# Seeking existing solutions Seeking existing solutions involves actively discovering and documenting innovations that already exist within ecosystems, particularly those developed by people directly experiencing challenges. This practice recognizes that solutions are often found where problems are most acutely felt, emerging from the ingenuity of those who must navigate constraints daily. This practice is essential for R\&D in sustainable development because it accelerates learning by building on what already exists – and works – rather than starting from scratch.[\[1\]](#endnote-1) In uncertain environments, grassroots innovations provide tested responses to emerging challenges; they represent real-world experiments that have already proven their value. By tapping into the problem-solving happening across communities, we gain real-time intelligence about how communities adapt to change. This uncovers unmet needs, unexpected possibilities, and the magnitude and reach of problems – whether solutions serve individuals, households, communities, or larger geographies tells us how widely challenges are felt. When looking for solutions, we either cast a wide net to see what's out there across different areas, which may help us identify unaddressed or unmet needs, or we search specifically for solutions to particular problems that gives us more perspectives and possibilities to address a problem. ## What we do to make big steps forward ### Looking beyond the usual suspects We deliberately seek out innovators who are typically overlooked by formal development processes: grassroots innovators developing [frugal](/undp-accelerator-labs/references/glossary.md#frugality) solutions with limited resources, [positive deviants](/undp-accelerator-labs/references/glossary.md#positive-deviance)[\[2\]](#endnote-2) achieving better outcomes through unique behaviors, social entrepreneurs experimenting with new business models, tech startups applying emerging technologies to local problems, and community activists pioneering new organizing methods. These unusual suspects work outside formal innovation systems, developing solutions that are deeply rooted in local contexts and constraints. Their innovations reveal how communities understand and frame challenges differently and where the entry points are for addressing them. ### Engaging with genuine curiosity We approach innovators with genuine [curiosity](/undp-accelerator-labs/references/glossary.md#curiosity) about their work, taking time to understand not just what they've created but why and how they developed their solutions. We pay attention to the intangible aspects that make solutions work: the social connections, local conditions, cultural practices, and resource constraints that shape these innovations. This approach builds trust and encourages innovators to share the deeper knowledge and context behind their innovations. We always seek explicit consent before documenting or sharing solutions, being transparent about how their innovations might be used or adapted by others. ### Documenting and sharing solutions openly We document solutions to understand how they actually work: the details that only emerge through careful observation and recording. Building knowledge banks[\[3\]](#endnote-3) of these solutions allows us to spot patterns across different contexts, revealing unmet needs and common challenges.[\[4\]](#endnote-4) With innovators' consent, we share these documented solutions and actively broker connections between grassroots innovators facing similar challenges, enabling them to learn from each other's approaches. This documentation also creates platforms or events where innovators can connect directly and exchange ideas. ### Keeping knowledge alive through solution collectives Problems and their solutions constantly evolve, making static documentation quickly outdated. Instead of capturing solutions in fixed repositories, we form solution collectives.[\[5\]](#endnote-5) These collectives share tacit knowledge that's hard to write down:[\[6\]](#endnote-6) the subtle adjustments, practical tricks, and creative workarounds that make solutions actually work. As peer-to-peer exchanges happen, knowledge flows naturally between innovators facing similar challenges and is continuously updated as both problem and solution spaces keep changing. ### Giving recognition and helping innovations spread Recognition is power. We ensure grassroots innovators receive proper attribution for their solutions, helping them gain visibility, credibility, and access to resources. Many of the innovators we discover work in places that are literally invisible on maps:[\[7\]](#endnote-7) informal settlements, remote communities, and marginalized areas that official cartography often overlooks. By documenting and sharing their innovations, we're not just telling stories; we're putting these communities on the map, making sure that their contributions exist and matter. Through blogs, videos, and case studies, we help innovators connect with potential partners, funders, and collaborators. These connections can lead to unexpected collaborations or inspire others to adapt solutions for their own contexts. {% hint style="info" %} #### Reflection questions These reflection questions help us discover grassroots innovations, identify patterns of needs, ensure recognition, and enable peer learning among innovators. * Where are people affected by a problem having the most success in dealing with it? Why? * Who can help us discover, document, and analyze solutions across different communities and scales? * Which factors – social connections, cultural practices, capabilities, technologies, local conditions – enable these solutions to work? * Which patterns are we seeing across different solutions, and at what scale do these patterns reveal unmet needs or common challenges? * Do similar solutions exist in other contexts? Which elements can be transferred across different places, and which remain place-specific? Why? * Have we been transparent with grassroots innovators about how we'll document and share their innovations, and do we have their explicit consent? * How can innovators be honored? How do we ensure they receive proper recognition and attribution for their solutions? * How are we feeding back what we learn to the innovators who shared their knowledge with us? * What platforms or events could help grassroots innovators connect and learn from each other? {% endhint %} {% hint style="info" %} #### Methods and enabling technologies * [**Solutions mapping**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#solutions-mapping) to find grassroot innovators and observe their solutions in their actual context of use * [**Solution walks**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#solution-walks) to find grassroot innovators and observe their solutions in their actual context of use and to increase chances of making serendipitous discoveries * [**Innovation caravans**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#innovation-caravans) to conduct immersive community visits in hard-to-reach areas, discovering and documenting solutions developed by communities themselves * [**Solution fairs**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#solution-fairs) to find grassroot innovators, connect them and enable peer learning * [**Positive deviance**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#positive-deviance) to identify actors who succeed despite facing similar constraints * [**Solution atlas**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#solution-atlas) to find grassroot innovators, connect them and enable peer learning * [**Innovation awards**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#innovation-awards) to recognize grassroots innovations and connect innovators with resources and partnerships for scaling * [**Storytelling**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#storytelling) to give grassroots innovators recognition and legitimacy while inspiring others facing similar challenges to find solutions {% endhint %} *** ## Notes 1. Grassroots innovations can be understood as existing prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs) that communities have already developed and tested in real conditions. This may reduce the learning costs, time and resources spent on testing and refining solutions. [↑](#endnote-ref-1) 2. Sternin & Choo (2000) [↑](#endnote-ref-2) 3. See for example the Honey Bee Network Knowledge & Innovation Database (HBNKIND) at [https://hbnkind.gian.org](https://hbnkind.gian.org/), the Grassroots Innovation Database (GRID) at , the Appropedia sustainability wiki at [https://www.appropedia.org](https://www.appropedia.org/) and the SDG Commons at [https://sdg-innovation-commons.org](https://sdg-innovation-commons.org/). [↑](#endnote-ref-3) 4. Anil K. Gupta (2013; 2016, pp. 22-24) proposes four lenses through which we can analyze grassroots innovations to understand what makes them work and which aspects can transfer to other contexts: (1) Artefactual – learning from the concrete material aspects like design, features, or functionality; (2) Metaphorical (or analogical) – using the innovation as inspiration by applying its principles metaphorically in different domains; (3) Heuristic – extracting the underlying principles or problem-solving rules that can be generalized; and (4) Gestalt (or configurational) – understanding the complete ecosystem including institutional and cultural contexts that enable the innovation. [↑](#endnote-ref-4) 5. These solution collectives function as what Sam Rye (2023) calls "relational infrastructure" – the networks of relationships that enable knowledge to flow and evolve. This concept aligns closely with Ralph Stacey's (2001, p.98) view of knowledge as a "process of relating," where knowledge doesn't reside within people but in between people: in their interactions, conversations and relationships. In this view, solution collectives become living spaces where knowledge is continuously created through relating, capturing the subtle adjustments and contextual information that written records miss. [↑](#endnote-ref-5) 6. As Dave Snowden (2002; 2008) reminds us: "We always know more than we can say, and we will always say more than we can write down." This highlights the inherently tacit dimension of knowledge (also see Polanyi, 1966/2009, p. 4). [↑](#endnote-ref-6) 7. The expression "if it's not on the map, it doesn't exist" reflects how unmapped communities and their innovations remain invisible to governments, NGOs, development agencies. Organizations like Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team ([www.hotosm.org](http://www.hotosm.org)) and Missing Maps ([www.missingmaps.org](http://www.missingmaps.org)) work to counter this by mapping "invisible" places. For example, Kibera ([www.mapkibera.org](http://www.mapkibera.org)) – home to hundreds of thousands in Nairobi – appeared as a blank spot on official maps, excluding residents and their innovations from recognition and support. [↑](#endnote-ref-7) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://bas-leurss-personal-organization.gitbook.io/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/5.-r-and-d-practices/seeking-existing-solutions.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. 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