For more than 3000 years and still today, Ethiopian farmers all over the country are using archaic wooden agricultural implements with cast iron tips. Most of the attempts made to improve these agricultural implements suited to the needs of farm households never left the workshops appropriate technology centers across the country.
Despite the request for modern technologies for improving production and productivity in Ethiopia, the use of AT technologies cannot be ignored as they are far more manageable and relevant to the daily needs of residents in rural and urban centers in Ethiopia.
Appropriate technology (AT) refers to innovations and solutions that are affordable, sustainable, and suitable for local conditions. In Ethiopia, AT development can significantly enhance economic growth, improve livelihoods, and promote environmental sustainability. In Ethiopia, appropriate technology outputs were introduced about four decades back, mainly focusing on agriculture and rural development programs. Some attempts were also made to improve agricultural implements that were used in the country for over three millennia. Over the past couple of decades, that government established a special appropriate technology institute which was tasked with introducing, developing, and disseminating the products to both the rural and urban populations. Some of these innovations included bio-gas development for household energy consumption, preparation of composts and introducing improve weaving machines for small-scale textile cottage industries in the urban centers of the country.
Improved technologies used in handicrafts like pottery and preparation of small scale silos for storing grain, preparation of fuel efficient stoves contribute to reducing over dependence of fuel wood in rural Ethiopia.
Appropriate technology development in Ethiopia in agriculture also includes various types of grain thrashing machines that could be handled by the farmers in the rural areas of Ethiopia. These technologies are availed either by making improvements on traditional technologies that have been developed in the country or introducing new ones from foreign countries.
Moreover, soil brick-making molds were also used for shelter constructions across the country. Important areas of appropriate technology development in Ethiopia, among other things include renewable technologies for agriculture and food security, which among other things include drip irrigation, solar-powered water pumps and technologies for rainwater harvesting. As stated above, post-harvest technology for storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses, soil and water conservation schemes, preparation of soil bunds and terracing, and bio-fertilizers.
In order to ease the logistics problems of rural farmers, appropriate technologies like carts made of wood are used to transport goods to the market, as farmers need to market their products at the nearby markets.
Appropriate technologies for managing water resources and the use and harvest of rainwater help farmers to ensure their water sanitation and hygiene, while water purifying technologies manageable at the household level can prevent families in rural and urban areas to avoid water borne diseases.
Soil bricks made and dried on sun can help to improve the housing of rural families in semi-arid ecologies to keep cool in the house during the day and retain warmth during the night. Appropriate technologies on improved beehives can help to modernize them for better productivity and income generation at the household level.
Appropriate technologies for rural development focus on small-scale, locally relevant solutions to address basic needs and improve livelihoods, utilizing existing skills and resources. These technologies can encompass diverse areas like agriculture, water management, energy, and education, aiming to empower communities and promote sustainable growth. In agriculture, improved farming techniques include technologies like crop diversification, soil conservation methods, and the use of locally available fertilizers.
ATs on livestock Management techniques to improve animal health, breeding, and fodder production can enhance livelihoods. Simple, affordable water purification methods like sand filters and solar water disinfection can improve water quality.
Moreover, improved sanitation facilities, such as composting toilets and community latrines, can reduce the spread of diseases. Solar panels, biogas digesters, and wind turbines can provide clean and sustainable energy sources. Improved stoves can reduce fuel consumption and indoor air pollution. Using mobile devices and platforms for education and information dissemination can increase access to knowledge. Educational programs broadcast via radio and television can reach remote communities.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) including Mobile phones can be used for communication, accessing information, and connecting with markets. Connecting rural areas to the internet can open up opportunities for education, business, and social interaction.
Using locally available materials for construction, such as earth, stone, and bamboo, can reduce costs and environmental impact. Implementing energy-efficient and climate-responsive building designs can improve living conditions.
What are some of the benefits of AT? These technologies can empower local communities by providing them with the skills and tools they need to improve their livelihoods. They promote sustainable development by utilizing local resources and minimizing environmental impact. By increasing productivity and creating new opportunities, they can contribute to economic growth in rural areas. They can improve access to basic services, such as clean water, sanitation, and education, which can lead to a better quality of life.
What are the major challenges in developing appropriate technologies in Ethiopia? Lack of funds to conduct researches on various technologies that could be used by farmers inhibits the process of distribution and adoption of such technologies.
Development and adoption of appropriate technologies in Ethiopia, as observed by the author of this article is not adequately linked to poverty reduction and integrated food security programs in the country.
Lack of sufficient appropriate technology centers in the country based on ecological variations is another challenge. Even if researches are conducted, the results mostly remain on shelf due to lack of enough funds for production.
Production and distribution of appropriate technologies among farmers requires deeper training for farmers as they sometimes find it hard to adopt the technologies. It will be important to provide practical demonstrations before farmers would accept the outputs.
In Ethiopia, challenges to using appropriate technologies include limited infrastructure, skills gaps, financial constraints, and cultural resistance, hindering the adoption of technology to address development needs.
The author believes that the lack of linkage between traditional farm-level technologies with appropriate technologies makes the adoptability of new AT technologies complex and difficult. The government is attempting to promote agricultural mechanization even on small-scale farm plots that are mostly less than 0.5 hectares both in southern and northern agriculture areas. Given the challenges in the choice of viable agricultural technologies, one could easily observe that the size of the household farmlands were always inadequate for introducing new technologies that could help to produce food for the alarmingly growing population. The use of appropriate technologies in Yelemat Trufat, for instance, is not being introduced on patches of land as the government introduced cluster farming, which could use far more modern technologies. Generating and selecting AT requires developing a set of standards and indicators that could be used in the selection of AT outputs.
Appropriate technologies in the health sector could be very effective if adopted in the context of household needs, but they need to be blended with and mainstreamed in the modern health service delivery systems practiced in the country. Making hygiene-related detergents at the household level may be useful for income generation, but they need to be checked on their impacts of general health system.
ATs in Ethiopia are not adequately developed to ease the burden of women in rural areas of the country. It is important to ensure the gender sensitivity of products that are introduced in appropriate technology.
What measure is to be taken to improve the effectivity of appropriate technology products in Ethiopia? The author of this article provides the following suggestions.
First, AP centers at the federal and regional levels need to institutionalize their activities and ensure standard operational linkages with sector ministries like Ministry of Innovation and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Industry.
Second, the Ministry of Education can develop a special curriculum to encourage students of all levels to improve their creativity and engage in developing household and community level innovative technologies that can be used for various needs of community members. This will encourage students to compete on developing technologies that could be exhibited on school days.
Third, universities across the country can establish special units or departments that can introduce IT system at community levels that can be managed by households. For instance, Agricultural Transformation Agency can expand its outreach programs by introducing digital facilities that farmers can use to manage their agricultural activities.
Fourth, in terms of promoting food security during food gap seasons in rural areas, it is useful to develop food preservation and conservation techniques that could be used by communities.
Fifth, Research on AP solutions need to be conducted based on relevance to different ecological setting in the country. This is important because the utilization of AT solutions could be sensitive to the environment in which they are applied.
Sixth, Expanding training centers right at the localities where farmers reside or using e-learning technologies for training farmers may be applied.
Seventh, users of AP solutions can also be trained on fixing or maintaining their instruments in case of temporary damage to their tools.
As stated much earlier in this contribution, making improvements on ingenious technologies to upgrade their level of use is equally important as introducing new ones. Residents of urban and rural areas can compare the difference between the two and preferring to use more efficient appropriate technologies.
Ethiopia is currently engaged in the digitalization of almost all sectors of the economy and the manufacturing sector is ever more expanding. This however does not rule out the importance of AT technologies in the country.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY SOLOMON DIBABA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 23 MARCH 2025
