Appropriate technology

movement
Q> What is the role of ATM in developing countries?
Ans> ATM has widely been used in many developing and
developed nations. By 1980 it was widespread all around the
globe accepted by many developed nations as well as new
environmental problems such as global warming was coming into
picture. So it was wise to think of such a technology which was
not only compatible to democratic nations but was also
sustainable. ATM on the other hand also focused on meeting with
needs of poor and needy people in most economical and
sustainable way. Some of the examples of appropriate technology
is fog collector, nut sheller, low emission vehicles such as
compressed air cars etc.
Q>What are the advantages and disadvantages of atm?
Ans>There are many advantages of atm some of them being it is

Sustainable
User friendly
Cheap
Accessible to all
Room for creativity
Avoids need of importing goods
Of all the points mentioned above we know that atm focuses
on the technology which is sustainable and environment
friendly.it emphasizes on technology which is cheap enough
so that it is accessible to all. There is room for creativity
which means new ideas are welcomed as long as they add to
the previous mentioned points. There was an instance in
Papua New Guinea. The country has abundance of coconut.

They were so much in abundance that they were completely

useless and left to rot. A scientist from the region felt pity
over the condition. He wanted to develop a technology that
would serve as a replacement to diesel fuel, which the
country was importing at very high price at that time. His
constant efforts turned out to be fruitful and he developed
such technology. Thus importing of goods can be avoided at
large extent by using ATM.
Disadvantages of ATM:
Solutions simply does not work as planned
Relatively new field of study
Long term effects are unknown

Appropriate technology encompasses such a wide field that it is hard to

describe the exact points of weakness. One disadvantage of appropriate technology
is that sometimes a solution simply does not work as planned. Some solutions tried
have failed because some factor was not considered or the design did not work as
planned. Since it is a relatively new field of study, there is still much work that
needs to be done on the most effective way to apply the resources available in the
area of need. What might be very practical and cheap in one area of the world
would be ridiculously expensive or not work at all in another region. Also there is
the problem of the different cultures within various countries.
One solution used for a village in Africa was found to be cultural repulsive
to another village in the same country. Therefore, appropriate technology takes
tremendous study of the regions climate, resources, location, and people. There
are also many cases that the long term effects are unknown. There are also the
problems of a sustainable solution creating other problems. For example, a microhydroelectric plant might be built in a remote village to provide the village with
power. Each hut would own its own battery that could be charged at the microhydro then be taken home to provide power. Batteries, however, dont last for an
extremely long time and are filled with toxic materials. What will happen with the
batteries when they go bad? How will they be disposed of properly? These are
issues that designers have to deal with.
Most appropriate technology applications are built for small scale use, that
work well for small, remote villages. But appropriate technological solutions
pose more problems for large scale applications.Some forms of sustainable
resources are very expensive and not practical for extensive use. Therefore, the

cost becomes much greater than current methods making it not as economically
feasible. This is especially true for countries that are already technologically
advanced.

Q>Is EF Schumachers ATM always a success?

Ans> In 1966 Schumacher formed ITDG (intermediate technology
development group) starting with Schumacher and 20 others. But
later a meeting was held on 1968 where the term intermediate
technology was discarded and appropriate technology was
chosen.. Intermediate technology had been criticized as
suggesting the technology was inferior to advanced (or high)
technology and not including the social and political factors
included in the concept put forth by the proponents.
As industries mature, scale only becomes more critical out of
competitive necessity. State capitalism from emerging powers
China and Russia only raise the stakes further in our competitive
global economy. Within this context, Fritz Schumachers
bestselling book, Small is Beautiful, and his ideas about human
scale, decentralization, and appropriate technologies may seem
quaint and out of touch. We may believe that small is beautiful
in our hearts, but our head is teaching us that big wins.
Experience has taught us to ignore our logical heads at our peril.
Nevertheless, our conscience is telling us, now more than ever,
that something is amiss. A new era is struggling to unfold. While
the Obama phenomena may in some ways reflect this change, it
does not by any means define it. We need to pause and reflect
carefully in light of what we see happening to the health and
prosperity of individuals, whole populations, other species,
oceans, the soil, rainforests, the atmosphere, indeed the entire
planetary system, if we are awake enough to notice. So
Schumachers ATM seems to be out of touch for this modern era.