Description:
The database incorporates technologies used in rural development initiatives in South Africa and includes those technologies identified at the 8 CRDP pilot sites.
Abstract:
The database incorporates technologies used in rural development initiatives in South Africa and includes those technologies identified at the 8 CRDP pilot sites.
Agriculture;
Mining;
Manufacturing;
Information and Communication Technologies;
Renewable Energy Technologies (RET) e.g. biogas, solar panels, wind mills etc.;
Environment (those that use natural environment materials to generate income using some form of technology);
Services (housing, sanitation, transportation).
Compilation or synthesis of existing material
Face-to-face interview
Focus group
Observation
Black and coloured South Africans living in these particular villages at the time and who make or made use of different types of technology. The study includes any use of technology across the following sectors, where they were found in each of the eight CRDP pilot sites: Agriculture; Mining; Manufacturing; Information and Communication Technologies; Renewable Energy Technologies (RET) e.g. biogas, solar panels, wind mills etc. Environment (those that use natural environment materials to generate income)
Snowballing for interviews. One person leads to the next. First point of contact was local authority, traditional leadership, elders or projects. While most of the technologies in the database are associated with 'projects' (meaning a deliberate intervention by a government department or other agency), some are not. Moreover, what this implies is that the database does not include every instance in which a rural dweller uses an ordinary borehole or tractor or even hoe; these of course are all technologies that are used to enhance rural livelihoods, but there is nothing novel or noteworthy about them for the purposes of this study, and indeed there is no meaningful way in which they could be listed in a database. A final point is that we can make no claims as to the completeness of the database, although we made every attempt to be as thorough and inclusive as possible, largely by means of telephone calls, e-mails, internet searches, and of course the fieldwork at the CRDP pilot sites.
