Social and Economic Technology - 6.3. Economic Impacts
Secotek would enable rural economies to WORK.
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Secotek is applying present Technology to produce a significant impact on any rural economy, and improve family and social life in the process. All this without unduly large amounts of expenditure into the design or implementation of the technology required. The implementation of the approach requires a fresh look at the way personal computers are used, and the expectations of them. What would be an irritation in one field of application could be a calamity in another, and vice versa. What needs to be done is look at why there is an employment problem in rural areas that is much more acute than more populated areas, and review if technology could assist or even solve the problem. Secotek concludes the answer is yes on both counts, but only if the software part of the technology is designed properly for the situation from the ground up. However, the tools for achieving this are lying around, literally free under the heading of Free Software Foundation, and the investment on the part of government to make a significant impact is not sizeable when compared to investments made into rural community.
It IS a solution, but it needs support, and sensible co-operation.
It is nothing magical or revolutionary. It is just that that rural people, including those responsible for rural areas do not seem to appreciate what technology could do for rural areas, and the people in the technology do not show much interest in the plight of rural areas. It is up to the people in rural areas to wake up to the available technology and modify it to suite themselves, it won't happen the other way round. The situation is quite urgent, people in rural areas, particularly the younger generations, are finding increasing difficulty getting on the working ladder, and move away, leaving countryside culture to its plight. In this day and age, if the countryside is to survive it needs the technology.
The farming industry is dwindling, for a variety of reasons (including foot and mouth). The only way to reverse that trend, is to diversify the whole economy. Farming in itself offers no short or medium term solution.
The tourist industry is essentially of finite size, the more people jump on the bandwagon, the less there is to go around.
Heavy industry falls victim to international companies who find it much more economic to concentrate in huge cities. Hardly rural economy.
Light manufacturing could become strong if totally differently organized, taking into account the nature of the available transport infrastructure. What is needed to enable this to happen is the Secotek concept.
The way ahead is to accept the challenge of technology, take it by the horns, and adapt it to our situation. We are free to do just that. The problem is, nobody seems to have the forethought to do it. We need to be the masters of the situation, not its victim.