital technology to improve visibility and traceability of supply chains. The first mile production of forest based industrial raw material supply chains are invisible because they are enmeshed in the informal sector.
The people who are involved in the collection and sale of Seasonal Forest Products benefit poorly from it because the wealth and value of production is created outside of forests. The first step towards implementing technology is to make the first mile visible and traceable through digital recording mechanisms.The second major use of technology is in creating economies of scale by (a) creating aggregation economies through storage, transport, and other infrastructural investments to integrate with the formal economy, (b) increasing productivity to reduce drudgery of the first mile production of the collectors of Seasonal Forest Products. Although technology for increasing the productivity of the collector exists, it must be customized and adapted to local conditions and particular Seasonal Forest Products.
The third use of technology is in increasing accountability. Community ownership of forests must be coupled with monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the local communities manage forests responsibly and are held accountable for any failures. We will do this through a combination of remote sensing products, advanced analytics and mobile based applications that can hold different stakeholders accountable.
Explore our work
ISB-TCS partnership to build a sustainable forest economy in India
The Initiative on Forest Economy (IoFE) is focused on making a business case for Community Forest Resource rights recognition in
Technology stack (RatiFi) infusion for CFR: Introductory meet with Chief Welfare Secretary in Jharkhand
On 26 October 2022, IoFE Project Specialist Mr. Sandip Choudhury met with Mr. Srinivasan K, the Chief Welfare secretary of Jharkhand
Optimising Sustainable Bamboo Forest Mapping and monitoring techniques with Open-Source Remote Sensing and AI
Bamboo has high ecological and economic value in tropical and subtropical regions of Gujarat. Many species of bamboo are found
Partnerships to optimize technology in bamboo supply by forest communities
IoFE Team at BIPP- ISB has collaborated with Rural Technology Action Group (RuRTAG), IIT Madras and the Center for Rural
Building RatiFi: Concept
The implementation of Forest Rights Act for the recognition of Community Forest Resource rights involves many challenges. The first and
Upscaling the process of recognising and implementing Community Forest Rights in Jharkhand
ISB-BIPP worked with multiple stakeholders in Simdega to upscale the Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights claim filing process of the
Collaboration for Community Forest Resource Rights Recognition in Jharkhand: An Operational Plan
The Initiative on Forest Economy (IoFE) has been piloted in Simdega district, Jharkhand, in partnership with the Government of Jharkhand.
Partnerships to optimize technology in bamboo supply by forest communities
BIPP-ISB is in talks with the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) wing of IIT Madras and the Center for Rural
The distribution of Sal forests in Jharkhand
Following up from field data collection on the location of specific species on the ground, our Team has now produced a map of the distribution of Sal forests in the state. In December 2021, a team from ISB collected data from more than 5000 points in collaboration with local communities in Gumla district with the support of our partner Rose Xaxa.
Local Communities use advanced technology to produce estimates of Forest Inventory!
Building Capacity of Forest dependent Communities to create an Inventory of Seasonal Forest Products in Gumla