Scouting for Homegrown Ingenuity

A unique academic network nurtures innovation among India's poor

By SHAILAJA NEELAKANTAN

Ahmedabad, India

Mansukhbhai Patel, a hard-working farmer with a 10th-grade education, has revolutionized the cotton industry here in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Had it not been for a chance meeting with a college student, the...