All communities face problems, whether it's a lack of clean water or finding affordable and sustainable ways to heat and cool their homes. Using appropriate technology to solve such problems means taking each community's unique situation into account when devising a solution.

Why is this important?

Looking into a community from the outside, it may seem obvious what the problems are and how to solve them. Many well-meaning groups put a great deal of time, effort, and money into projects that they think will benefit a community. But unless the people of that community have been an active part in defining the problem and designing the solution, the result can end up missing the mark and frustrating everyone involved.

Appropriate technology, on the other hand, deals with the issues that most concern a community, and does so in a way that is consistent with local culture, economics, and politics. For a project to be successful, community members must be collaborators, not just recipients.