World Ark Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 10) The Evolution of a Trend The emerging trend has its roots in an influential book by the economist E.F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful, published in 1973, which emphasized, in part, the importance of scale in problem solving—that the size and scope of a solution could be tailored to the size and scope of the task. In the Western World, which had been dominated by the momentum of big business, growth and high technology, Schumacher’s notions about scale quietly began to find purchase. A school of thought called the appropriate technology movement, inspired by Schumacher’s ideas, spread throughout the developing world; it called for local technologies to address local needs, rather than importing less relevant, mass-produced products at greater expense and waste. While the appropriate technology movement fell short of many of its goals, the theories and ideas had a lasting influence on development This pump has the capacity to irrigate up to two acres of crops per day, which means poor rural farmers are no longer limited to producing crops only during the rainy season. work. Designers and engineers began focusing more on practical, local, small-scale solutions to help the very poor. In recent years, these efforts have gathered momentum. In addition to the technologies on exhibit at Cooper-Hewitt, which showcased low-tech design solutions to problems facing the poor, a number of independent companies and universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have been at work on these solutions as well. Amy Smith, a senior lecturer at MIT, founded the D-Lab program, which introduces students to engineering challenges in the developing world. Smith has designed several tools and medical devices for use in developing countries. As the movement evolves, some basic principles for this kind of design have begun to emerge. They come from Schumacher’s ideas, as well as trial and error and countless conversations with people living in poverty. Photo by Allison Jones
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