**2. Appropriate technology**

Before being able to relate indigenous knowledge and IKS to appropriate technology (AT), it is important to clearly define what an 'appropriate' technology is, something that has been quite difficult to do and has been the source of much controversy [10]. There is some consensus that has emerged from the various discourses, however, on the operations and manifestations of technologies that have been deemed appropriate, despite many accepted notions of AT being brought into question [11]. Perhaps most important for AT is the underlying philosophy and ethic that focuses on empowerment of communities at the grassroots through the development and implementation of appropriate technologies that address basic needs of clean air, water, shelter, safe and nutritious food, relevant education, and pertinent information and communication technologies among other needs. Some of the tenets generally applicable to ATs include: require little capital, utilize local materials and resources, be relatively labour intensive, be small scale and be affordable. Nevertheless, there has recently emerged the notion of micro-AT and macro-AT, challenging some of the previously mentioned tenets of AT. It is clear that many long held presumptions about AT are now being debated and questioned. AT philosophy does emphasize grounding in specific communities, implementation within the constraints of local community-specific socio-cultural and geographical contexts. Perhaps most important, the end result of development and implementation of ATs within communities must result in building community capacity and empowering the community at the local grass roots level [12–14].

The most critical feature of the appropriate technology ethic speaks to the holistic inclusion of the local targeted community in the entire development process. This has to begin with the actual technology conceptualization stage, going on right through to technology innovation, development, implementation and execution, followed by monitoring and evaluation. Any technology that claims the mantle of 'appropriate' should also be adaptable and flexible, while eliminating adverse environmental impacts [12, 13]. An earlier paper [13] provided a broad over view of appropriate technologies available for water collection, treatment and storage in the context of land reform and a more recent version [14] updated appropriate water technologies in the context of public health.
