Product Innovation Knowledge Transfer for Developing Countries: Towards a systematic Transfer Approach

The transfer of knowledge on product innovation to small- and medium-sized enterprises and local knowledge institutions in developing countries is expected to be one of the key drivers for competiveness and economical growth, and a part of the solution to environmental and social challenge. In that respect, this PhD study focuses on how the process of the current knowledge transfer takes place and how it can be improved. A combination of literature review and empirical research has resulted into a conceptual framework to describe the complex and dynamic process of product innovation knowledge transfer to developing countries. In order to improve this process, a systematic approach has been developed and operationalized by a needs assessment tool and a design manual: The UNEP Design for Sustainability for Developing Economies (D4S-DE) Manual (www.d4s-de.org). Both tools have been tested in practice by practitioners and have been evaluated by an academic review board.Design EngineeringIndustrial Design Engineerin

Teaching PSS in business practice: A win-win-win approach

This paper presents the findings gained through the implementation of the renewed Product Service Systems (PSS) course within the Design for Sustainability curriculum in 2010. Based upon the outcomes of our recent PSS research projects in practice and evaluation of the earlier PSS courses a new setup was proposed. The main starting point for restructuring the course was the conclusion that co-operation and mutual understanding between “creative” designers and “commercial” entrepreneurs are important conditions for success of a new PSS. The course setup is based upon a structured step-by-step approach (www.d4s-sbs.org) in combination with an interactive character by which the students have frequent meetings with the company representatives who gave the assignments as well as with the involved PhD-candidates of the current research projects within the faculty. It was concluded that interaction of students with real life actors increases the feasibility of developed projects (benefit for the companies) and the engagement of students with a real life context (benefit for the students). In addition this new teaching approach delivered valuable research materials (benefit for the PhD-candidates).Industrial Design Engineerin

Q methodology among smallholders: Challenges and best practices of a participatory approach

Smallholder farming is a backbone of millions of livelihoods in the Global South. It provides up to 80% of the food demanded in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia while scarcely occupying 12% of the global farmland. About 1.5 billion deeply poor households—especially those located in rural areas—depend directly on smallholder agriculture. Stimulating its sustainable intensification is thus of utmost importance in the fulfilment of SDG 2: Zero Hunger and SDG 1: No poverty. Despite decades of (top-down) scientific research, technology transfer and international aid, effective development of this sector remains a summit hard to reach. Profound heterogeneity of smallholder farming systems exacerbates the challenges of this endeavor. Their intricate differences does not only make a single, ultimate development model impractical/impossible, but ignoring them leads us to biases that result in leaving the most disadvantaged out.We argue that well facilitated participatory research is a sounder way to understand, and hence to act. First, it enables a bottom-up, co-creative process of mutual generation of knowledge together with relevant stakeholders. Second, it gives voice to the (generally) voiceless, therefore turning into a more inclusive and empowering exercise. We resorted to Q-methodology—a powerful qualiquantological participatory method—to explore smallholder adoption of sustainable irrigation technologies in Nepal and Indonesia. We interviewed 19 farmers and 24 experts about the uptake of a hydro-powered water pump commercially known as the Barsha pump. Through this research technique, we found three different viewpoints that placed themselves beyond typical social constructs of smallholder farming (e.g. country, land size). This deeper understanding may become an enabler for a more context-sensitive transfer of farming technology. On the flipside, the implementation of Q methodology in low-resource (rural) settings still poses a number of underreported challenges that are worth discussing, especially in light of big shocks such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We therefore raise questions such as, which good practices facilitate the application of Q methodology in low-resource settings? How to empower local researchers with a method that remains ‘property’ of developed countries? How to democratize the tools to allow people to learn better about themselves?Water ResourcesDesign for Sustainabilit

Discourses on the adoption of the Barsha pump: a Q methodology study in Nepal and Indonesia

Improved water management is an important strategy to support smallholder farming, and thus to foster food security and improved livelihoods. Within this strategy, technologies like water pumps, especially those operating on renewable energies, are key, as they are more environmentally sound and affordable alternatives. Their successful and sustained uptake is a complex process—largely dependent on the adopter and its surrounding context—usually overlooked by traditional linear technology-transfer approaches. By means of Q methodology, we explored cross-cultural discourses around the adoption of the Barsha pump (BP), a self-reliant hydro-mechanical device that does not require any external input than flowing water to operate. We administered the method to 43 (non-)farmer respondents linked to Nepali and Indonesian smallholder farming systems. We identified three relevant discourses, one of them bipolar in nature. These three groups accounted for 39%, 36% and 28% of the total explained variance of our study. The first one identified BP’s potential early adopters. The second discourse embodied the (stereotypical) highly dependent smallholder. The last one characterized (contrasting) views around the BP as an enabler of potential service-oriented business models to achieve well-being. These results reflect the need for a shift of mindset towards new ways of understanding technological change in smallholder settings. On the one side, simplistic one-size-fits-all models cannot connect to the diversity of issues and opinions as we found. On the other side, it is virtually impossible to produce tailored solutions to satisfy each of those individual realities. We propose possible adoption pathways that may lead to the exploration of innovative and adaptable business models that serve the diversity of smallholder farming needs more effectively.Water ResourcesDesign for Sustainabilit

Sowing Q methodology in the rural global South: a review of challenges and good practices

The accomplishment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is intrinsically connected to improving livelihoods in the Rural Global South (RGS). RGS livelihoods are complex, showing multiple dimensions beyond mere economic considerations. However, many related development policies (over)simplify livelihoods to income thresholds, leading to flawed interventions. Adequate strategies to address RGS livelihoods require a much deeper understanding of their various dimensions and complexities. Q methodology (Q) is a powerful participatory research technique that enables the systematic study of different viewpoints on subjective topics. Moreover, it has the potential to identify and reveal previously unheard narratives, thus allowing us to question the traditional understandings of RGS livelihoods. Yet, as a time- and assistance-intensive technique, its implementation faces methodological challenges that are currently overlooked and ought to be considered. We selected and reviewed 50 Q studies applied to different forms of RGS livelihoods. First, we discuss several on-field Q limitations associated with the physical, logistical, social, and cultural constraints. Second, we draw on good practices and strategies to cope with these limitations. Notwithstanding the limitations and strategies, we advocate building Q capacities and the gender-balanced empowerment of local researchers. This may contribute to a better understanding of the nuances and challenges of RGS livelihoods.Water ResourcesDesign for Sustainabilit

Sustainable business models for smallholder farmers:: Challenges for and lessons from the Barsha pump experience

Smallholder farmers (SFs) are cornerstone actors in eradicating poverty and hunger. Companies have recently focused on SFs as potential customers and suppliers. Several hindrances yet prevent SFs to be commercially viable actors. In this respect, sustainable business models (SBMs) bring opportunities for companies to increase profit, improve SFs' livelihoods, and promote environmental sustainability. Recognizing these opportunities, the Dutch company aQysta provides the Barsha pump (BP) as a sustainable irrigation solution for SFs. The challenges for BP adoption that remain for SFs illustrate that there is still limited understanding of how SBMs can support companies in engaging with SFs. To expand this understanding, we conducted a multiple-case analysis of 10 organizations providing SF-tailored products and/or services. Based on this analysis, we have drawn lessons for aQysta (and similar companies) to improve the BP's value proposition and we elaborate on the implications of this study for other organizations engaging commercially with SFs.Water ResourcesDesign for Sustainabilit

Q methodology in low-resource settings: Challenges and best practices

Reduction of poverty is a main goal in the global development agenda. The most extreme forms of poverty are mainly rooted in the Global South, and even more engrained in its rurality. Such poverty is not only characterized by infimum incomes, but also by the lack of access to many resources and services: health, sanitation, drinking water, education, etc. Eradication of deep poverty therefore demands a holistic understanding of its causes, as well as the wicked interaction of its many variables. International definitions of (deep) poverty, however, keep resorting to income thresholds (e.g. World Bank’s International Poverty Line) to measure it. In consequence, such definitions may overshadow underlying context-dependent complexities: gender dimensions, urban/rural divide, societal power relationships, local economic dynamics.Q methodology is a potentially powerful tool to understand better the different nuances of poverty, thus to enable a more effective tackling of its roots. First, as a participatory method, it offers voices to grassroots participants to express their own priorities and concerns. Second, it encompasses rich qualitative data that go beyond oversimplified quantitative thresholds and analyses. Third, as a reductionist technique, it condenses (virtually) infinite positions into clearly identifiable poverty discourses.At the same time, methodological deployment of Q methodology in low-resource settings, and particularly in rural areas, poses several (underreported) challenges worth to be considered and discussed. These challenges may be exacerbated in light of big shocks, like the current COVID-19 pandemic. Whether related to the concourse development, sorting grid design, P-set sampling, administration, data recording or validation, researchers may encounter a number of concerns/restrictions.In our work, we analyze these challenges along with proposed corresponding best practices. This analysis is the result of both literature review and first-hand Q methodology administration with smallholders in Nepal, Indonesia and Malawi. Best practices notwithstanding, we advocate for the empowerment of local researchers regarding this technique that remains ‘property’ of the western world. By democratizing the knowledge on its application, we expect local stakeholders to explore and prioritize their needs—and its potential solutions—in a more precise manner.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Water ResourcesDesign for Sustainabilit

How to design for taboos? A design intervention to overcome the taboo of menstruation in India

Taboos are like ‘’open public secrets’’ and often dealing with these topics can be challenging due to the negative societal view. However, taboos can have a strong impact on the well-being of people, therefore, addressing these subjects is of high importance. In this paper seven building blocks to design for taboos are presented. These blocks were identified during our desk and field research project on the taboo of menstruation in India. Menstruation is a taboo that is prevalent worldwide, but in the low and middleincome countries such as India, it has an even stronger negative impact on the lives of women. It is a subject that women deal with in secrecy and shame, often without involving men into the subject. However, India is a patriarchal country where men have a direct impact on the lives of women and the way women conduct their periods. Though efforts do exist to deal with the issue of menstruation, none so far have a focus on the stigma and shame that prevent from dealing with the subject openly. This paper presents the approach of gamification and humor in order to create a positive atmosphere for a discussion on the topic of menstruation inside the family house with all family members as a first steptowards dealing with the subject.Design for Sustainabilit

Sustainable Product-Service Systems: A different approach to secure smallholder production?

Smallholder farming is the cornerstone of the agricultural sector in the Global South. It produces 80% of the food in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, though it accounts for barely 12% of the global farmland. Its sustainable intensification is therefore paramount in the accomplishment of Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. In this respect, adoption of sustainable water pumping technologies is key to ensure access to irrigation water, thus to secure smallholder production. Sustained uptake of agricultural technologies, however, is a complex process whose attainment is far beyond the sole technology itself. It encompasses a number of intertwined variables of all kinds related to the adopter and the use context: biophysical, financial, institutional, social, cultural, etc.We argue that innovative business models—like sustainable product-service system (SPSS)—have the potential to ease the adoption process by overcoming many of its constraints (e.g. unaffordable upfront costs, lack of adequate servicing). These business models, unlike traditional linear approaches of technology transfer, have to take into account a broader network of stakeholders. In this way, the technology becomes an agent of interaction between involved parties. It turns into a dynamic element, connected to other products and well-developed services, that caters multiple farming needs. In our paper, we discuss enablers and barriers for the implementation of an SPSS in smallholder contexts under different scenarios. We analyze them based on evidence from Nepali and Indonesian smallholder communities where a novel hydro-powered pumping technology, known commercially as the Barsha pump, has been deployed. The insights gathered reveal many leverage points to create synergies between farmers, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies. They also denote the persistent challenges in the required shift of mindset for such an innovative system to come into full operation.Water ResourcesDesign for Sustainabilit

The effect of chemical cleaning on mechanical properties of three- dimensional printed polylactic acid

Three-dimensional (3D) printing may be a solution to shortages of equipment and spare parts in the healthcare sector of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Polylactic acid (PLA) for 3D printing is widely available and biocompatible, but there is a gap in knowledge concerning its compatibility with chemical disinfectants. In this study, 3D-printed PLA tensile samples were created with six different printer settings. Each of these six batches consisted of five sets with five or six samples. The first set remained untreated, the others were soaked in Cidex OPA or in a chlorine solution. These were applied for seven consecutive days or in 25 short cycles. All samples were weighed before and after treatment and subjected to a tensile test. Results showed that a third of the treatments led to an increase of the median weight with a maximum of 8.3%, however, the samples with the best surface quality did not change. The median strength increase was 12.5% and the largest decrease was 8.8%. The median stiffness decreased 3.6% in one set and increased in three others up to 13.6%. When 3D printing PLA medical tools, surface porosity must be minimized to prevent transfer of disinfectants to people. The wide variability of mechanical properties due to 3D printing itself and as a consequence of disinfection must be considered when designing medical tools by selecting appropriate printer settings. If these conditions are met, reusing 3D-printed PLA medical tools seems safe from a mechanical point of view.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired TechnologyDesign for Sustainabilit