What is appropriate technology?
Technology means tools and methods people make to solve problems. Appropriate technology is technology that suits the people, place and money of the user.
It is often called small-scale or intermediate technology: not the oldest, not the biggest, but the one that works well in that place. A rich city hospital and a small village clinic may need different tools for the same job.
How to choose: the checklist
Ask these questions before you choose:
- Cost: can people afford to buy and run it?
- Skill and repair: can local people use and fix it? Are spare parts nearby?
- Energy: does it need fuel or electricity that is hard to get?
- Environment: does it make smoke, waste or noise?
- Need: does it give enough of what is needed (enough water for all)?
- Culture and safety: do people accept it and is it safe?
A standard is an agreed rule for quality and safety (for example, the safe size of a plug or the purity of drinking water). Good appropriate technology still follows standards.
Examples: pumps, cookers, lamps
The 3D compares three water pumps. A hand pump scores high for cost, repair and clean air but slow for large villages. A diesel pump gives plenty of water but costs a lot and pollutes. A solar pump gives plenty of clean water and no fuel bill, but the panel costs more at the start.
Other examples: solar cooker, biogas plant, rainwater tank, LED solar lamp, bamboo bridge.
It is not about being "old" or "poor"
Appropriate does not mean backward. A solar pump uses advanced panels, yet it fits many villages because the sun is free.
Technology and the ecological transition
The ecological transition means moving to ways of living that do not harm nature: more clean energy, less waste, wise use of water. Appropriate technology helps because it is usually low on fuel use and waste. When choosing, think of the whole life of the tool: making it, using it and throwing it away.
Try it
In the 3D, choose "Diesel pump" and set a big village. Then choose "Solar pump". Which one has more total points? Now make the village small. Does the hand pump win?
Key formulas and definitions
- Appropriate technology = fits people + place + money
- Checklist: cost, repair, energy, environment, need
- Score = add the points for each question (higher is better for that village)
- Standard = an agreed rule for quality and safety
Worked examples
1. A village of 40 people needs water. A hand pump scores 5, 5, 5, 5 and 4 on the five questions. A diesel pump scores 1, 2, 1, 1, 5. Which is more appropriate?
Hand pump total = 5+5+5+5+4 = 24. Diesel total = 1+2+1+1+5 = 10. The hand pump fits better for this small village.
2. Now the village grows to 200 people. The hand pump water score falls to 1; the solar pump scores 3, 3, 5, 5 and 4. Which is best now?
Hand pump: 5+5+5+5+1 = 21. Solar: 3+3+5+5+4 = 20. They are close. Because the hand pump may be too slow for 200 people in real life, the village may use two hand pumps or a solar pump. The score helps us decide, we also use common sense.
3. Why is a solar lamp better than a kerosene lamp in a remote village?
It needs no fuel to buy, makes no smoke, is safe from fire, and lasts for years. The kerosene lamp needs fuel again and again and pollutes the air inside the house.
4. A company wants to sell a big imported machine to a small village. Give two questions the village should ask.
Can we repair it and get spare parts nearby? Can we afford the fuel and running cost? Also, is it really needed for our work?
Common mistakes
- Thinking the newest or biggest machine is always best. The best tool is the one that fits.
- Thinking appropriate technology means poor or low-quality. It can be advanced, like solar panels.
- Looking only at the price to buy. Also count repair, fuel and the effect on the environment over many years.
- Choosing one answer for every place. A tool that fits one village may not fit a big city.