Technology and Development
People caring about developing countries tend to think of aid as food, medicines or books. That is, cooperation for development is usually associated with hunger alleviation, health care and education but seldom with technology. However, technology is at the basis of human development.
Some people could be puzzled. Technology? That’s about the latest smartphone, isn’t it? Why should a poor farmer in West Africa need those things? But technology is much more than the impressive electronic gadgets. We are so used to some technologies such as water supply and sanitation, for instance, that we never think about them. But those technologies are key for developing countries.
Going further, it’s not just a matter of which technology but also a matter of how it is applied. One needs a broad concept of technology if a real change is wanted. It’s not just buying, deploying and commissioning the pumps, the pipes or whatever. It’s letting people understand, operate and own the system that is going to improve their lives.
If water is a Human Right, then pumps are not just machines.
Comments Off on Technology and Development /
23 May 2011
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Beatriz Espinosa
IMSD /
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