Appropriate technology is an ideological movement started by the economist Dr. Ernst Friedrich. Simply speaking, appropriate technology is small-scale technology. It is simple enough that people can manage it directly and on a local level. Appropriate technology makes use of skills and technology that are available in a local community to supply basic human needs.

Following are chief characteristics of Appropriate Technology:

Decentralization:

Today, many of our basic needs are handled by huge, complex, centrally managed (government or private) systems & corporations. They must invest a lot of money to purchase large, complex machinery and to employ thousands of workers. For example, our electricity typically comes from utility companies that operate across many states. In contrast, with appropriate technology the person who produces a service or a product also becomes the consumer – the person who uses it. Thus, a simpler technology tends to be more reliable for:

1. It is less prone to breakdowns such as labor strikes.
2. Disruptions like power failure are easy to track and repair. They also do not affect large masses of people.

3. Consumer-producers are more likely to care more about their work. As a result, service and goods are more reliable and of higher quality.

    

Environment Friendly:

Appropriate technology emphasizes the use of renewable resources, like the energy from the sun, wind or water. These energy sources are available almost everywhere and need only the right technology to capture them. Unlike burning coal and oil, these local energy sources do not contribute to air and water pollution and they do not need to be transported over long distances. These are systems that conserve resources by recycling organic nutrients back into the soil and re-using manufactured goods in innovative ways. Thus, appropriate technology makes it possible to satisfy our basic human needs while minimizing our impact on the environment.

Socio-Economic Independence:

With Appropriate Technology, we may have to do more hand labor instead of depending on automation. However, by growing more of our own food and producing and buying goods in our own communitites, we spend less time and money on transportation, produce less waste and consume fewer environmental resources. This essentially means that we save money while more employment is generated at local level.