Informal innovation is innovation that is carried out by the actual user of the product or system.
For example, farmers have traditionally created innovative new plant varieties by saving seed from previous crops, selecting and planting, generation after generation, those that perform best under their local conditions. This kind of knowledge and innovation has immense and growing value. Genetic resources provide the foundation for a range of new products and technological applications in biotechnology, agriculture, medicine and other areas. Knowledge developed and held in traditional knowledge systems of indigenous and local communities can provide clues to genetic resources or biochemicals that can be used for pharmaceuticals, herbal medicines and other products. They can also provide new genetic material for plant breeders, allowing them to confer desired traits such as pest and drought resistance to crop plants.