12. Spreading the word: organizations, information dissemination, networking

Holger Nauheimer

Of course we know what 'Appropriate Technology' is!

We just do not know what we should do!

 

A NEED FOR INFORMATION EXCHANGE

AT is no longer a single set of ideas, it is now embodied in individuals, in parts of larger organizations and indeed in whole organizations around the world. "Individuals range from the lone peasant farmer firmly believing in the value of his skills and methods to improve his lot and that of his fellows, to the eager modern scientist seeking to contribute his knowledge towards creating a new, kinder world order."

But the scientist and the farmer need to talk to each other. Many barriers exist which hinder contact. They may be separated by long distances or by insufficient transport facilities; they may be separated by language, class, gender, experience and values. Contact may be stifled because neither of them can bear the cost for their information exchange. But in most cases the reason for the lack of contact is quite simple: they do not know each other. "The main issue of concern is no longer technology, but adequate methods of dissemination of technology and information". This chapter addresses the limits of information exchange and how to overcome those limits. Some of the mechanisms created to assist people in exchanging information will be discussed.

The contribution of TOOL to the workshop (chapter 5) deals with the role of information in development processes. The main statements were:

INSTRUMENTS OF AT DISSEMINATION

In the past, the process of technology transfer was mainly a matter of "know-how". This proved to be insufficient with regard to alternative technologies and their many diverse applications. Though during the last two decades the need for appropriate technological solutions has increasingly been recognized, much less has been done to secure appropriate information flows. Besides "know-how", mechanisms of "let-know" need to be understood as well. A working group of the workshop AT in Post-Modern Times analyzed the process of AT dissemination and identified the following instruments:

x	written technical information: product manuals, books, advertisement' flyers, etc.;
x	new media: radio, TV, electronic mailing;
x	databases;
x	mediators, facilitators, consultants;
x	business promotion: material support, subcontracting, licensing, marketing, trade fairs and exhibitions, catalogues;
x	human resource development: awareness raising workshops, action research, school curricula, vocational training;
x	technology policy and management: financial support, "appropriate" technology policy, technical standards.

WRITTEN INFORMATION

Written information is one of the main instruments of technology dissemination, widely used by commercial firms and adapted by most institutions in the AT movement. It consists of printed documents, local publishing, flyers, product information, and so on.

Technical information sheets, which may be valuable in many cases, also have disadvantages. They do not take into account the context in which technologies emerged and they are not adapted to specific application conditions. "The accumulation of sheets that contain more general and abstract than context-specific information produces some sort of a 'bazaar effect', encouraging ideas and creativity but at the same time hardly serving AT's credibility."

Technical sheets are expensive. In their classical, commercial application they are either pure advertising material or operating instructions. For AT organizations, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to earn an income by selling technical sheets to partners and state grants are difficult to obtain for this kind of service." However, regular exchange of ideas and experience between people in different countries and continents is facilitated by and depends on publications. The value of AT magazines and newsletters transcends their technical contents: they help to link people working on similar problems in different locations.

DATABASES

In post-modern times, the provision of information cannot be by written it alone. No library is big enough to hold all product information, catalogues and other printed matter. Already, bibliographies are published which only list other bibliographies. Modern microelectronics have become a cheap and appropriate instrument for collecting and disseminating information. It is much cheaper to copy a diskette, which can store a quantity of information equal to a book of more than 500 pages! A standard hard disk of 120 MB can store information equal to 200 books. And this is not the upper end. Mass storage media with a capacity of 2 Gigabyte, which is equivalent to 2,000,000,000 characters, were available for less than US$ 3,000 at the time of publishing this book.

The rapid increase of information requires new kinds of infrastructure for handling it. A question-and-answer service, up to now a use-r-friendly instrument, may no longer be viable if its information sources are too limited. To keep pace with the rapid developments in the information market and meet the specific requirements of the respective clients, question-and-answer services will increasingly have to be integrated into network structures.

Many computerized technology databases are already in operation. Most are commercialized; some are subsidized by public institutions such as the ILO and the UNIDO, which provide access to electronic media for users in the South.

ILO has actively promoted the development, dissemination and application of appropriate technologies in developing countries for many years. In 1986 the organization established a technological information system called Information Service on Technological Alternatives for

Development (INSTEAD) which was recently expanded to include areas such as credit systems, management, and marketing.

UNIDO has initiated a comprehensive computerized information network called Industrial and Technological Information Bank (INTIB). INTIB processes and distributes databases on industry, technology and environment issues. UNIDO has established national and regional focal points, which collect data and distribute information. Most of INTIB's 70 national focal points are in developing countries. The target is to answer most inquiries at the national level. When this is not possible, the question is referred to UNIDO headquarters, which has access to various international databases. INTIB recognizes that information systems have to be commercialized to be viable and efficient. While part of the demand for information may be satisfied without cost, most information must be paid for. Several of UNIDO's further databases, such as those on recycling methods and environmental management, are operated on a commercial basis.

INTIB and INSTEAD are only two examples of innumerable public, private and commercial information systems.

Data referral and information management systems should facilitate reasonable use of the increased availability of information. Applying commercial principles may be the only way to keep pace with the dramatic expansion in this sphere. Though the hardware becomes cheaper, the cost of providing appropriate information to the user may increase. With the growing amount of information available in databases, inquiries must become more specific and quality control becomes more difficult. The personnel requirements of information management - collection, entry, retrieval, and qualitative assessment of data - add to the cost. Whenever possible, users should pay appropriate prices for the information they request. This should help the operating agencies to improve and expand their services. But it will not free the industrialized countries from the need to subsidize information management systems - especially those focusing on a diverse spectrum of users, including the poor.

MEDIATORS, FACILITATORS AND CONSULTANTS

Mediators and facilitators play an important role in technology dissemination.12 They bridge the gap between end-users and resources and provide information about alternative technical solutions, processes and methodologies. With the increasing use of participatory planning methods, "solution assessment" skills are becoming more important than mere technical advice. Stimulating the search for appropriate solutions requires good understanding of the respective socio-cultural and environmental context and a solid background of inter-cultural communication skills. Whether communication barriers are overcome or heightened depends to a high degree on the moderation techniques applied in the cooperation process. If participation is meant to be more than a hollow phrase, mediators must create equal opportunities for everybody to make his or her perceptions and priorities understood. This is particularly relevant in situation analysis and problem identification, when the basic assumptions and the direction of projects and programmes are determined.

Consultants can accelerate the application of technical, economic and managerial skills to the solution of practical problems. In particular, they can reduce the time required to get new undertakings into operation by providing the information necessary for rapid implementation. Consultants from Southern or Northern countries provide additional skills and fresh insights; they may see the problems to which clients have become inured. Moreover, an external consultant can usually give unbiased opinions and provide objective evaluations since she/he is not hampered by internal politics and loyalties. However, 'external' does not mean 'foreign'- and the involvement of consultants from the North should be limited to those cases in which experienced and unbiased national specialists are not available.

BUSINESS PROMOTION AND LOCAL TECHNOLOGICAL CAPACITY

Successful alternative technologies must be proven and tested in practice. Mass dissemination will be achieved if technologies are appropriate solutions to common problems of vast numbers of people. Spontaneous uptake and multiplication will occur if people can observe the benefits of new technologies and if a dissemination mechanism is available. Their vast number qualifies small enterprises in the 'informal sector' as dissemination agents; being rooted in their societies' traditional knowledge ensures genuine adaptation of technological innovation. Every society has a large body of technical knowledge based on careful observation and use of its natural resources.

Small enterprise development is a low cost, widely dispersed, culturally acceptable, socially and economically responsive marketing mechanism. Many technologies adapted to the local needs have been developed in the small business sector without any support from AT institutions.

Although the potential for AT in the small enterprise sector is high, the links between them are still weak. This is due to the poor information infrastructure of AT organizations; most entrepreneurs are not aware of alternative technical solutions. In the past, the AT movement has focused too much on invention and neglected marketing. Although many AT organizations are increasingly directing their attention to small enterprise promotion, they do not yet know the needs of that sector sufficiently. Therefore, market research in this sector should be conducted and instruments should be created to encourage integration and a process of two-way technology transfer.

TECHNOLOGY CENTRES

Views concerning the viability of technology centres vary considerably within the AT movement. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Africa and the Pacific supports the idea of national centres for transfer of technology. Such centres should provide assistance for

x	active technology information (e.g. database systems);
x	technology forecasting competence at the national level;
x	active technology syndication;
x	human resource development.

The ILO found that in the past technology centres were not self-sustainable. They were supposed to function as focal points for innovation, reference and extension, but were not able to provide their services on an economic basis. The demand did not grow as originally anticipated and governments were not able to subsidize the centres.

In future, technology centres may focus more on producing groups of products (Khosla's "clusters"). The process of market-oriented innovation should be based on small networks of producers. Potters and brickmakers could, for example, work together with technology centres to develop and test new methods for the production of bricks, stoves, and other devices made of clay. This type of technology centre can provide technical expertise and consultants for appropriate technologies. The demand for experts coming from developing countries is expected to grow enormously in the Nineties.

Technology centres help to meet a portion of the tremendous demand for low-cost shelter in developing countries. A successful example from India is the "franchised network" for low-cost housing supported by Technology and Action for Rural Development (T.A.RA.). Based on a well-defined allocation of responsibilities between network partners, T.A.R.A. brings autonomous production and marketing units under the umbrella of a common strategy and brand image. It helps local enterprises to meet local needs in an economically viable and self-reliant manner through decentralized production and marketing. Similar enterprises would have many purposes. They create public awareness of appropriate technologies; they produce, store and market improved building materials; they develop, market and repair construction tools; they train local artisans and - not least - they construct houses.

NETWORKING

AT development is never done; it has to be continuously adapted to the needs, potentials and culture of the users and relies heavily on their experience. Networking provides a channel for sharing experience and knowledge on various levels: it fosters exchange among technology users, improves communication between technology developers and users, and stresses coordination among supporting agencies.21 As a tool for organizational cooperation, networking assists resource mobilization through pooling and joint evaluation of activities and experiences.

Networks can create synergy: the total effect of things done together can be greater than the sum of individual activities. "Synergy is built through connections, commitments and collaboration." Environmental networks have gone far in this respect in the recent years, but AT networks have also produced substantial results through technology centres, information systems, and enterprise promotion.

The purpose of each network must be clearly defined and the programme agreed by all members. Reviewing the efficiency of a network is indispensable, although difficult, to assess its usefulness in a specific field of work. A viable network must be directly linked with the people involved in the production and distribution of products and technologies. Only then can innovations spread among the members.

TOWARDS A GLOBAL AT NETWORK?

During the workshop, many participants proposed forming a global or supra-national AT network to link and coordinate the variety of existing or planned networking activities. There are, however, several problems which led a minority to reject the proposal. The main objections arose from anticipated institutional and financial problems.

The proposed network should coordinate existing networks. It would not implement projects, but invite North and South groups and donor agencies to conceptualize AT programmes. Its further tasks would consist of conducting a survey of member activities, preparing a directory, and generally promoting the idea of AT through the use of mass media.

In order to limit the danger of bureaucratization and alienation from the grassroots, no separate infrastructure should be created. The network should have very simple and flexible working rules and a participatory approach towards all its duties. Cost-effectiveness must guide all operations. Preferably, the network should be implemented within the office of one of its members, and should be guided by an advisory group of members.

Problems, Advantages and Tasks of a Global AT Network

	Dangers and Problems Global Networks of	Advantages of a Global AT Network	Tasks of a Global AT Network
External relations of the AT movement	Lobbying is not successful.	Network could lobby more powerfully and at international level.	Provide more visibility and international representation for AT.
	Lack of outside perspectives (AT as an isolated insider exercise).	Network could participate in public debate	Promote linkages between AT groups and other institutions. Defend qualitative aspects (cultural and ecological diversity, equity, etc.) against powerful economic and political interests Improve policy-making at international level.
Access to funds and external information	Not enough funds available to operate another network.	Network could improve access of AT groups to multilateral donors.	Help members in applications, presentations, etc
	Competition for funds with individual agencies.	Network could present a common position of AT groups to funding agencies.	Represent AT positions in international development debate, lobby for new funding and fund-raising concepts.
Internal linkage within the AT movement	The importance of a network is not seen by all groups.	A successful network could convince sceptics of the advantages of more cooperation.	Keep all members informed about new developments and issues they should refer to in their "small" daily work.
	Global networking may contradict the "small is beautiful" ideology.	Small" is not enough - it should be "small, good and many".	Multiply "small and good". Serve as a platform for exchange, mediate cooperator.
	Smaller networks may not be consolidated enough to proceed towards upwards integration.	Network may help its members to consolidate through intensified S-S and N-S cooperation.
	The expected synergy may get lost in procedural problems and conflicts of interests	Network may reduce duplication of efforts and waste of resources.	Keep and update inventory of AT groups and activities.
Functions and performance of the AT movement	Too much time and money spent for too few results.	Network could learn from the mistakes and failure of their networks.	Increase efficiency of operations
	Too much paperwork.	Network could improve practical efficiency through" better assessment methods, databases etc	Work on improvement and practical relevance of methods.
	The purpose of the network is not clear, tackling issues that are too big leads to collapse of the whole venture.	Network could start from collective evaluation of experiences and proceed to defining purposes and issues.	Respond to technical inquiries, operate database on technologies & expertise, assist institution building.

Successful networking requires active participation. More than 20 per cent of the workshop participants who opted for the creation of a global AT network were ready to contribute actively to its realization. Most of them have substantial experience in networking on a smaller scale and some even on a quite large scale. These local and regional networks will continue to exist. The problem of differing interests is less likely to occur with the proposed AT network if it is properly understood as an upward integration of strong national organizations and regional networking structures.

The Information and Advisory Service on Appropriate Technology (ISAT) of GTZ has over the last ten years established a network with 22 AT organizations in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. In 1991, ISAT provided its partner organizations with funds to finance about 50 different activities. Besides promoting specific projects, ISAT helped its partners in setting up their own regional information services. The partner organizations of ISAT became increasingly involved in projects of German technical assistance, through the executing agency GTZ.26 In the future, ISAT will move away from supporting only one partner per country. Local and regional networks will be encouraged and supported with the aim of broadening the base of local know-how generation and dissemination. The partner spectrum is expected to widen considerably, following the recent establishment of an AT Forum as a joint venture between ISAT and the major German development NGOs.