View source for Appropriate Technology

The theme now called "Appropriate Technology" was introduced as [[Intermediate Technology]] in the mid-nineteen sixties by the economist [[E.F. Schumacher]], who is best-known for his book [[Small is Beautiful]].

In the mid-nineteen-sixties [[E.F. Schumacher]] used the term [[Intermediate Technology]] to refer to the type of technology he believed would be most appropriate in developing countries, which he described it as being "intermediate" between the advanced technology used developed countries, and the insufficient primitive technology used in developing nations. 

Schumacher's idea of Intermediate Technology was soon expanded so that it might also be applied in highly developed countries. The name was accordingly changed to the more general Appropriate Technology. Wikipedia defines "Appropriate Technology" as follows: 

:Appropriate technology is technology that is appropriate to the environmental, cultural and economic situation it is intended for. An appropriate technology, in this sense, typically requires fewer resources, as well as lower cost and less impact on the environment. Proponents use the term to describe technologies which they consider to be suitable for use in developing nations or underdeveloped rural areas of industrialized nations, which they feel cannot operate and maintain high technology. 

This definition retains the original orientation towards developing nations, but Wikipedia does indicate that the term also has broader connotations:

:What exactly constitutes appropriate technology in any given case is a matter of debate, but generally the term is used by theorists to question high technology or what they consider to be excessive mechanization, human displacement, resource depletion or increased pollution associated with industrialisation. 

Other terms closely related to Appropriate Technology include:
*[[Alternative Technology]]
*[[Sustainable Technology]]
*[[Environmental Technology]]

==Links==
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriate_technology

[[Category:Appropriate Technology]]