Appropriate Technology Resources
Appropriate Technology describes simple, small-scale technologies aimed at improving people's access to food, water, and shelter. Each document introduces and explains the general concept behind the technological solution, some even include instructions of how to construct your own.
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2014-06-14 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #21 Wanpen’s roller planting marker was developed from her experience. When a problem occurred, she would alter and develop the tool according to the problem and rice variety. Wanpen’s tool was designed to be lightweight, easy to handle and convenient to use....
- Also available in:
- हिन्दी भाषा (hi)
- ไทย (th)
- Bahasa Indonesia (id)
- မြန်မာ (my)
- ភាសាខ្មែរ (km)
- 汉语 (zh)
- Tiếng Việt (vi)
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1998-05-19 Advice about milling lumber from tropical trees.
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1994-04-19 The “tubular juice pasteurizer,” as it is formally called, strikes me as an “appropriate technology” with unusual promise. It is designed for situations where a large quantity of fruit is available for a limited period of time and for which there is no ready market or where marketing is not...
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Water pumps have long been a key component of the small-scale farm and are valuable labor-saving devices that offer a variety of practical applications. Pumps ofdifferent types are regularly used for water storage & filtration, irrigation, aquaculture systems, and more. While convenient and...
- Also available in:
- 汉语 (zh)
- ไทย (th)
- Bahasa Indonesia (id)
- Tiếng Việt (vi)
- မြန်မာ (my)
- ភាសាខ្មែរ (km)
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Creole Document - Appropriate Technology for Farmers
- Also available in:
- Kreyòl Ayisyen (ht)
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2016-08-09 Vacuum-sealing seeds is highly effective, but the technology to do it is often out of the reach of small-scale farmers. This one dollar solution can help small-scale farmers store seeds more reliably, improving seed viability and reducing loss. This research was done in Cambodia as part of "Seeds...
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Key Resource 1993-09-01 Offers guidance on the selection of appropriate equipment for small businesses, with case studies and technical information about each type of machine. For field workers training for food processing projects, and their trainers, and the non-specialist.
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2017-02-09
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Farming with raised planting beds is a great way to keep your crop safe and increase your yields. This agricultural technique reduces soil compaction and improves the quality of the soil. It protects your plants during times of excess rainfall. This animation describes how to implement this...
- Also available in:
- বাংলা (bn)
- 汉语 (zh)
- Kiswahili (sw)
- Kreyòl Ayisyen (ht)
- Français (fr)
- Español (es)
- Lingala (ln)
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Drip Irrigation is a technique that allows you to consistently water your entire crop. This technique is especially helpful during a drought or dry season. This technique must be combined with Raised Planting Beds. Please watch our animation on Raised Planting Beds before attempting Drip...
- Also available in:
- 汉语 (zh)
- Kiswahili (sw)
- Kreyòl Ayisyen (ht)
- Français (fr)
- Español (es)
- বাংলা (bn)
- Lingala (ln)
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This animation explains a method to test if your grain has a low enough moisture level for you to store it. This technique utilizes salt to help determine the moisture level in your grain. Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO) is a university based program. SAWBO transforms extension...
- Also available in:
- Lomwe (ngl)
- Español (es)
- Português (pt)
- Français (fr)
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Shea butter is an ivory colored or yellowish fat that is extracted from nuts of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), which is found in West Africa. Shea butter is used in cosmetics including moisturizer as well as foods such as chocolate. Additionally, it has been used in medicinal ointments....
- Also available in:
- Fante (fat)
- Banda (bad)
- Fon (fon)
- Lingala (ln)
- Español (es)
- Français (fr)
- Hausa (ha)
- Igbo (ig)
- Yoruba (yo)
- 汉语 (zh)
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Cassava is a staple food for over 800 million people in approximately 80 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, but also in Asia, the Pacific and South America. Cassava contains cyanogens, which protect against pests and predators by producing cyanide. So-called bitter varieties produce more...
- Also available in:
- Lingala (ln)
- Themne (tem)
- አማርኛ (am)
- বাংলা (bn)
- Español (es)
- Ewe (ee)
- Français (fr)
- Português (pt)
- 汉语 (zh)
- Lomwe (ngl)
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Cowpea bruchids (Callosobruchus maculatus) can cause damage to cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds in storage, resulting in post-harvest losses. In the animated video we describe a solarization technique for killing cowpea bruchids before the seeds are stored. Scientific Animations Without Borders...
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This video explains how to dry grains after harvest by building a low-cost High Velocity Solar Grain Dryer. Drying grain is important because it reduces the chance for mold growth in the grain, which will increase its storage life as well as ensuring that it will sell at a higher price. When you...
- Also available in:
- Español (es)
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This video explains how to dry grains after harvest by using the High Velocity Solar Grain Dryer. Drying grain is important because it reduces the chance for mold growth in the grain, which will increase its storage life as well as ensuring that it will sell at a higher price. Instructions on how...
- Also available in:
- Français (fr)
- Español (es)
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Key Resource 1999-01-01 Women are critical to the well-being of farm households. Aside from raising children, women are expected to prepare all meals, maintain the homestead, and assist in crop and animal production, all the while tending to the general health of their families. Perhaps, ironically, it is because women...
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Key Resource 1995-01-19 Small-scale vegetable oil extraction presents the options available for processing a range of common oilseeds from domestic to village scales of operation. Details are provided on the type and source of equipment, and the requirements for financial success are examined. 2 Copies
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Key Resource 1992-06-01 Tools for Agriculture is a guide to small-scale farming equipment which offers information to smallholder farmers, development workers, and manufacturers all over the world.
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Key Resource 1985-06-01 This 3rdedition of an invaluable and well-established ‘Buyers’ Guide’ now offers a wider range of tools, more guidance to the buyer and user, and clearer presentation of material. An additional feature is the series of expanded introductions to each general subject area. The material for the new...
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Key Resource 1973-01-01 This book teaches the artist and craftsman how to make his own tools: how to design. sharpen. and temper them
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The alternative to digging a pit is to stack the wood above the ground and cover the stack with earth. This method is also very old and is widely used in many countries. One finds many variations of the basic method. Studies have been made in some countries to optimise the design. The Swedish...
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2015-03-26 There is abundance in the ordinary – that which is often unseen or overlooked – that can be harnessed to change mindsets, resource use, and community benefits. Beth Doerr presents examples, experiences and thoughts that enlighten, challenge and guide communities to discover the abundance in their...
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Formerly Compatible TechnologyInternational (CTI) We believe that a world without extreme poverty is entirely possible, and for us, it starts with providing tools for communities that are traditionally overlooked by mainstream engineering. We design tools in collaboration with smallholder farmers...
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2019-11-19 Session :With 90% of the world’s engineering focused on 10% of the population, a significant opportunity exists to serve the most vulnerable and marginalized people in developing countries. Many attempts have been made to develop so-called appropriate technology, with some success, and much...
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Our philosophy is that of George Washington Carver, an African American scientist who taught sustainable agriculture to poor farmers. Through experimentation of plants, he developed hundreds of uses for peanuts and other plants. Although most-well known for these inventions, Carver served his...
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KickStart International is a non-profit social enterprise with a mission to lift millions of people out of poverty quickly, cost-effectively and sustainably. KickStart’s vision of success is to take millions of people out of poverty sustainably, and in doing so, to change the way the world fights...
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This page is to be an inspiration, reference and source of information for independent scythe projects in the developing world. It illustrates with different projects how scythes may be applied in various ways toward sustainable development, depending on the circumstances of the working area....
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Soda Bottle Wick Irrigation |improves upon traditional drip irrigation in several ways. 1) Most of Lima’s soils are sandy and don’t hold water for extended periods. As a result, intermittent watering results in significant water loss; the water drains quickly through the soil before plants can...
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Vision: That development for the 1.6 billion people worldwide without access to affordable, healthy, efficient, and environmentally responsible lighting and energy can be promoted through the provision of sustainable energy and lighting solutions. Mission: LUTW is an international development...
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The Centre for Water Resources Development Management (CWRDM) here has developed wick irrigation technique, a hydroponic system, to facilitate farming of potted vegetables and ornamental plants in the homesteads and on the terrace. Dr Kamalam Joseph, a senior scientist at CWRDM who led the team...
- This story traces the evolution of LifeTrac, OSE's open source tractor, from 2008 to 2012. If you're interested in LifeTrac, you can find our information and designs at http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Civilization_Starter_Kit_DVD_v0.01 Open Source Plans
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HARVEST - Holistic Access to Research on Vegetables, Economies, Societies, and Technology Searching over 50,000 records in the World Vegetable Center archives.
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Key Resource 1993-01-19 This guide is designed to help skilled blacksmiths who have little or no teaching experience to train others in forge work techniques, using easily obtainable equipment and scrap metal to produce tools such as hoes, sickles, hammers and axes. There are 16 lesson plans with advice on teaching...
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Key Resource 1993-12-01 Starting with only an anvil and a few basic tools, almost all the tools needed by a blacksmith can be made from commonly found materials. With clear instructions this book gives step by step instructions on basic blacksmithing.
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Key Resource 1993-05-01 This guide for carpentry instructors includes detailed plans for practical demonstrations, and important theoretical aspects of the craft. The tools include planes, clamps, workbench and vice. There is also a section on basic blacksmithing techniques.
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1988-01-01 The Village Technology Handbook has been an important tool for development workers and do-it-yourselfers for years. First published in 1963 under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Handbook has gone through eight major printings. Versions in French and Spanish, as...
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The “Hippo Water Roller Project” was established in 1994 in response to the unique needs and constraints in terms of access to water of rural women and children across Africa. Now simply referred to as “Hippo Roller”, the broad social impact of this social enterprise has been felt in more than...
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Maya Pedal is a Guatemalan NGO based in San Andrés Itzapa. We accept bikes donated from the USA and Canada which we either recondition to sell, or we use the components to build a range of "Bicimaquinas", (pedal powered machines). Pedal power can be harnessed for countless applications which...
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By improving transport and infrastructure, those without the means to previously do so are able to access markets where they can buy or sell goods for income, make better use of essential services such as health and education and keep abreast of social, economic and political developments...
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Over 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation. These are basic human rights. Many low-cost, community-run schemes can be set up to improve health, wellbeing and environmental conditions, and generate some income.
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Practical Action uses technology to challenge poverty in developing countries. We enable poor communities to build on their skills and knowledge to produce sustainable and practical solutions. Technologyis a key to ending poverty. Technology doesn’t mean just physical infrastructure, machinery...
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We haveover 2000 online resourcesavailable, including technical briefs and drawings, and audios and videos, on a range of topics and sub-topics, and in different languages. The resources are all focused on small-scale appropriate technologies aimed at improving access to infrastructure and...
- 2019-06-20 100 Under $100: Tools for Reducing Postharvest Losses is a comprehensive compilation of postharvest techniques covering every step of the smallholder Value Chain, enhanced with lively descriptions, pertinent links, engaging stories, data-rich tables, and stunning photos. These all build and...
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2019-11-20 Session :The Horticulture Innovation Lab has worked to scale appropriate technologies across the globe for over a decade. Fruits and vegetables, while producing healthy products and sound investments, can have unique challenges. This talk showcases technologies to mitigate these challenges, while...
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The Way Things Work Now Levers to Lasers, Windmills to Wi-Fi A Visual Guide to the World of Machines
David Macaulay not only demonstrates how machines do what they do-from the simplest lever to the smartest phone-but also shows how the concept behind another. Using the humorous analogy of a wooly mammoth to illustrate principles, he offers even the least technically minded reader a window of... -
Micro-hydro is a useful way of providing power to houses, workshops or villages that need an independent supply. For many remote areas beyond the reach of a national grid, micro-hydro is the only economic option. Where flow is limited, but high heads are available, the Pelton wheel is one of the...
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Presents an overview of the use of wind energy around the world providing information on planning, purchasing, siting, and installing a wind system and the integration of wind power with solar photovoltaics
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Session:With 90% of the world’s engineering focused on 10% of the population, a significant opportunity exists to serve the most vulnerable and marginalized people in developing countries. Many attempts have been made to develop so-called appropriate technology, with some success, and much...
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The Johnson-Su Bioreactor method of creating compost is quite different from other composting methods in several respects. The most common commercial windrow composting processes are usually designed and operated for speed and maximum product flow. Unfortunately, this focus does not allow the...
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1994-12-01 This book examines the contribution of rural manufacturing to central Africa economies, particularly as a service to the agricultural base. Foreign imports and the large-scale centralized manufacture of goods require scarce and expensive foreign exchange, and are therefore an inappropriate means...
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2008-11-01 The Human-Powered Homeis a one-of-a-kind compendium of human-powered devices gathered from a unique collection of experts. For those who want to apply their own ingenuity, or for those who have never heard of human-powered machines, this book is a fine reference. For those who are beginning to...
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Oil press machineis a manually powered machine which was innovated and designed by CAMARTEC in the year 1990. It is used to press different types of seeds in order to produce oil out of them. There are two models of different sizes: the BP30 (has small capacity) and the BP50 (has bigger...
- Institute for Affordable Transportation We strive to make the motor vehicle as SIMPLE as possible. It must be easy to build, easy to repair, and easy to use. Commercial Intent – It must have a very high payload to weight ratio. We view it as a COMMERCIAL vehicle, geared toward business. We want...
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This site is dedicated to the sharing of appropriate and intermediate technologies. We hope eventually to learn how to provide for your feedback with comments, suggested improvements, and perhaps some of your own technologies to be shared. Our objective is to deal with devices and methods that...
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These are plans for all kinds of interesting things you may or may not have ever thought about building. Many are scans from old books and magazines, now in the public domain. Others I have drawn and engineered myself, usually the ones I charge for. I'm a mechanical engineer with a long career of...
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Properly drying paddy rice can avoid huge losses. When your rice is not dried properly, you can lose crop to mold, pests, and other issues. Paddy drying is difficult, especially during rainy and cloudy days. This is why it is best to use a dryer for your crop. The BAU-STR is an efficient batch...
- Also available in:
- Français (fr)
- Español (es)
- বাংলা (bn)
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Access Agriculture Training Video In traditional hives, the bees make their own wax combs that are often attached to each other, so harvesting the honey is difficult. Honey can be extracted only two or three times a year from a traditional beehive. A modern beehive produces double to triple the...
- Also available in:
- Français (fr)
- Español (es)
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Access Agriculture Training Video The clod breaker is a simple wooden tool made out of a cylindrical log with iron spikes. It can be pulled by animals or even by an adult person. By driving the clod breaker over your field in opposite directions, the soil will become loose, aerated and absorb...
- Also available in:
- Français (fr)
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Access Agriculture Training Video Zero-grazing is where fodder is cut and carried to cows which are kept in stalls. It is suited to where land is scarce. When the manure that the cows produce is mixed with water it can provide the fuel for a biogas plant. The mix of methane and carbon dioxide can...
- Also available in:
- Français (fr)
- In this video I demonstrate the use of a husking peg to harvest corn. The tool is made by splitting a piece of straight grained wood, carving a point on one end and drilling two holes for attaching the finger loop. On the peg I use in the video the loop is made from a piece of inner tube from a...
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To achieve our mission, Moving Windmills works with local leaders to determine, organize, and implement appropriate solutions that build community and solve pressing problems. We value: Human-centered design:People know their own problems best. Solutions must involve those who facethe challenge....