This study investigates the appropriateness of greywater reuse technologies in Canada. To design a technology to appropriately meet a user’s needs the approach must conform to existing technical, cultural, economic, environmental, and social conditions. The appropriateness of two greywater reuse systems (GWRS) were investigated according to three criteria; reliability/soundness/flexibility, affordability, and sustainability. The GWRS reduced water consumption from 9-20% of total household use, and often met required fecal coliforms concentrations at several sites. However, the study revealed that neither GWRS met all the appropriate technology criteria and significant barriers preventing greywater reuse were identified. Both GWRS produced effluent that largely did not meet current regulations, were prone to mechanical failure, and did not provide any financial benefits, resulting in a varied level of acceptance among users. In addition, the systems resulted in increased green house gas emissions. The study also concluded that the regulations governing greywater quality for toilet flushing and the technology’s robustness must be further refined. / Federation of Canadian Municipalities, City of Guelph, and the Ontario Centres of Excellence

It has been well documented that women and children in The Gambia are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition. The combination of heavy labor demands on women and a weaning diet low in calories takes its toll on women and children during the pre-harvest lean season. In 1995, the Small-Scale Sesame Oil Production project introduced an inexpensive, manual technology for edible oil extraction, called the ram press, to women in The Gambia. The overall aim of the project was to improve household nutritional security through the adoption of the ram press by women sesame growers. A 13-month study was conducted to evaluate the success of the Small-Scale Sesame Oil Production project. The study involved 120 rural households: 40 households with access to motorized expeller technology (Expeller group) for sesame oil extraction, 37 households with access to manual ram press technology (Press group), and 43 households with access to both technologies (Combination group). Twenty-four hour recalls, food frequency data, anthropometric measurements, and production data were obtained at the baseline and at the post-harvest, peak sesame oil-pressing, and pre-harvest lean seasons. At the baseline, women in the Expeller group had higher mean intakes of kilocalories than those in the Press and Combination groups. After introduction of the ram press, the Press and Combination women reported consistently higher intakes of kilocalories than the Expeller women at all seasons, with the largest differences at the peak oil-pressing and pre-harvest lean seasons. At the baseline, the consumption of kilocalories for Expeller children was greater than that of the Combination and Press children. After introduction of the ram press, this trend was reversed and the intake of kilocalories for Combination and Press children was greater than that of Expeller children at all other seasons. The Expeller children exhibited a marked increase in weight-for-height z-scores at the peak oil-pressing season that decreased to near baseline levels thereafter. The Combination and Press children exhibited a steady increase in weight-for-height z-scores across seasons except for the pre-harvest lean season when their scores leveled off. These results indicate that women and children in households with access to ram press technology experience much less of a seasonal fluctuation in food consumption than those without ram press technology. Findings of this study also indicate that when women are given choices as to which technology is best for them, they will maximize their benefits from the available technologies. / Master of Science

The technological revolution of the XX century led to big transformations in global culture, society and economy, but it did not reach equally to all. While science is today one of the main engines of industry, agriculture, and production of goods, billions of people in small communities still relay on local forms of knowledge, technologies and techniques to carry out their economic activities. This thesis aims to analyze the role of Local Knowledge and the Appropriate Technologies derived by said knowledge applied to the fish farms of peasants in the local Sustainable Development in the Vale do Jamari region, in the state of Rondônia, in Brazil. To achieve our goal, we initiate with a theoretical discussion that will provide tools for the analysis of the empirical data. Firstly, we discuss the concept of Sustainable Development, pointing its limitations and providing a perspective of an analysis of this type of development that favors the resources, interests and culture of a local community. Secondly, we bring the discussion over the accumulated knowledge of man over its environment and the conditions that it inhabits; the concept of Local Knowledge, its characteristics, its importance, limitations and its role in the contemporary world post-Green Revolution. The third moment of our theoretical discussion is dedicated to the movement of alternative technology and the concept of Appropriate Technology, its characteristics and the importance of the concept to the analysis of technologies that are apt to work in specific contexts in a way to be valid to its users. In the sequence, we present the method used for the empirical research, in which a case study was carried out. The case selected was of the peasant fish farms in the Vale do Jamari, region comprised of 9 municipalities in the center of the state of Rondônia, in the western amazon, in Brazil. Said region was colonized by rural workers migrating from other parts of the country between the 1960-1980s, resulting in great impact to the natural environment. The region presented in the last 8 years high rates of growth, partially due to small fish farmers acting with low technology and little access to technical assistance. Secondary data was selected through document research and primary data was collected from observation, photographs, field journals, technical visitations, participation in industry related events, open and semi-structured interviews carried out between mayjune, october-december 2016. The data gathered, upon careful analysis, pointed out that in the case of the peasant fish farmers of the Vale do Jamari: the existence of techniques and technologies developed through Local Knowledge and which are used in multiple situations in substitution, complementation or supplying the absence of technical/scientific knowledge and tools; that such local techniques and technologies can be said to be Appropriate Technologies; that there is disbelief on behalf of technical assistants of the validity of said technologies; that there is a lack of trust and there is a deficient communication between technical assistants and farmers; that such techniques and technologies developed by the fish farmers are compatible with a food production style of low environmental impact, coherent with the locally available resources and which create social and economic benefits to the local community; and, finally, that Local Knowledge, in the absence of conventional technologies appropriate to the found conditions, served as the base to the development of local technologies, appropriate and capable of guaranteeing the activity of fish farming for peasants in the Vale do Jamari.

In the late-1960s, a handful of young, countercultural Americans, inspired by E. F. Schumacher’s concept of “intermediate technology,” founded the Appropriate Technology, or AT, movement in the United States. Although Schumacher’s project focused upon the ways in which technologically sustainable methods could gently and prudently support the modernization of underdeveloped nations, American proponents of AT recognized, in this approach, an opportunity to mitigate the overdevelopment of the Western world. By advocating, promoting, and effecting sustainable techniques from a grassroots to governmental level, practitioners of appropriate technology sought to prevent the further environmental, economic, and social degradation of American communities. The mission of AT was synergistic: by implementing “appropriate” methods of energy production, building design, transportation, education, health care, and communications, appropriate technologists attempted to create comprehensive change. This disciplinary and conceptual inclusivity encouraged the organization of a diversity of AT proponents into cooperative, multifunctional groups, which acted both from within governmental bureaucracy, in the case of California’s Office of Appropriate Technology and the National Center for Appropriate Technology, and outside the Establishment, in the case of the New Alchemy Institute and RAIN collective. My dissertation centers upon these four groups – in particular, their realized projects, community outreach programs, and numerous publications – emphasizing the ways in which the initial philosophy, politics, and focus of AT evolved as the movement transitioned from a countercultural pipe dream to a widely supported solution for America’s energy problems in the wake of the 1973 Oil Crisis.

Thesis (M. S.)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Bras, Bert; Committee Member: Jeter, Sheldon; Committee Member: McGinnis, Leon. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

It has been proposed that the field of appropriate technology (AT) - small-scale, energy efficient and low-cost solutions, can be of tremendous assistance in many of the sustainable development challenges, such as food and water security, health, shelter, education and work opportunities. Unfortunately, there has not yet been a significant uptake of AT by organizations, researchers, policy makers or the mainstream public working in the many areas of the development sector. Some of the biggest barriers to higher AT engagement include: 1) AT perceived as inferior or ‘poor persons technology’, 2) questions of technological robustness, design, fit and transferability, 3) funding, 4) institutional support, as well as 5) general barriers associated with tackling rural poverty. With the rise of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for online networking and knowledge sharing, the possibilities to tap into the collaborative open-access and open-source AT are growing, and so is the prospect for collective poverty reducing strategies, enhancement of entrepreneurship, communications, education and a diffusion of life-changing technologies. In short, the same collaborative philosophy employed in the success of open source software can be applied to hardware design of technologies to improve sustainable development efforts worldwide. To analyze current barriers to open source appropriate technology (OSAT) and explore opportunities to overcome such obstacles, a series of interviews with researchers and organizations working in the field of AT were conducted. The results of the interviews confirmed the majority of literature identified barriers, but also revealed that the most pressing problem for organizations and researchers currently working in the field of AT is the need for much better communication and collaboration to share the knowledge and resources and work in partnership. In addition, interviews showcased general receptiveness to the principles of collaborative innovation and open source on the ground level. A much greater focus on networking, collaboration, demand-led innovation, community participation, and the inclusion of educational institutions through student involvement can be of significant help to build the necessary knowledge base, networks and the critical mass exposure for the growth of appropriate technology. / Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-16 17:13:06.891

The technological revolution of the XX century led to big transformations in global culture, society and economy, but it did not reach equally to all. While science is today one of the main engines of industry, agriculture, and production of goods, billions of people in small communities still relay on local forms of knowledge, technologies and techniques to carry out their economic activities. This thesis aims to analyze the role of Local Knowledge and the Appropriate Technologies derived by said knowledge applied to the fish farms of peasants in the local Sustainable Development in the Vale do Jamari region, in the state of Rondônia, in Brazil. To achieve our goal, we initiate with a theoretical discussion that will provide tools for the analysis of the empirical data. Firstly, we discuss the concept of Sustainable Development, pointing its limitations and providing a perspective of an analysis of this type of development that favors the resources, interests and culture of a local community. Secondly, we bring the discussion over the accumulated knowledge of man over its environment and the conditions that it inhabits; the concept of Local Knowledge, its characteristics, its importance, limitations and its role in the contemporary world post-Green Revolution. The third moment of our theoretical discussion is dedicated to the movement of alternative technology and the concept of Appropriate Technology, its characteristics and the importance of the concept to the analysis of technologies that are apt to work in specific contexts in a way to be valid to its users. In the sequence, we present the method used for the empirical research, in which a case study was carried out. The case selected was of the peasant fish farms in the Vale do Jamari, region comprised of 9 municipalities in the center of the state of Rondônia, in the western amazon, in Brazil. Said region was colonized by rural workers migrating from other parts of the country between the 1960-1980s, resulting in great impact to the natural environment. The region presented in the last 8 years high rates of growth, partially due to small fish farmers acting with low technology and little access to technical assistance. Secondary data was selected through document research and primary data was collected from observation, photographs, field journals, technical visitations, participation in industry related events, open and semi-structured interviews carried out between mayjune, october-december 2016. The data gathered, upon careful analysis, pointed out that in the case of the peasant fish farmers of the Vale do Jamari: the existence of techniques and technologies developed through Local Knowledge and which are used in multiple situations in substitution, complementation or supplying the absence of technical/scientific knowledge and tools; that such local techniques and technologies can be said to be Appropriate Technologies; that there is disbelief on behalf of technical assistants of the validity of said technologies; that there is a lack of trust and there is a deficient communication between technical assistants and farmers; that such techniques and technologies developed by the fish farmers are compatible with a food production style of low environmental impact, coherent with the locally available resources and which create social and economic benefits to the local community; and, finally, that Local Knowledge, in the absence of conventional technologies appropriate to the found conditions, served as the base to the development of local technologies, appropriate and capable of guaranteeing the activity of fish farming for peasants in the Vale do Jamari.

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CAPES / O presente trabalho consiste na implantação de uma estação de tratamento de esgoto por zona de raízes na Escola Municipal Epitácio Pessoa localizada na Comunidade rural da Seção Jacaré em Francisco Beltrão, Paraná. No município, apenas a população urbana possui rede de coleta e tratamento de esgoto, e neste aspecto, sabendo que a infraestrutura de saneamento básico é inexistente nesta comunidade, buscou-se desenvolver um trabalho de educação ambiental junto aos alunos e professores da escola, sobre assuntos relacionados à poluição dos recursos hídricos, saneamento ambiental e doenças transmitidas pela água. A sensibilização realizada e a troca de informações entre os envolvidos promoveram grande aceitação por parte da comunidade local, tornando possível a transferência desta tecnologia alternativa para o tratamento de esgoto. A parceria realizada com a Secretaria Municipal de Meio Ambiente, foi fundamental para o repasse de recursos financeiros pelo FUNDEMA (Fundo Municipal de meio Ambiente) para o desenvolvimento do projeto. A ETE por zona de raízes foi projetada para atender 160 pessoas e teve um custo de R$ 3.833,53, o que representa uma média de R$ 24,00 por pessoa. Por se tratar de um método simples que não necessita de mão de obra especializada, ser de baixo custo, e por ser descentralizada a construção da ETE por zona de Raízes, serviu como um instrumento de mobilização social, que promoveu a participação e a inserção da comunidade na busca de soluções aos problemas locais. Além disso, a ETE pôde servir como apoio na educação ambiental, sendo esta utilizada para esclarecer a importância da preservação da qualidade das águas, permitindo assim, a inserção do conceito de desenvolvimento sustentável na pequena comunidade da Seção Jacaré. As dificuldades encontradas na execução do projeto serviram como aprendizado e como comprovação de que a implantação de uma ETE por zona de raízes é possível, apesar das piores condições de solo, terreno, e tempo. O uso dessa tecnologia alternativa mostrou-se ser uma solução eficaz no tratamento de esgotos de comunidades rurais que sofrem com as consequências da falta deste serviço. / This work presents the implementation of a Sewage Treatment Station by roots zone in the school Epitacio Pessoa, located in Rural Community at Jacaré Seccion for the municipality Francisco Beltrao in the state of Parana. In this municipaly, only the urban population has sewage collection and treatment of sewage and knowing that the infrastructure is nonexistent sanitation in this community, developed a work of the environmental education with students and teachers at the school with subjects related to water pollution, environmental sanitation and diseases transmitted by water. The sensivity and exchange of information between those involved promoted a large acceptance by the local community, being possible to transfer this alternative technology to the sewage treatment. The partnership made with Environment Municipal Secretariat was substantial in the transfer of funds by FUNDEMA (Municipal Fund for the Environment) for project development. The STS (Sewage Treatment Station) by root zone was projected to serve 160 people and had a cost of R$ 3.833,53, which represents an average of R$ 24,00 by person. By treating of the simple method that does require skilled labor, be low cost and construction of the STS by roots zone to be decentralized, served as an instrument of social mobilization that promoted the participation and inclusion of the community in finding solutions to local problems. The SWT could serve as support environmental education which is used to clarify the importance of preserving water quality, allowing the inclusion of the concept of sustainable development in the small community of Jacaré Seccion. The difficulties that was arrived in implementing the project served as a learning and as evidence that the deployment of the STS by roots zone is possible, although worst soil conditions, terrain, and weather. The use of this alternative technology proved to be an effective solution in sewage treatment in rural communities who suffer the consequences of the lack of this service.

CAPES / O presente trabalho consiste na implantação de uma estação de tratamento de esgoto por zona de raízes na Escola Municipal Epitácio Pessoa localizada na Comunidade rural da Seção Jacaré em Francisco Beltrão, Paraná. No município, apenas a população urbana possui rede de coleta e tratamento de esgoto, e neste aspecto, sabendo que a infraestrutura de saneamento básico é inexistente nesta comunidade, buscou-se desenvolver um trabalho de educação ambiental junto aos alunos e professores da escola, sobre assuntos relacionados à poluição dos recursos hídricos, saneamento ambiental e doenças transmitidas pela água. A sensibilização realizada e a troca de informações entre os envolvidos promoveram grande aceitação por parte da comunidade local, tornando possível a transferência desta tecnologia alternativa para o tratamento de esgoto. A parceria realizada com a Secretaria Municipal de Meio Ambiente, foi fundamental para o repasse de recursos financeiros pelo FUNDEMA (Fundo Municipal de meio Ambiente) para o desenvolvimento do projeto. A ETE por zona de raízes foi projetada para atender 160 pessoas e teve um custo de R$ 3.833,53, o que representa uma média de R$ 24,00 por pessoa. Por se tratar de um método simples que não necessita de mão de obra especializada, ser de baixo custo, e por ser descentralizada a construção da ETE por zona de Raízes, serviu como um instrumento de mobilização social, que promoveu a participação e a inserção da comunidade na busca de soluções aos problemas locais. Além disso, a ETE pôde servir como apoio na educação ambiental, sendo esta utilizada para esclarecer a importância da preservação da qualidade das águas, permitindo assim, a inserção do conceito de desenvolvimento sustentável na pequena comunidade da Seção Jacaré. As dificuldades encontradas na execução do projeto serviram como aprendizado e como comprovação de que a implantação de uma ETE por zona de raízes é possível, apesar das piores condições de solo, terreno, e tempo. O uso dessa tecnologia alternativa mostrou-se ser uma solução eficaz no tratamento de esgotos de comunidades rurais que sofrem com as consequências da falta deste serviço. / This work presents the implementation of a Sewage Treatment Station by roots zone in the school Epitacio Pessoa, located in Rural Community at Jacaré Seccion for the municipality Francisco Beltrao in the state of Parana. In this municipaly, only the urban population has sewage collection and treatment of sewage and knowing that the infrastructure is nonexistent sanitation in this community, developed a work of the environmental education with students and teachers at the school with subjects related to water pollution, environmental sanitation and diseases transmitted by water. The sensivity and exchange of information between those involved promoted a large acceptance by the local community, being possible to transfer this alternative technology to the sewage treatment. The partnership made with Environment Municipal Secretariat was substantial in the transfer of funds by FUNDEMA (Municipal Fund for the Environment) for project development. The STS (Sewage Treatment Station) by root zone was projected to serve 160 people and had a cost of R$ 3.833,53, which represents an average of R$ 24,00 by person. By treating of the simple method that does require skilled labor, be low cost and construction of the STS by roots zone to be decentralized, served as an instrument of social mobilization that promoted the participation and inclusion of the community in finding solutions to local problems. The SWT could serve as support environmental education which is used to clarify the importance of preserving water quality, allowing the inclusion of the concept of sustainable development in the small community of Jacaré Seccion. The difficulties that was arrived in implementing the project served as a learning and as evidence that the deployment of the STS by roots zone is possible, although worst soil conditions, terrain, and weather. The use of this alternative technology proved to be an effective solution in sewage treatment in rural communities who suffer the consequences of the lack of this service.