A Systems View Across Time and Space
Table 1 Comparative case descriptions
From: User innovation and entrepreneurship: case studies from rural India
Case No. | User Innovation | Occupation of User Innovator | Age of Innovator (as on 2012) | Family Background of the Innovator | Educational Background of the Innovator | Product Description and Selling Price | Product Units Sold (till 2012) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cotton Stripper | - Helper and farmer in cotton fields. - Also worked as an electrician and mechanic in cotton textile mills. | 62 | -Belonged to a poor farmer family in rural India. - He hails from a small village near Viramgam in Ahmedabad district of Gujarat state. | - Dropped out of school due to poverty. - Studied till 9th grade. | Agricultural equipment:The machine mechanically strips cotton lint from semi-opened or unopened pods for various varieties of cotton. It can process 800 kg of cotton per hour.Price: US$ 8000 | 400 units |
2 | Mitticool-(Clay Products) | - Potter - Also, ran a tea stall and worked in a factory. | 47 | - Belonged to a poor potter family in rural India. - He hails from a small village near Morbi in Rajkot district of Gujarat state. | - School drop out. - Studied till 9th grade and failed in X grade. | Clay Creations: - Clay Refrigerator- (US$ 36)- Non-stick Earthen Tava (US$ 2.75)- Clay Pressure Cooker (US$ 9)- Other Clay Utensils | 7000 clay refrigerators, 100000 clay tawas and 500 clay cookers |
3 | Bullet Santi- (Motorcycle-driven Ploughing machine) | - Farmer and farm mechanic | 42 | - Belonged to a poor farmer family in rural India. - He hails from Mota Devaliya village in Amreli district of Gujarat state. | - Dropped out of school due to poverty. - Studied till 5th grade. | Agricultural equipment: Motorcycle-driven Ploughing machine having innovative attachments that can be used for various farming tasks. Price: US$ 450 for a complete set of unit with 3 implements. | 500 units |
4 | Biomass Gasifier | - Farmer and farm mechanic | 48 | - Belonged to a poor farmer family in rural India.- He hails from a small village called Thaldka in Ganganagar district of Rajasthan state. | - Illiterate.- Received no school education. | Biomass gasifier: A gasifier unit, which generates producer gas from bio waste that can be used to run diesel engines/ produce electricity Price: US$453 (per kilowatt) Price varies from US$2275 for 10 KW unit to US$5914 for 35 KW unit. | 80 units |
5 | Multipurpose processing machine | - Rickshaw puller- Farmer | 46 | - Belonged to a poor farmer family in rural India.- He hails from a village called Damla in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana state. | - Dropped out of school. - Studied till Xth grade. | Food processing equipment: Multipurpose processing machine, which can work as pulp extractor, dry grinder, boiler or sterilizer, pressure cooker. Price: Large version US$2457 and small version is US$1183 | 25 units |