Technology has played a major role in mainstream development. We would dread to think of our daily living without some of the technological gadgets that we have become accustomed to. However, when it comes to poor communities in poor countries they have hardly any access to technology or its benefits.

Appropriate or Intermediate technology is an area of development seeking to meet this need. It is not just for the poor, but technology that is sustainable. Some of the basic principles of Appropriate Technology are:

• Meets local needs
• Produced by the masses, not mass-production
• Uses local resources
• Generates low or no waste
• Enables local control
• Environmentally friendly.

One of the challenges in Appropriate Technology has been the propagation of the technology and devices to people who need it most. Several AT devices have been developed in AT institutions and workshops and generally tend to gather dust there. The very poor who need it most are rarely willing to think about such devices, since their main concern is their daily bread. The Self Help Groups and the People’s Institution that is built are proving to be a good ground where AT can be introduced and sustained. Experience shows that in several places AT devices, which otherwise were not spreading have captured the attention of such People’s Institution and members have collectively propagated the devices in their communities.

Appropriate Technology devices have been developed and used for numerous applications. The following list mentions a few:

Fuel / energy devices

• Fuel-saving stoves
• Solar cookers/water heaters
• Charcoal briquette

Access to water

• Hand-pumps
• Treadle pumps
• Hand-operated drilling rigs
• Drip irrigation

Housing / Sanitation

• Micro-concrete roof tiles
• Stabilized mud blocks
• Sanitary unit slabs

Low-cost transport

• Bicycle trailer
• Pedaled trailers for passengers
• Pedaled trailers for carrying water and other loads

Agricultural implements

Improved agricultural / horticultural methods

Improved breeds of small animals / birds

The list could go on and on.

In the context of Self Help Groups, it may be very helpful to introduce relevant technology to them. One very important principle is to allow time for the SHG members to think about the new device that is introduced and decide for themselves if it is going to be of benefit for them. A good approach could be to provide one or two samples for the group members to experiment with. Permit them to freely discuss the advantages and disadvantages before they make up their mind. Once they decide for themselves, they could prove to be very good propagators of the technology.

There are some good sources where AT can be accessed. They are:

Selam Technical and Vocational Centre,

P.O. box 8075,

Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA.

Phone: +251 1 462942

FAX:    +251 1 463479

e-mail: selamtvc@telecom.net.et

website: www.selam-eth.org.et

Appropriate Technologies for Enterprise Creation (ApproTEC),

Kariobangi North, Kamunde Road,

Off Outer Ring Road - Nairobi

P.O. Box 64142 00620

e-mail: approtec@approtec.org

Tel/Fax: +254 2 783046, 787380/1

Here is some information on AT water pumps:

AT Water Pumps: A wide range of Appropriate Technology pumps are available to suit various applications. Some of them are:

1. Hand pump – specially designed for pumping harvested water from underground tanks.
   Suction head – 4 m
   Delivery head – nil (delivers at the pump outlet)
   Discharge – 18 lt/min
   Price – EUR 50
2. Treadle pump, overflow model – can be used for pumping from ponds, lakes and rivers. A double plunger pump.
   Suction head –6 m
   Delivery head – nil (delivers at the pump outlet)
   Discharge – 90 lt/min
   Price – EUR 100
3. Treadle pump, pressure model – suitable to lift water from a water source at a lower level to a garden / tank at a higher level
   Suction head – 6 m
   Delivery head – 14 m
   Discharge – 24 lt/min
   Price – EUR 140
4. Rope and Washer pump – suitable for open wells. This is a very simple pump and can be easily assembled with off the shelf material
   Suction head – up to 15 m
   Delivery head – nil (delivers at the pump outlet)
   Discharge – 20 to 40 lt/min depending on size and suction head
   Cost to assemble – ranges from EUR 20 upwards
5. Hydraulic Ram pump – Suitable in mountainous regions. Water from a head of 2 m and above is used to pump water to a head of up to 100 m. Requires no external energy.
   Suction head – not applicable
   Delivery head – up to 100 m
   Discharge – varies from 10 to 250 lt/min depending on size
   Price – EUR 400 for the smallest model

If there is a source of water nearby – a pond, stream or well, these pumps can be used to pump water by manual energy (except 5) to pump water to the garden.

If there is adequate rainfall, rainwater harvesting from roof collectors could also be used.

Another interesting device is the drip irrigation that Selam has developed and propagates widely. For a vegetable garden plot of 15 X 1 m just 2 buckets of water on alternate days are sufficient (may vary marginally depending on environmental conditions). A 30 m long flexible pipe with drip nozzles at 60 cms spacing is provided. The water flows through siphon action from a bucket or drum that is placed around 1.5 m above ground level. The pipe is shifted every day to cover the spacing at which the vegetable is grown. This device can be very helpful in areas where water is scarce. The flexible pipe with a filter to prevent foreign material entering the pipe costs only EUR 5,50. Once few samples are bought, they could be replicated at site using locally available materials.

There are two Appropriate Technology organisations with offices / facilities in Nairobi. They are:

Other relevant sites that may be helpful are:

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