Appropriate technology

Some tools are made to be simple. These tools do not cost much money. People can build them in their own towns. They use very little energy. This helps keep our world healthy.

Some tools are made to help people in special ways. We call this appropriate technology. These tools are small and easy to afford. They use very little power and are good for our Earth.

Many people use these tools every day. You might see a water pump that uses pedals. You might see a machine that cracks nuts.

A man named Fritz Schumacher helped start this movement. He was an economist who studied how money and work fit together. He wanted tools that helped local people work together. Long ago, a leader named Mahatma Gandhi also wanted small tools for villages. He wanted people to be able to take care of themselves.

Today, many people use the Internet to share plans for these tools. This is called open source appropriate technology. This means the plans are free for anyone to find. It helps people make new things to solve big problems. These tools help us live in a way that lasts for a long time.

Appropriate technology is a special way of choosing tools and machines. These tools are small-scale and easy for people to afford. They are designed to be energy-efficient and good for the Earth. This movement also focuses on being people-centered. This means the technology helps the people who actually use it. It is often used to solve problems in many different areas.

There are many ways this technology works in real life. Some tools use human power instead of electricity. For example, a pump might use pedals to move water. Other tools might use the sun to make light or heat. You can find solar lamps that work all by themselves. There are even machines like a universal nut sheller to help with food.

This idea has a long history with many important leaders. Mahatma Gandhi is often called the father of this movement. He wanted small tools to help Indian villages become self-reliant. He did not want technology that only helped a few people. Later, an economist named Fritz Schumacher helped start the movement we know today. He worked in places like India and Burma. He wrote about these ideas in a 1962 report. In 1973, he wrote a famous book called Small Is Beautiful.

Many groups have worked to grow this movement over the years. In 1965, a group called the Intermediate Technology Development Group was formed. By 1967, they sold 7,000 copies of a guide for rural development. In the 1970s, the movement grew very fast. In 1977, the United States created the National Center for Appropriate Technology. This center received 3 million dollars from the U.S. Congress. By 1980, more than 1,000 organizations were working in this field.

Today, these ideas connect to things you might already know. Many people now call this kind of work sustainable development. This means meeting human needs while also protecting the Earth for the future. You can also find these plans on the Internet for free. This is called open source appropriate technology, or OSAT. It allows people everywhere to share new ideas and tools. Groups like Engineers Without Borders use these ideas to help people in need.

Appropriate technology is a movement focused on specific ways to choose and use tools. It emphasizes technology that is small-scale and affordable for the people using it. These tools are designed to be labor-intensive, energy-efficient, and environmentally sustainable. A key part of this movement is that it is people-centered. This means the technology is designed to serve the needs of the community. It also aims for local autonomy, which allows people to manage their own tools.

The mechanics of appropriate technology often rely on simple, direct energy sources. Instead of using large power plants, these tools might use human or natural power. For example, a pedal-powered water pump uses the physical movement of a person to move water. Other tools use the sun, such as self-contained solar lamps or passive solar building designs. Some machines, like the universal nut sheller, are designed to perform specific tasks with minimal complex parts.

There are different ways to view or categorize these technologies. Some people describe appropriate technology as the simplest possible tool that can finish a job. Others see it as a form of engineering that carefully considers social and environmental effects. In the past, the term "intermediate technology" was used to describe these tools. However, experts changed the name in 1968. They felt "intermediate" made the tools sound inferior to high-tech options. They wanted to show that these tools also account for important social and political factors.

The history of this movement has several important figures and roots. Mahatma Gandhi is often called the "father" of the movement. He advocated for small, village-based technology to help India become self-reliant. In 1925, he founded the All-India Spinners Association to support this goal. Later, Dr. Ernst Friedrich "Fritz" Schumacher became the formal founder of the modern movement. Schumacher was an economist who worked in India and Burma. He noticed that India had many workers but very little money, or capital. In 1962, he proposed using "intermediate technology" to make use of that extra labor.

Schumacher helped organize the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) in 1965. This group published a guide for rural development in 1967 that sold 7,000 copies. The movement grew rapidly between 1966 and 1975. By 1977, the OECD identified 680 organizations working in this field. That number grew to more than 1,000 organizations by 1980. In the United States, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) was created in 1977. The U.S. Congress gave this center an initial 3 million dollars to help low-income communities.

Despite its growth, the movement has faced a decline in recent years. Some organizations, like the German Appropriate Technology Exchange, are no longer operating. Some people argue that appropriate technology is seen as "poor person's" technology. This can make it harder to get funding or support. Some experts, like Paul Polak, believe the movement has been replaced. He suggests a new idea called "design for the other 90 percent." This concept focuses on creating low-cost solutions for the 5.8 billion people who lack access to most common products.

Today, many of these ideas have moved into broader global systems. The concepts of appropriate technology are now often found within the sustainable development movement. Sustainable development aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment for future generations. There is also a new rise in Open Source Appropriate Technology, or OSAT. Because of the Internet, people can now find plans for these technologies for free. Groups like Engineers Without Borders and the Akvo Foundation use these digital tools to share innovations globally.