Fundamental Aspects of Appropriate Technology: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Appropriate Technology Center for Appropriate Technology Delft University of Technology September 4—7, 1979

216 Pages·1980·3.49 MB·English

by  J. de Schutter

Fundamental Aspects of
Appropriate Technology
Fundamental Aspects of
Appropriate Technology
Proceedings of the International Workshop on
Appropriate Technology
Center for Appropriate Technology
Delft University of Technology
September 4 -7, 1979
J. de Schutter/G. Bemer/ editors
Delft University Press
Sijthoff & Noordhoff International Publishers
1980
Published by
Delft University Press
Mijnbouwplein 11
2628 RT Delft
The Netherlands
and
Sijthoff & Noordhoff
International Publishers
P.O. Box 4
2400 MA Alphen aan den Rijn
The Netherlands
Cover by Jan van Wessum, Amsterdam
© 1980 by Delft University Press, Delft, The Netherlands
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm
or any other means without written permission from Delft University Press,
Mijnbouwplein 11, 2628 RT Delft, The Netherlands.
ISBN-13: 978-90-286-0640-1 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-9139-2
DOl: 10.1007/978-94-009-9139-2
Contents
VII
1. Conclusions and Recommendations 1
II. Participant Contributions
Session 1: Topics in Appropriate Technology Projects
THE GAVIOTAS PROGRAM 9
J. Zapp CZauser
AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING THE SUCCESFUL CONTINUITY
OF A SOLAR DESTILLATION PLANT IN THE WEST INDIES 14
T. Lawand
A NEW APPROACH TOWARDS RURAL DEVELOPMENT : APPROPRIATE
TECHNOLOGY AND THE EARTHQUAKE OF 1976 IN GUATEMALA 24
R. Caceres
DIAN DESSA 35
A. Soedjarwo
URBAN AGRICULTURE AS AN APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY 39
T. Fox
Session 2: Organization of Appropriate Technology Activities
CONCEPTS AND MODELS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
FOR RURAL AREAS 55
M.M. Hoda
V
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY IN SRI LANKA 77
C.A. Gunawardhana
A UNIVERSITY PERSPECTIVE ON APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY 94
R.P. Morgan
A COMPANY FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA
101
K.K. Prasad
EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTIONS IN 123
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
K.S. Jagadish, R. Prasad, A.K.N. Reddy
Session 3: The Framework for Appropriate Technology.
The Role of Appropriate Technology in (Rural) Development
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY THEORY, POLICY AND PRACTICE 145
M. Carr
TECHNICAL CHANGE, EMPLOYMENT AND DISTRIBUTION IN L.D.C.'s 154
S. Jacobsson
OPTIMIZING THE APPROPRIATENESS OF TECHNOLOGIES 178
J.M. Baumer
SOME TENTATIVE THOUGHTS ON DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROJECTS FOR THE
RURAL POOR 188
C.M. BaeY'Walt
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT 192
S.J. Bai Bangura
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY "FASHION OR NEED" 200
w. Riedijk
III. List of Participants 209
VI
Preface
Between 4-7 September 1979, an international workshop on Appropriate
Technology (AT) was organized in Delft, Netherlands, by the Center for
Appropriate Technology of the Delft University of Technology.
Representatives of 24 AT organisations from allover the world held
discussions on the role of AT as a factor in development.
There were two main objectives of the workshop
- to enlarge the understanding of, and knowledge about the processes
and conditions essential for the introduction of AT in regional deve
lopment programs. This was formally referred to as 'the implementation
of the results of AT research'.
-secondly, an evaluation of the theories and models which have been
applied for the establishment of these regional development programs.
This was formally referred to as 'an inventory of AT concepts.'
The workshop discussions focussed essentially on three issue areas:
technology and development, organisational framework, and education
and research. A summary of the conclusions and recommendatjons made
by the workshop can be found in Chapter One of this report of the
proceedings.
All participants were invited, prior to the workshop, to outline their
ideas on the subjects listed above, in position papers. Condensed
versions of these papers are presented in Chapter Three.
We would like to point out that, although all participants gave per
mission for publication, the contents of this report of the procee
dings remain the full responsibility of the editors. This applies in
VII
particular to the conclusions and recommandations as well as to the
statements included in the edited transcripts of the discussion
highlights of the presentation of the papers during the Workshop.
Our thanks are due to the participants of the workshop, who collecti
vely contributed to the intensive discussions; to the two Ministerial
departments of the Netherlands Government responsible for Science
Policy, and Development Cooperation, and to the Delft University of
Technology for their financial sponsorship of the workshop; and to the
workshop staff, for their responsible and total contribution to the
workshop organisation.
The editors
VIII
I. Conclusions and Recommendations
Technology and development
Of these two concepts development is the more important one. Development is
defined here as a process of socio-economic change of a society, This pro
cess should be directed towards various development goals, e.g., the satis
faction of basic human needs, social participation and control and ecologi
cal soundness. From the assumption that development itself is the central
variable in any activity in a society, it follows that technology can only
be seen as a means to achieve development goals. Before starting any tech
nological activity there must be principle agreement on the development
goals to be achieved. Hence, the characteristics of appropriate technology
are directly related to and deducted from development theory and practice.
It is in this context that one must decide wether or not "small is beauti
ful" or wether appropriate technology will be "technology with a human
face", "technology of limitation", "soft technology" or other widely used
descriptions.
It is insufficient to state that any technology meeting the needs of a
society is appropriate technology. Guidelines for appropriate technology
activities have to be developed, whereby it is of major importance that the
activities are geared towards the basic needs of the neediest of the world.
In particular this concerns the people who live in the rural areas of deve
loping countries and in the slum areas of cities in both developing - and
industrialized countries. In short the poor are the main target for appro
priate technology, which obviously gives appropriate technology a political
dimension too.
Appropriate technology is however a matter of both theory and practice. The
importance of "doing things" was very positively demonstrated by the con
tributions presented in session 1 of this Workshop. Contradictory to certain
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critiques it was demonstrated that succesful applications of appropriate
technology have been realized in various parts of the world. It was empha
sized furthermore that any activity, however marginal in terms of national
development aims, can mean the difference between life and death for the
people involved. This will always be an important underlying factor in the
setting up of appropriate technology projects.
When considering the technoloqy aspect of appropriate technology one has
to bare in mind that, during the last decades, countries and regions within
countries have not been technologically isolated. Western countries and
developing countries became linked more and more and it is therefore that
appropriate technology has to deal with two aspects of major importance
the technology introduced by activities of industrialized countries and the
originally existing technological tradition. It is expected that a combina
tion of these two aspects may give appropriate technology an important im
pact on development.
A key element in the setting up of appropriate technology projects is the
comprehensive knowledge of all aspects involved. These include ~ulture,
sociology, economy, ecology, technology and management. Appropriate techno
logy is therefore a multidisciplinary activity in which technology itself
might only contribute 10% to 30% of the solution of the problem. There can
be no doubt however as to the quality standards of a technological solution.
The technology applied should always be properly designed and reliable.
Appropriate technology and economy
The possible impact of appropriate technology on economy has often been
discussed. In the past its potential for job-creation was highlighted. In
the papers and discussions of the third session the limitations to the im
portance of appropriate technology as a factor in economy were summarized
as follows :
1. the immense magnitude of the development problem.
2. the technical potential for labour-intensive techniques has been
largely exaggerated.
3. institutional constraints for development and implementation of
appropriate technology on the regional level have been largely ignored.
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4. the choice for a development model is basically a political decision
made on the national level.
Hence, when discussing the role of appropriate technology in development we
have to distinguish between decision making processes on the national and
regional levels.
At present most of the economic theory and practice have been developed for
an open economic system. This system implies the production for internatio
nal markets. As a consequence there is an increasing need for international
division of labour. In the discussions of the third session also two other
economic systems were distinguished.
- the inward directed economic system.
This means production mainly for the country itself with very little empha
sis on the exportation of goods.
- autarky, which is a strategy of disassociation.
It was felt that appropriate technology would be most valuable to an inward
looking economic system. Further it was pointed out that one should be very
careful in the application of established economic theories to future deve
lopment strategies in third world countries. This does not mean that many
elementary economic rules can be ignored in appropriate technology activi
ties. In this context the issue of commercial viability has been discussed.
There can be no arguing about the fact that any appropriate technology pro
ject should be properly managed and should have a sound financial basis.
National and regional level policy
On a national level, main directives for appropriate technology projects may
be their impact on such issues as : self reliance, income distribution and
sectoral priorities. The realisation of development aims on the national
level is hence more a matter of social organisation than involvement in the
development of technology hardware. Given the limitations mentioned previ
ously, it was felt that future development of developing countries can only
partially follow the path of industrialisation as has been the case in many
western countries. The majority of the labour force will have to be absorbed
by the agricultural sector. In the manufacturing sector highly capital -
intensive methods are often used. In this way often intersectoral produc
tivity differentials are created. Governments should see to it that these,
do not become reflected in wide income differentials.
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