Technological innovation can't be imposed on poor people — they must be engaged to select ideas that suit their lives, writes Lawrence Gudza.

New models of intellectual property rights are needed to protect — and promote — local knowledge and innovations, says Anil Gupta.

World leaders must promote effective land use methods to mitigate drought, says Luc Gnacadja of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

Several collaborations between researchers and indigenous communties are underway, but more needs to be done, says Henry P. Huntington.

The current drought in northern Kenya has deep roots in the current practices of pastoralists that need to be addressed, says conservationist David Western.

Scientists must collaborate with indigenous communities to rebuild trust and ensure shared benefits, says geneticist Vanessa M. Hayes.

Modern science cannot meet the demands of the developing world without harnessing indigenous knowledge, argues Charles Dhewa.

Countries must put aside cynicism and differing opinions to make the Nagoya protocol a success, say Suneetha Subramanian and Govindan Parayil.

Developing countries should turn down the UN biodiversity convention proposals to nationalise genetic resources, argue Indian scientists.

To make an impact, science and technology must embrace Africa's informal system of making and trading, argues Steve Daniels.

The biological control of pests, which has notched up thousands of successes, is threatened by the biopiracy regime to be agreed next week.

Indigenous African knowledge has much to offer science — but only if science can be translated into local languages, says Charles Dhewa.

Databases of traditional medicines can help protect against biopiracy while opening the doors for new drug discovery, says Priya Shetty.

Podcasts are helping people progress from subsistence farming in Zimbabwe, says Practical Action researcher Lawrence Gudza.

Moves to introduce biotechnology to Africa must consider the needs and values of local people, argues socioeconomist Wilhemina Quaye.

Helping farm labourers access new technologies and knowledge should be a priority for policymakers, argues innovation expert Anil Gupta.

Biodiversity negotiations will greatly impact academics, and scientists must speak up before it is too late, warn Sikina Jinnah and Stefan Jungcurt.

Two centuries ago the Ottoman rulers of Turkey adopted technology, management and methods of learning from Europe. That experience has lessons for today's developing countries, says Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

Traditional healers can help deliver key health services in Ghana, argues Kofi Akosah-Sarpong.

More should be done to strengthen ties between formal scientific research and informal grassroots innovations, says Anil Gupta.