Appropriate technology explained

Appropriate technology (AT) is technology that suits the local social, economic, cultural, environmental and skill conditions of the place where it is used. It is usually small in scale, low in cost, simple to operate and repair, uses local materials and labour, and does little harm to the environment. The idea was popularised by E. F. Schumacher in Small Is Beautiful ("intermediate technology"). It is not "old" or "low" technology: it is the right technology for the situation.

Examples in Nepal: biogas plants, improved cooking stoves, micro-hydro with peltric sets, solar home systems and solar dryers, ropeways, gravity-fed drinking-water schemes, treadle pumps and the traditional ghatta (water mill) upgraded to an improved water mill.

Characteristics

• Low cost: affordable to poor households and communities, with low investment per unit.
• Small scale: can be built for a village or a household, not only for big cities.
• Local resources: uses local materials, labour and skills, so money stays in the community.
• Simple and easy to maintain: local technicians can operate and repair it without imported parts.
• Labour-intensive where needed: creates local jobs instead of replacing workers.
• Environment friendly: low pollution and low use of non-renewable resources.
• Culturally acceptable: fits local customs, climate and needs.
• Decentralised and community managed: local people own and control it.

Why it is needed

• Large, imported, capital-intensive technology often fails in rural areas because of cost, skill gaps and lack of spare parts.
• AT uses what the community already has, so it is easier to sustain.
• It reduces dependence on imported fuel, which matters for Nepal.

Limitations

• Low output and small capacity, so it cannot meet all industrial needs.
• It may be seen as "second class" technology, and it needs subsidy and training in the beginning.