Appropriate technology
introduction of modern technology, regardless of its characteristics, has impoverished rather than enriched the majority in a great many developing countries. ’ Finally, modern technology usually goes against AT’s aim of environmental sustainability and exploits scarce resources , resulting in severe ecological degradation such as with modern fossil fuel power stations (Frahm and Buttel, 1982, p.12). AT was proposed as a way to avoid the problems of uneven development and uncontrollable rural- urban migration that traditional developmental tools can cause, while still having a positive impact on people’s lives, potentially an even greater impact since the benefits would be spread more evenly. The concept seems to offer huge potential for success. The aims of AT were to develop the non-modernized parts of the population, the majority of whom survived through subsistence farming and were often overlooked by traditional aid programmes (Schumacher, 1973, pp.141-2). An AT will aim to increase employment in an area by being more labour-intensive than its modern counterpart. Stewart refers to one study by Howard Pack in 1982 which showed that employment could be up to four times greater if AT were used rather than modern technologies in the nine industries that he studied (Stewart, 1987, p.105). At the same time, it will increase productivity by being an upgrade from what was used before, and will also come at a much lower cost compared to modern technology so that it would be readily affordable to the majority of people. Additionally, projects are often designed to work with microfinance loan schemes so that anyone can apply for a loan to purchase the AT. Furthermore, proponents of AT argue that one of the main reasons AT can be successful is that it was not designed as a one-size-fits-all concept, and it will only be effective if it is adapted on a case-by-case basis depending on the socioeconomic and environmental factors in the area (Green, 2000, p.2). Also, AT is a movement that is constantly developing, made up of many groups of people all approaching it in a slightly different way. This means that there is continual innovation and adaptation to any difficulties in execution, leading to a much higher likelihood of AT projects being successful overall, since if one group is unsuccessful the other groups will learn from them. For example, as previously mentioned, Practical Action’s AT project in Malawi, a solar -powered food chiller, provides farmers with the ability to earn a steady income, by allowing them to keep their goods fresh and sell them all year round (Practical Action, 2024). It has often been argued that AT is less efficient than modern technology at creating economic growth in developing countries and therefore should not be funded or used. Schumacher even concedes this to some extent, stating that, if economic growth is the goal, then investment should be focused entirely in one small area and use the most advanced technology possible (Schumacher, 1973, pp. 150-4). However, this view is arguably short-sighted, and some of the biggest benefits of AT are the social ones that it provides because, as Schumacher goes on to explain, development should not be all about economic growth. Factors such as standard of living and employment levels must be also considered, and as previously mentioned, traditional developmental aid often overlooks these factors, whereas they are the key focus of AT. AT also offers other benefits compared with modern technology since it has much lower environmental impacts and provides many more community-wide benefits such as improved equality and self-sufficiency (Harvey, 1981).
It is also arguable whether the most modern technology is in fact the most efficient, given that in much of the developed world government subsidies prop up large parts of the economy. This is most
122
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker