APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
Technology is a product of an R&D centre outfit or
establishment. However, different R&D centres produce different
technologies for achieving the same or similar goals. This is because of
differing environments and surroundings and other conditions, viz., population, resources,
economic, technological, environmental, socio-cultural, and politico-legal
systems. The objective functions used in the development of technology could
also be different at different places.
Figure 1: Appropriate
and inappropriate technologies
Source: Technology
for Development UN-ESCAP,
Figure-1 illustrate the concept of appropriate and inappropriate
technologies. Any technology is ‘appropriate’ at the time of development, with
respect to the surroundings for which it has been developed, and in accordance
with the objective function used for development. It may or may not be
appropriate at the same place at a different time, because the surroundings and/or
objective functions may have changed. Similarly it may or may not be
appropriate at a different place at the same time, or at different times,
because the surroundings and objective function may be different. Thus,
technological appropriateness is not an intrinsic quality of any technology,
but it is derived from the surroundings in which it is to be utilised and also
from the objective function used for evaluation. It is, in addition, a value judgement
of those involved.
