Coffee-based appropriate technology implementation for community empowerment: Lesson learnt from rural community in Sumba Barat Daya

Abstract

Implementation of appropriate technology is recognized as one of the significant approaches for community empowerment. The principle of localities embedded in defined appropriateness of technology as "people mattered" has always been challenged when it is applied. This paper discussed the findings from an action-research work in the traditional coffee community in Sumba Barat Daya - East Nusa Tenggara. Coffee cultivation, post-harvest handling, processing to ground coffee, are tradition practiced to fulfill their need. The tradition is in the contest when there is a demand from the modern market requiring an increase of quality and productivity. The result of this study showed that to empower community it requires integration of technology appropriateness which is economically profitable and socially acceptable, and to ensure sustainability, maintenance of induced knowledge and practices should be strengthened by local institutional establishment based on social capital.