Agricultural Technology for Development: Watchword Is 'Appropriate'

by Katherine Gustafson · 2010-05-07 08:00:00 UTC
Topics:

It's all well and good if fancy firms in rich countries can make high-tech gadgets to help a plant grow or assist in the harvest. If the gizmo doesn't fit the needs of the people it's intended for, however, it's useless as an innovation in the real world. In the developing world, that can disqualify a lot of technical inventions.

Sarah Delaney, Editorial and Communications Officer at London's Imperial College and researcher for the upcoming book The Doubly Green Revolution, writes on Global Food Security that "an appropriate technology is accessible, affordable, easy-to-use and maintain, effective — and most importantly, it serves a real need."

This sounds like an obvious concept, but nevertheless we still tend to assume some expert-driven technical quick-fix is going to solve all our planet's food-security problems.

As Delaney points out, what we need is to focus on using a combination of techniques and technologies to match local conditions and realities. It's not either high-tech quick-fix or no-tech traditionalism. The key is to find a strategic happy medium that best serves the needs of places and people.

Delaney quotes Jeff Waage, who writes in the book he co-authored, Science and Innovation for Development, that “Between the extremes of a technological ‘silver bullet’ approach to development science, and the belief that local and intermediate technologies are the only legitimate approach, there is emerging today a new community of scientists dedicated to an inclusive view of appropriate science for development."

That sounds like an appropriate idea to me.

Photo: UN Photo/John Isaac

Katherine Gustafson is a freelance writer and editor with a background in international nonprofit organizations.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Taking Meat Out of the Factory
NEXT STORY:
Join the Social Media Day of Action to Rid Girl Scout Cookies of Forest-Destroying Palm Oil

COMMENTS (1)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.