Prof. Dr. Edwin F. Shinn (Colorado State University)
October 25, 2005
The
most important factor operating in development is knowledge. Technology and
training represent advances in knowledge
about how to take better advantage of the worlds resources-natural, physical
and human and means for transmiting such knowledge and putting it to practical
use.
Given
that technological changes invariably have invariably have institutional
comitants. Technology as a factor in rural development thus depends on
corresponding altration in organization and management.
Succesful
rural development efforts can proceed without inventing of popularizing new
technologies, should be able to produce benefits without far reaching or
sophisticated technological interventions. Other program seek to spread and
upgrade existing technologies, without particularly investing in invetion and
experimention.
Developing
and diffusing appropriate technologies, it is appropriate at the start to begin
with a set of simple technologies addresing identifiable problems that local
people are encountering. The inovative should be relatively easy to handle and
should provide early visible results. Even projects focused on technological
change need to proceed slowly, not just to prove lab-tested technology under
field conditions but also to build up essential organization scaffolding and
institutional incentives.
Pilot
program or initial phases of implementation provide information about
appropiate organization arrangements and managment priciples that can best
support the new technologies. In some cases, organizational forms arise
naturally from tehcnical considerations. Technology is not a critical component
of all programs.
Participatory and renewable technology
Technology simply adopting the practices and advice
handed down by specialist technician. Participatory technology development
helps generate among local people a since of confidence in their use of the new
technology. It builds up local capacity that is congruent with the technology,
and it facilitates the melding of local knowledge with what professional
technologists have to offer. In such process, technical professionals also
learns a lot about the logic of traditional practice, which helps them develop other
suitable techniques.
Another aspect of a renewable technology is that it
should periodically be modified and the best result of a program of technical
change occurs when persons participating in it develop a capacity for
continuing innovation. The principles formulated and followed were;
1.
start where people are
2.
discover the limiting factors
3.
choose simple, limited technologies
4.
test idea on a small scale, to avoid exposing people
to the risk of the major failure
5.
work to attain early visible results, to maintain the
momentum of enthusiasm
6.
evaluate results
7.
train trainers
Training
Training is an importance aspect of capacity building,
but like technology, it is more a process than a thing. Program implementation
and training should each build on the other. Training curricula have to be
relevant to carrying out day to day tasks, but in turn experience need to feed
into training activities as new problems are discovered and new solution
developed to deal with them. Training should knit together the separate tasks
and personnel of the organization and unite them in a shared understanding of
philosophy and objective.
Training
in technology
Training in technology works best if it follows a
gradual learning curve, starting slow and then accelerating. The initial intention
is not to impart a fixed amount of knowledge about some set of technological
applications so much as to inculcate among rural resident attitudes and skills
for experimentation and evaluation that will helps them continue to innovate. Model
depends on the ability of the system to learn and adapt through a strong, built
in feedback loop. Trainee should learn from trainers and trainer needs to be
sensitive to local conditions and to absorb and utilize knowledge coming from
the communities.
Training
on organization
Rural development programs work best when people
participate through their self managed organizations. Program managers and
other who are prepare to work in tandem with community organizations are often
dismayed to find weak organization at the village level or none at all.
Facilitator have gotten communities engaged in this process of identifying,
diagnosing, and solving problems, both remedial and proactive efforts flow
almost integrally therefore.
Training
in management
Programs that rely on decentralized and participatory
management must devote considerable attention to training those persons who
keep track of their organization’s money, since misunderstanding is a
predictable way to undermine local organizations. The six S programs have the most
decentralized structure for financial management. But not all management is of
money. Material resources also need to be inventoried and develop in ways that
are most productive.
Training
for support
Person at all levels of a program’s structure are
likely to require some sensitization to the needs of program implementation.
Senior persons can best assist in the provision of policy support and
programmatic inputs if they are fully aware of both the purpose and current
directions of the program and the needs and aspiration of the client groups.
Sensitization to the overall goals of the program need not be confined to
senior officials. Staff at lower implementation levels also works best when
they are aware of the big picture rather than being informed. A shared
understanding of larger organizational goals thus facilitates the flow of
relevant information up and down the organization‘s channels.
Group
training and timing
Training and deploying staff in groups, wherever
possible, is preferable to individual training and placement. Group training
helps members become aware of problems that other member have faced and solved
but that have not yet occurred in their own areas.
Training
as an ongoing concern
Since it involves learning, training is something that
is never fully accomplished. Retraining and in service training are necessary
to ensure that knowledge does not become dated or stale, and it should be
provided in ways that encourage trainees themselves to experiment an innovate
rather than just apply what being taught. Training not provides any final
solutions. Training can best provide is a set of concept and tools that enables
program staff and participant to approach problems with trained though still
open minds.
ADVANTAGES
- Technology and training take better advantages of
the natural world’s resources.
- simple technology but appropriate could change
the live people in the rural area
- training bring new techniques, methodologies and
skill
- training organization for community participation
to become significant and effective
- group training take concern about goal oriented
teamwork and problem solving team
DISADVANTAGES
- takes time to applied new technology
- Technology use with the project base, usually
cannot work in sustainable ways.
CONSIDERABLE APLICATION IN INDONESIA
Most of the rural area in Indonesia Indonesia
