Appropriate Technology

Rice bran (RB) was used as a medium for the fermentation process because it contained complete nutrients necessary for the growth of microbes. The ability to induce a fermentation substrate by microbes dependent on the availability of an inducer in the medium. The enzyme activity would increase when a suitable inducer was in the medium. In order to increase protease and cellulase activities of Rhizopus oligosporus in processing Cassava Leaf Meal (CLM), it was necessary to add CLM in medium producing an inoculum Rhizopus oligosporus. This study was conducted in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 5 replications. The treatments were ratios of RB to CLM as follows: 100:0% (A), 90:10% (B), 80:20% (C), and 70:30% (D). The observed variables were protease activity, cellulase activity, dry matter content, organic matter content and the total colony of Rhizopus oligosporus numerically. The different ratios of RB to CLM significantly affected protease and cellulase activities as well as the content of dry matter and organic matter. The addition of 10% CLM to the RB medium increased protease and cellulase activities and reduced dry matter and organic matter contents. However, when more than 10% CLM was added, it reduced the protease and cellulase activities and increased dry matter and organic matter content. The highest total colony of Rhizopus oligosporus was numerically in treatment B (90:10% of RB to CLM ratio). The appropriate ratio of RB to CLM mixture as the inoculum of Rhizopus oligosporus, based on their enzyme activities, dry matter, and organic matter contents, and the total colony was 90:10% (treatment B).

This position paper offers an existing methodological approach —
appropriate internet technology (AIT) — as a guide to support cultural diversity in digital social innovation (DSI) processes. Its  premise is that the selection of technologies is a political act, as the decision to use a particular technology is inherently a  promotion of that system, and its associated material politics. AIT emerged from a study of the Australian community arts sector, where appropriate technology is based on identifying context specificities so that practitioners can critically assess technologies for the design and execution of sustainable community arts  projects. The paper argues that AIT has much to offer digital social innovation practices, situating it as a guide for the design of technologies that account for cultural diversity.

Automation is a derivative of the Latin “Auto which means self and “Matos” which means moving. Automation can be refers as a mechanism that can "move by itself" (nptel, n.d.). Automation is a set of technologies that results in operation of machines and systems without significant human intervention and achieves performance superior to manual operation. Industrial automation is the use of control systems, such as computers or robots, and information technologies for handling different processes and machineries in an industry to replace a human being (Mikell P., 2001).
In industrial engineering profession, Industrial Automation can act as advocates in integrating the whole system needs in production. In addition, with the advantages of industrial automation that prioritizes productivity and effectiveness, it can help the Industrial Engineer in determining the proper method in system industry. However, Industrial Engineer should still pay attention to the systematic and precise performance targets.

Community Radio naturally adapts as the best oral medium
for communication in South Asia. Its vast diversity in terms of
languages and cultures and the existence of varied topography makes Community Radio an ‘appropriate’ technology
for community communication and empowerment. The history
of radio in most South Asian countries is at least half a century old but what is new is the practice of Community Radio,
where dialogues flow rather than information. Community
Radio is transcending the one-way characteristics of radio,
becoming a two-way ‘dialogue-based medium’ where many
different voices are not only heard but also respected through
the access and participation of local communities. Comparatively low cost in terms of production, broadcast and reception, the technology used by Community Radio is an Appropriate Communication Technology (ACT) for information deprived communities in South Asia. This paper charts out the use
and benefit of Community Radio as a medium for community
benefits.

As the population of South African cities rapidly increases, evidence of food insecurity of urban populations is also on the increase. Urban agriculture provides an opportunity to improve urban food security whilst reducing poverty, inequality and unemployment. This position paper identifies three problem areas in the current urban agricultural system in Johannesburg. It proposes methods, whilst exploring examples, that can better encourage participation, increasing skills and knowledge, and improve networking through considered design intervention between stakeholders in Johannesburg’s food system through the use of appropriate technology.

A partir de una revisión de literatura especializada publicada entre 1970 y 1991, se caracteriza y analiza el término "tecnologías apropiadas", su vinculación con el medio ambiente y el papel que juegan en una estrategia de desarrollo y en la política tecnológica que se ha dado en México.

In South Africa, there is a scarcity of prescription glasses manufacturers and the majority of locally available eyewear frames are imported. A significant portion of this imported eyewear comes from a single umbrella organisation, which designs eyewear from a predominantly Eurocentric perspective. For example, there are currently only two types of eyewear fit, the "regular" fit, based on European facial data, and the "Asian" or "global" fit, which was developed in reaction to the inappropriateness of the "regular" fit for this market. In South Africa, a country with a significantly diverse population, there is an opportunity for properly fitting eyewear that is often not accommodated by either of these fits. Improper fitment causes discomfort and leads to blurry vision and long-term vision problems. Fitment is however not the only problem with the currently imported frames. The South African eyewear industry is a complex system, with both social and technical challenges that often influence the process of how someone would go about acquiring prescription glasses. This paper explores a design research study that was undertaken to address some of the local eyewear complexities through the design of a product, guided by theories of socio-technical systems, appropriate technology and human-centred design. The outcome was an adaptable eyewear frame that could be produced locally, whilst better considering the needs of glasses wearers in the South African context. Following such a design research approach ensures that the product outcome is attuned to local needs; such an approach could be beneficial to a wide range of localized industries in the Global South.

Prof. Hassan Fathy was a noted Egyptian architect who pioneered appropriate technologies for buildings in Egypt. He worked to reestablish the use of traditional building methods and materials. He primarily applied a working knowledge of ancient architectural and town design techniques within the contemporary economic situation of rural Egypt. At times, he trained local inhabitants to make their own materials and build their own buildings. Climatic conditions, public health considerations, and ancient craft skills shaped his design vocabulary. Based on requirements of hot arid regions, Prof. Fathy incorporated elaborate passive environmental control techniques that met physical, cultural and economical challenges.

Qu'il s'agisse des mobilités étudiantes, des migrations de population, des exportations de modèles d'enseignement et de manuels, de formation à distance des professeurs, etc. la didactique des langues contribue aux processus des échanges internationaux. L'école dans toutes ses dimensions curriculaires et avec son principal attendu, la progression de l'alphabétisation et de la culture y joue un rôle déterminant. Les relations complexes entre langues secondes et langues nationales y sont souvent des moteurs de changement et de contradiction. Cet ouvrage entend contribuer à une meilleure compréhension des phénomènes liés à la synchronie du double processus de mondialisation et de contextualisation de l'école et de ses outils, de la circulation des méthodologies et du rôle de la didactique des langues dans diverses cultures et contextes éducatifs. Il s'agit ainsi de comprendre les contradictions et les continuités observables au niveau des politiques lin-guistiques et éducatives ainsi que les décalages avec les approches scientifiques et méthodologiques qui sont préconisées. La question d'une culture didactique de type « universel », telle que peut la proposer de manière théorique le CECRL, se repose donc ici. Sophie Babault est maître de conférences HDR en didactique du français langue étrangère et seconde à l'université de Lille. Elle mène des recherches en didactique des langues et en sociolinguistique sur des problématiques liées au plurilinguisme en contexte scolaire (Europe, Afrique). Margaret Bento est professeure en didactique des langues et en sciences du langage à l'université Paris Descartes. Ses recherches portent sur la didactique des langues étrangères et plus particulièrement sur la transposition didactique. Valérie Spaëth est professeure en didactique des langues et sciences du langage à l'Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle Paris 3. Ses recherches interrogent les multiples relations, aussi bien d'un point de vue contem-porain qu'historique, entre politique et enseignement/diffusion du

Many people in less developed countries drink water with microbial contamination, which leads to the annual death of 5 million children. Although some people currently boil water, all microbes that cause disease in humans do not survive at temperatures >65oC, which solar water pasteurizers can easily produce. These pasteurizers are similar to box solar cookers, and typically have a small rectangular reflector. The objective of this work is to calculate the increase in output due to compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) using numerical simulation. A CPC concentrates the maximum amount of radiation on a planar receiver consistent with the laws of thermodynamics. Since the average water temperature is nearly independent of the solar radiation, the heat losses are nearly constant. Therefore, higher concentration factors yield significantly higher efficiencies. Depending on climate, CPCs increase output by 1,000%-4,000%, while the additional reflector would only ~double the cost and necessitate weekly tilting.

This article explores an origin of architectural sustainability in the 1970s Californian governmental programs of Governor Jerry Brown and the circle around his Consultant, the countercultural entrepreneur Stewart Brand. Focusing on the Bateson Building, designed by State Architect Sim Van der Ryn and his team to be the world’s first large energy-saving, climate-modulating building, the article traces the ambition of the first Brown Administration to reinvent the state as a unified ecology founded on New Age principles, notably those drawn from the second order cybernetics of the Governor’s Advisor, anthropologist Gregory Bateson. Through archival and published sources drawn from government, environmental policy, cybernetics and architecture, the article recounts an ambitious ecological agenda that included a new Office of Appropriate Technology, a projected Space program, and a Water Atlas. The article argues for a reconsideration of the history of sustainable and postmodern architecture alike.

With the maturation of digital manufacturing technologies like 3-D printing, a new paradigm is emerging of distributed manufacturing in both scientific equipment and consumer goods. Hardware released under free licenses is known as free and open source hardware (FOSH). The availability of these FOSH designs has a large value to those with access to digital manufacturing methods and particularly for scientists with needs for highly-customized low-volume production products. It is challenging to use traditional funding models to support the necessary investment of resources in FOSH development because of the difficulty in quantifying the value of the result. In order to overcome that challenge and harvest the current opportunity in both low-cost scientific equipment and consumer products, this article evaluates the following methods to quantify the value of FOSH design including: 1) downloaded substitution valuation; 2) avoided reproduction valuation and 3) market savings valuation along with additional benefits related to market expansion, scientific innovation acceleration, educational enhancement and medical care improvement. The strengths and weaknesses of these methods are analyzed and the results show that the methods are relatively straight-forward to institute, based on reliable freely-available data, and that they minimize assumptions. A case study of a syringe pump with numerous scientific and medical applications is presented. The results found millions of dollars of economic value from a relatively simple scientific device being released under open-licenses representing orders of magnitude increase in value from conventional proprietary development. The inescapable conclusion of this study is that FOSH development should be funded by organizations interested in maximizing return on public investments particularly in technologies associated with science, medicine and education.

The technological evolution of the 3-D printer, widespread internet access and inexpensive computing has made a new means of open design capable of accelerating self-directed sustainable development. This study critically examines how open source 3-D printers, such as the RepRap and Fab@home, enable the use of designs in the public domain to fabricate open source appropriate technology (OSAT), which are easily and economically made from readily available resources by local communities to meet their needs. The current capabilities of open source 3-D printers is reviewed and a new classification scheme is proposed for OSATs that are technically feasible and economically viable for production. Then, a methodology for quantifying the properties of printed parts and a research trajectory is outlined to extend the existing technology to provide complete village-level fabrication of OSATs. Finally, conclusions are drawn on the potential for open source 3-D printers to assist in driving sustainable development.

Solar water disinfection (SODIS) has proven to be effective at reducing diarrheal incidence in epidemiological intervention studies. However, the SODIS method is limited to waters of low turbidity (<30 NTU). This study investigates the use of common table salt (NaCl) to reduce the turbidity of water containing suspended colloidal clay particles for use in the SODIS method. Three representative clays found in tropical soils (kaolinite, illite and bentonite) were tested at three levels of turbidity (50, 100 and 200 NTU) for their flocculating behavior with multiple NaCl concentrations to find the optimum. Supernatants were tested for sodium concentration for comparison against health and taste thresholds. Results show that unlike kaolinite and illite, pure bentonite solutions were shown to be very responsive to NaCl and produced supernatants with as low as 4 NTU (98% particle removal efficiency). This study has shown that NaCl, in combination with high-activity clay particles in solution, may effectively reduce turbidity to levels suitable for SODIS treatment, thereby expanding the number of people who can utilize the technology effectively.

Appropriate Technology, an ideological movement originally articulated by Dr. Ernst
Friedrich Schumacher, has become of topic of in the recent years. Along with
sustainable development discussions across the globe, appropriate technology too
has been resonating. This paper is an attempt to walk through the developments of
appropriate technology from its emergence, to analyze its potential in eradicating the
third world crisis and become a tool towards attaining sustainability.

Given the urgency of development problems world-wide, as well as the opportunities of open source appropriate technology (OSAT) to help expedite sustainable development goals, a better understanding of the barriers limiting the scaling of OSAT is needed. In this study, key organizations and researchers working in the field of appropriate technology (AT) were interviewed to identify barriers to OSAT. The data was analyzed via pattern coding and content analysis. Results reveal that among the most pressing problems for those working in the field of AT were the need for better communication and collaboration between the agencies and communities to share the knowledge and resources, and to work in partnership. Specific barriers include: i) AT seen as inferior or “poor person's” technology, ii) technical transferability and robustness of AT, iii) insufficient funding, iv) weak institutional support, and v) the challenges of distance and time in tackling rural poverty. Finally, future work is outlined to better understand and overcome these barriers.

Much of the widespread poverty, environmental desecration, and waste of human life seen around the globe could be prevented by known (to humanity as a whole) technologies, many of which are simply not available to those that need it. This lack of access to critical information for sustainable development is directly responsible for a morally and ethically unacceptable level of human suffering and death. A solution to this general problem is the concept of open source appropriate technology or OSAT, which refers to technologies that provide for sustainable development while being designed in the same fashion as free and open-source software. OSAT is made up of technologies that are easily and economically utilized from readily available resources by local communities to meet their needs and must meet the boundary conditions set by environmental, cultural, economic, and educational resource constraints of the local community. This paper explores both the open source and appropriate technology aspects of OSAT to create a paradigm, in which anyone can both learn how to make and use needed technologies free of IP concerns. At the same time anyone can also add to the collective open source knowledge ecosystem or knowledge commons by contributing ideas, designs, observations, experimental data, deployment logs, etc. It is argued that if OSAT continues to grow and takes hold globally creating a vibrant virtual community to share technology plans and experiences, a new technological revolution, built on a dispersed network of innovators working together to create a just sustainable world is possible.

Although solar photovoltaic (PV) module costs have been declining aggressively there has been only modest capital cost improvements for the balance of systems (BoS) in general, and for racking in particular. For small-scale PV systems racking can make up the majority of the capital expenditures. To overcome this challenge, in this study a novel parametric mobile low-cost open source racking system is designed using open source software and validated with numerical modeling. The system is designed to use readily accessible vertically-mounted conduit and steel cables and be built with common hand tools so that it is easily replicable in remote areas and the developing world. It can be assembled and deployed in half an hour and easily dissembled and flat-packed for transport. The system can be fabricated for less than commercial racks and is completely customizable in terms of tilt angle and size. The racking system is designed to resist light to moderate wind loads consistent with everyday breezes rather than those commonly used for structural design which are based on extreme events; as it is assumed the racking system will be disassembled and stowed prior to an extreme wind event.

In order to accelerate deployment of distributed recycling by providing low-cost feed stocks of granulated post-consumer waste plastic, this study analyzes an open source waste plastic granulator system. It is designed, built, and tested for its ability to convert post-consumer waste, 3D printed products and waste into polymer feedstock for recyclebots of fused particle/granule printers. The technical specifications of the device are quantified in terms of power consumption (380 to 404 W for PET and PLA, respectively) and particle size distribution. The open source device can be fabricated for less than $2000 USD in materials. The experimentally measured power use is only a minor contribution to the overall embodied energy of distributed recycling of waste plastic. The resultant plastic particle size distributions were found to be appropriate for use in both recyclebots and direct material extrusion 3D printers. Simple retrofits are shown to reduce sound levels during operation by 4dB-5dB for the vacuum. These results indicate that the open source waste plastic granulator is an appropriate technology for community, library, maker space, fab lab, or small business-based distributed recycling.

"Like many modern fields of knowledge, anthropology was founded on relations of hierarchy and deep inequality. Undoing these legacies is crucial for our field, given its commitment to pluralize ways of knowing and being in the world……" Prof.

There is growing evidence that low-cost open-source 3-D printers can reduce costs by enabling distributed manufacturing of substitutes for both specialty equipment and conventional mass-manufactured products. The rate of 3-D printable designs under open licenses is growing exponentially and there are already hundreds of designs applicable to small-scale organic farming. It has also been hypothesized that this technology could assist sustainable development in rural communities that rely on small-scale organic agriculture. To gauge the present utility of open-source 3-D printers in this organic farm context both in the developed and developing world, this paper reviews the current open-source designs available and evaluates the ability of low-cost 3-D printers to be effective at reducing the economic costs of farming.This study limits the evaluation of open-source 3-D printers to only the most-developed fused filament fabrication of the bioplastic polylactic acid (PLA). PLA is a strong biodegradable and recyclable thermoplastic appropriate for a range of representative products, which are grouped into five categories of prints: handtools, food processing, animal management, water management and hydroponics. The advantages and shortcomings of applying 3-D printing to each technology are evaluated. The results show a general technical viability and economic benefit to adopting open-source 3-D printing for any of the technologies, although the individual economic impact is highly dependent on needs and frequency of use on a specific farm. Capital costs of a 3-D printer may be saved from on-farm printing of a single advanced analytical instrument in a day or replacing hundreds of inexpensive products over a year. In order for the full potential of open-source 3-D printing to be realized to assist organic farm economic resiliency and self-sufficiency, future work is outlined in five core areas: designs of 3-D printable objects, 3-D printing materials, 3-Dprinters, software and 3-D printable repositories.

Although the trend in manufacturing has been towards centralization to leverage economies of scale, the recent rapid technical development of open-source 3-D printers enables low-cost distributed bespoke production. This paper explores the potential advantages of a distributed manufacturing model of high-value products by investigating the application of 3-D printing to self-refraction eyeglasses. A series of parametric 3-D printable designs is developed, fabricated and tested to overcome limitations identified with mass-manufactured self-correcting eyeglasses designed for the developing world's poor. By utilizing 3-D printable self-adjustable glasses, communities not only gain access to far more diversity in product design, as the glasses can be customized for the individual, but 3-D printing also offers the potential for significant cost reductions. The results show that distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printing can empower developing world communities through the ability to print less expensive and customized self-adjusting eyeglasses. This offers the potential to displace both centrally manufactured conventional and self-adjusting glasses while completely eliminating the costs of the conventional optics correction experience, including those of highly-trained optometrists and ophthalmologists and their associated equipment. Although, this study only analyzed a single product, it is clear that other products would benefit from the same approach in isolated regions of the developing world.

I am in a courtyard a Thousand and One Arabian Nights in its details. I call out the name of Hassan Fathy no one answers. There is an earthern pot in the centre and a low arch opposite. Through it I emerge into another courtyard, cooler and less dark. By a stairway sways a slim white cord. I pull. Somewhere above a tinkling sound.

Bells. I heard them all through my travels. In the remote islands of Yugoslavia at the stroke of every hour; the electrically-controlled bells in Ronchamp, France; low octave ones round the neck of Swiss cows, and the usually out-of-tune Big Ben. I pull again, and again the delicious sound.

The open collaborative philosophy employed in the success of open source (OS) software can be applied to hardware design. Specifically, the development of OS appropriate technologies (OSAT) can improve sustainable development efforts worldwide. Yet, widespread OSAT use is far from ubiquitous. Given that lack of communication, access to information and poor collaboration are among the largest barriers to a more effective OSAT dissemination, this paper explores opportunities to overcome such obstacles using four techniques: (1) collaborative online platforms, (2) crowd-sourcing, (3) the concept of knowledge commons, and (4) enabled educational institutions through service learning and applied research. The results are analyzed, and conclusions are drawn that outline paths to higher multiuser collaboration for OSAT deployment.

This dissertation asks: Is earthbag construction an appropriate technology for the Dusun tribe of Sabah, Malaysia? It serves as research for a Design and Build project that will be undertaken in the summer of 2013. Earthbag construction is a relatively modern technique of earthen construction which has been developed by Nadar Khalili and others from the 1950’s. The dissertation begins by a brief introduction of the context within which the Dusun tribe live and outlines the reasons why earthbag construction is suggested as a potentially appropriate technology. Part 1 defines what an appropriate technology is, to allow the appropriateness of earthbag construction in the Malaysian context to be effectively tested in the later part of the dissertation. To define the term, a literature review provides a context for the investigation. A summary of the origins of the Appropriate Technology Movement, alongside a critique of the movement as a whole, provide a foundation. The current debate as to what characteristics appropriate technologies should possess is discussed. Four case studies of both successful and unsuccessful technologies are analysed in terms of their appropriateness. The findings from this analysis form eight criteria against which to test any potential technology for its appropriateness. Part 2 analyses earthbag construction in relation to the eight criteria, which are grouped in terms of the time-period during which particular traits are important. These are at 1) the inception phase, 2) the  implementation phase and 3) the post-implementation phase. The testing of the criteria is specific to the context of the Dusun. An evaluation as to how earthbag construction can/ could be manifested, is inherent within this discussion. The dissertation concludes that earthbag construction is potentially appropriate for the Dusun. However, the success will very much depend on a host of uncontrollable/ unknowable factors, such as the local reaction to the technology and the expression with which it is used in the completed design. It discusses how despite the specificity of the this particular project, the sort of analysis conducted has wider relevance to the importation of technology into indigenous communities.

Recent advancements in open-source self-replicating rapid prototypers (RepRap) have radically reduced costs of 3-D printing. The cost of additive manufacturing enables distributed manufacturing of open source appropriate technologies (OSAT) to assist in sustainable development. In order to investigate the potential this study makes a careful investigation of the use of RepRap 3-D printers to fabricate widely used Black Mamba bicycle components in the developing world. Specifically, this study tests pedals. A CAD model of the pedal was created using parametric open source software (FreeCAD) to enable future customization. Then poly-lactic acid, a biodegradable and recyclable bioplastic was selected among the various commercial 3-D printable materials based on strength and cost. The pedal was 3-D printed on a commercial RepRap and tested following the CEN (European Committee for Standardization) standards for racing bicycles for 1) static strength, 2) impact, and 3) dynamic durability. The results show the pedals meet the CEN standards and can be used on bicycles. The 3-D printed pedals are significantly lighter than the stock pedals used on the Black Mamba, which provides a performance enhancement while reducing the cost if raw PLA or recycled materials are used, which assists in reducing bicycle costs even for those living in extreme poverty. Other bicycle parts could also be manufactured using 3-D printers for a return on investment on the 3-D printer indicating that this model of distributed manufacturing of OSAT may be technically and economically appropriate through much of the Global South.

The term of food diversification generally covers two main issues: diversification of farming activities and food consumption. In Indonesia, diversification of food consumption has been the major issue, associated with effort to reduce dependency on rice as main staple food. Continuous efforts have been performed since 1960’s to develop alternative foods, comparable to rice, based on local food resources. However, these efforts have not yielded satisfactory results. Unexpectedly, rice consumption has continuously increased and by 2010 almost all of the population prefers to consume rice than any other staple food. As economy grows, wheat becomes preferred alternative. Unfortunately, almost 100 percent of wheat is imported. Unsuccessful food diversification program in Indonesia has been related to failure in recognizing fundamental problem. Shifting in food consumption pattern is not driven by technical factors (availability, quality, and price); instead, it is driven by social status labeled to each food. Social status of local non-rice foods are perceived as lower compared to rice. In contrast, wheat is considered to have higher social status than rice. General trend of food consumption shifting is from low to high social status as consumer’s income increases. Instead of diversification of food consumption, Indonesia should encourage diversification of farming activities as a viable way to improve farmers’ prosperity. Actually, constitutional mandate is to improve prosperity of farmers, and not specifically to achieve self-sufficient status in rice. Agricultural technology development should be directed toward green technology with its triple objectives: increasing income, socially inclusive, and ecologically-sound. In addition, packaging technology should be developed for local food non-rice-based products, coupled with aesthetic design for the package, such that it will create classy image and social status of the local food products. In case there is gap between food industry and farmers as supplier of raw materials, solution efforts should lean more toward development of food processing technologies that will match with specification of raw materials produced by farmers.

This work is a result of the research project „Irrigation at Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania,“ which was embedded in the Humanities Collaborative Research Centre “Local Action in Africa in the Context of Global Influences” at Bayreuth University. The author investigates how the local population of the plains south of Mt. Kilimanjaro is dealing with the influences of the Japanese assisted “Lower Moshi Irrigation Project” (LMIP), which established paddy cultivation in that area. After the introduction of the multi-ethnic village Chekereni, which is the centre of the LMIP and the base of an 18 months field research, the author examines local irrigation knowledge, focussing on the Kahe, the Chagga and Pare but also taking other East African societies into account, which practice irrigation or paddy production. This local knowledge is used as a reference to compare local practices with the new influence of the LMIP. The establishment of local knowledge together with a detailed study of the various actors involved in the LMIP enables a sound analysis of the way the local population is dealing with the LMIP. The result is that there are as well contradictions between the local concepts of irrigation and the LMIP as forms of appropriation of different aspects of paddy cultivation in various domains of the local society. Contradictions can result in water conflicts, contradictions of different concepts of water management, economy or legal concepts. Appropriation can take the form of technical appropriation, social appropriation or even selective appropriation whereby the LMIP is considered as a form of booty. The contradictions and processes of appropriation are interpreted as two complementing parts of dealing with the new whereby the solving of contradictions can lead to appropriation or conflicts, depending on how the new influence effects the live of the local population and which means the local population has to pursue their interests.