TY - JOUR

T1 - Knowledge Commoning

T2 - Scaffolding and Technoficing to Overcome Challenges of Knowledge Curation

AU - Qureshi, Israr

AU - Bhatt, Babita

AU - Parthiban, Rishikesan

AU - Sun, Ruonan

AU - Shukla, Dhirendra

AU - Hota, Pradeep

AU - Xu, Zhejing

N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Information and Organization. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Information and Organization, 32, 2, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.infoandorg.2022.100410

PY - 2022/6/30

Y1 - 2022/6/30

N2 - Extant approaches to information provisioning to farmers to improve agricultural productivity, and thereby alleviate poverty have relied on top-down external expert-driven knowledge. Such external knowledge involves decontextualised content and the use of technical language, and is resource-intensive. An alternative view emphasises the need to explore indigenous knowledge exists in rural communities, which, in contrast, requires the use of local resources, is easily understandable, and has greater potential for adoption. This paper explores how information and communication technologies, specifically videos, can be leveraged to curate such indigenous knowledge and convert it to knowledge commons. Adopting a case study approach that involved multiple sources of data collection over a nine-year period, we unearthed a dynamic process model that we labelled as knowledge commoning. It is a process through which latent-action-oriented knowledge from high-yield farmers embedded within its social context is made available as commons. The creation of knowledge commons is an iterative process between knowledge curation and knowledge dissemination, and is guided by the demand and uptake potential within local farming communities. Further, we describe how socio-cultural barriers in knowledge commoning can be overcome through scaffolding, involving the concealment of social transformation objectives within another goal desired by the community. Technological challenges can be overcome through the process of technoficing, which encompasses pursuing social objectives using technology that is appropriate for the purpose. Building on our process model, we offer contributions to theory, practice, and policy.

AB - Extant approaches to information provisioning to farmers to improve agricultural productivity, and thereby alleviate poverty have relied on top-down external expert-driven knowledge. Such external knowledge involves decontextualised content and the use of technical language, and is resource-intensive. An alternative view emphasises the need to explore indigenous knowledge exists in rural communities, which, in contrast, requires the use of local resources, is easily understandable, and has greater potential for adoption. This paper explores how information and communication technologies, specifically videos, can be leveraged to curate such indigenous knowledge and convert it to knowledge commons. Adopting a case study approach that involved multiple sources of data collection over a nine-year period, we unearthed a dynamic process model that we labelled as knowledge commoning. It is a process through which latent-action-oriented knowledge from high-yield farmers embedded within its social context is made available as commons. The creation of knowledge commons is an iterative process between knowledge curation and knowledge dissemination, and is guided by the demand and uptake potential within local farming communities. Further, we describe how socio-cultural barriers in knowledge commoning can be overcome through scaffolding, involving the concealment of social transformation objectives within another goal desired by the community. Technological challenges can be overcome through the process of technoficing, which encompasses pursuing social objectives using technology that is appropriate for the purpose. Building on our process model, we offer contributions to theory, practice, and policy.

KW - knowledge commons

KW - rural India

KW - knowing-in-practice

KW - indigenous knowledge

KW - sustainable development

KW - poverty alleviation

U2 - 10.1016/j.infoandorg.2022.100410

DO - 10.1016/j.infoandorg.2022.100410

M3 - Journal article

VL - 32

JO - Information and Organization

JF - Information and Organization

SN - 1471-7727

IS - 2

M1 - 100410

ER -