Inappropriate technology refers to technological solutions that do not align with the needs, resources, or context of the communities they are intended to serve. Often characterized by high costs, complexity, or unsuitability for local conditions, inappropriate technology can lead to inefficiencies and exacerbate existing problems. This page explores the concept, examples, and impacts of inappropriate technology, and discusses how to identify and promote appropriate alternatives.
Understanding Inappropriate Technology
Inappropriate technology arises when innovations fail to consider the socio-economic, environmental, and cultural context of the target area. Factors contributing to inappropriate technology include:
- Complexity: Technologies that require specialized knowledge or skills may be impractical in areas with limited educational resources.
- Cost: High initial and maintenance costs can make technology inaccessible to low-income communities.
- Resource Availability: Technologies dependent on scarce or unavailable resources can be unsustainable.
- Cultural Misalignment: Solutions that do not align with local customs or practices may face resistance and low adoption rates.
Examples of Inappropriate Technology
- Water Purification Systems: Advanced filtration systems designed for urban areas may be impractical in rural settings where simpler, locally-maintained solutions would be more effective.
- Agricultural Machinery: Large, expensive tractors may not be suitable for small-scale farmers who benefit more from affordable, low-tech equipment.
- Energy Solutions: High-tech solar panels or wind turbines may fail in regions without the necessary infrastructure for installation and maintenance.
Impacts of Inappropriate Technology
- Economic Burden: High costs and maintenance expenses can strain community finances and divert resources from other critical needs.
- Underutilization: Technologies that are too complex or inappropriate for the local context often go unused, resulting in wasted investment.
- Dependency: Reliance on external technologies can create dependency on foreign expertise and spare parts, undermining local self-sufficiency.
- Environmental Harm: Inappropriate technologies may not align with local environmental conditions, leading to ecological degradation or resource depletion.
Promoting Appropriate Technology
Appropriate technology emphasizes solutions that are:
- Context-Sensitive: Tailored to the specific needs, resources, and conditions of the community.
- Affordable and Accessible: Low-cost and easy to maintain, ensuring broad accessibility and sustainability.
- Environmentally Friendly: Sustainable and environmentally compatible with the local ecosystem.
- Culturally Acceptable: Aligned with local customs, practices, and values to ensure community acceptance
We could use the term inappropriate technology to describe certain damaging technologies. The opposite of appropriate technology, suffering from a drastic lack of appropriateness.
While the use of any technology can be inappropriate, depending on context, certain technologies are especially prone to this. At the risk of being subjective, here are some examples:
- Complex machinery in remote locations. Easy maintenance is critically important when expert service is not available locally.
- The PlayPump - especially where a simple and effective handpump has been removed to install it, or where the primary need is for more pumps (making lower cost solutions more appropriate), or where there are not a large number of children interested in playing on it for extended periods (resulting in harder work for the users, compared to a handpump or treadle pump).
- The Electric ChairW: used for death rather than solving a problem. (Compare technologies to improve safety and reduce conflict and stress, and urban design for crime reduction.
- Saturday Night SpecialsW
- TazersW: These provide a way for law enforcement to use non-lethal force, in situations where they might otherwise have used guns. Unfortunately, like any weapon, they are open to abuse. A technology to make them more accountable could reduce this (e.g. more open access to data on the usage of the devices).
- Supermax PrisonsW
- Nuclear PowerW
- Nuclear Powered Interplanetary Space ProbesWW [1]
- HAARPW [2]
- Nuclear WeaponsW
- Biological WeaponsW
- Chemical WeaponsW
- Land MinesW
- White Phosphorus WeaponsW
- Depleted UraniumW
- SupernanothermateW
- Strip MiningW
- Mountaintop Removal MiningW
- Off Shore Oil DrillingW
- Hydraulic FracturingW
- WhalingW
- Gasoline W
- Genetic EngineeringW
- Factory FarmsW
- Fresh Water DamsW
- Drag Net Fishing []
- Clear CuttingW
- Biomass Energy Generating Incinerators []
- Municipal Waste IncineratorsW
- PesticidesW
- HerbicidesW
- Inhumane Animal Traps []
- Petro-Chemical Fertilizers []
- Diesel FuelW
- Petro-Chemical Based Plastics []
- Products Claiming TO Be DisposableW
- The Incandescent Light BulbW
- ChlorofluorocarbonsW
