MadeGood straplines – capturing the sense of the project

Approtech + Cleantech via ‘Opentech’ (beaten to it, with ‘coining the phrase’ – http://www.ukuug.org/events/opentech2009/)

‘The world turned common – an idea shared’

Appropriate Technology and Social Innovation through open-source, collaborative and participatory design

Useful links to ponder, from ‘Open Tech’:

‘KenYerSel’ – appraoches to interactive and evolving discussion maps – http://www.kenyersel.org/maps.php

‘Ndiyo’ – affordable, sustainable IT for the world… http://ndiyo.org/

‘How to Build Developer Communities’ – http://philwhitehouse.blogspot.com/

HFPS&ID Workshop

Will Stewart will be joiniung us in the above 2nd Year BA Product Design session on Wednesday. We are working through the Service Ecology and ‘How to Participate’ process graphics for the ‘MadeGood.net’ website and associated projects. At this stage, that means the ‘Jua Kali – informal manufacture sector’ open-source appro-tech distributed collaborative project.

We should have some ideas and designs to upload in a week and a half from these sessions, along with some ideas and graphics from some contacts of Will’s.

About

1. The Project – ‘Jua Kali’ / Informal Manufacture Sector Collaboration

The project that forms the main activity of ‘madegood.net’, initially, is a collaboration among Middlesex University (MDX – Product Design and Engineering), Kenyatta University (KU – Energy Department)  and Terra Nuova East Africa (TN – Jua Kali Programme), developing an existing KU/TN partnership.
It focuses on fuel briquette manufacture within the informal sector in Nairobi, development of design and engineering skills and artisan partnerships for KU and MDX students, training of unemployed local youth and promotion and dissemination to the wider populace in areas of appropriate technology, sustainability and entrepreneurship. The project addresses deforestation and domestic energy use, using appropriate technology, in Kenya.

2. Activities
The project explores four technical and two communication areas:
1. Technical Analysis of briquette geometry, material composition and emissions. Methods for measuring and mixing of required ingredients.
2. Optimisation of briquette compression presses.
3. Optimisation of shredding and pulping machinery, for preparation of composite ingredients.
4. Optimisation of consumer stoves.
5. Development of a open-source web-based information community.
6. Development of innovative strategies to promote briquettes.

3. How will this project help?
In 40 years, Kenya’s forest cover has depleted from 11 to 1.5%. This is a direct result of a burgeoning population (about 35 million, 2008) using wood products as fuel. With increase in fossil fuel prices more people revert to “cheaper” wood-based fuels and/or burning toxic waste. 56% of Kenyans, surviving on less then 1USD/day, are uninformed on toxicity of burning synthetic waste. Tree felling, insufficient reforestation and inadequate supply of affordable alternative fuels, further compromise forests.
Beside the massive environmental degradation and habitat loss, there is also an increased number of youth and of women-headed households with scarce income generation opportunities and conflicts arising from scarce resources. About 51% of the residents of Nairobi live in the slums, 60% of this population is made up of people below 24 years (UN Habitat). Given the number of youth and the increasing need for them to support their own livelihoods, new income-generating activities are essential, especially when they contribute to other rapidly emerging problems – that of the depletion of Kenya’s forest resources.
However, efforts to enhance briquette use are slow due to inefficient production systems that fail to sustain markets.
In a timescale of 12 months, through the optimisation of the production, it will be possible to produce briquettes at competitive prices and low green gas emissions, offering an alternative to charcoal. At the same time it will become a new income generating activity for people in slums. Materials needed are available. The process is easy to teach and has a proven record in Kenya. It involves harvesting leaves and other organic waste materials that are compressed into briquettes, using a simple wooden pressing machine. The press itself is easy to construct and can be made by any competent carpenter.
The production systems of briquette could be enhanced through the optimisation of technology of briquette machines (such as press, shredders etc.) and stoves using designs already produced by the KU students in collaboration with TN and Jua Kali artisans in the past years, making them more affordable. Building on TN and KU past experience, the partnership with MDX will boost institutional linkages with informal sector of the Jua kali artisans in furthering technology towards environmental conservation. The linkages between the formal and informal sector will also foster socio-economic development through SMEs enhancement, jobs opportunities creation and promotion of interaction among artisans and university students.

4. What we’ll be doing
Modelling and analysis of designs using 3D CAD systems (Solidworks) to allow optimisation of designs, faster, less resource intensive development cycles and effective communication of detail and design intent.
We’ll approach this in an open-source manner. Designs will be published onto madegood.org and refinement, suggestion and redesign from virtual collaborators will be encouraged.

A first model of one of the existing briquette compression machines, by Sam Dempsey, a MDX PDE Product Design graduate http://designplant.wordpress.com/ is shown above.

5. Who are we?
See ‘Us’ in side bar, for details.

6. Images of fieldwork in Nairobi
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30542236@N04/sets/72157608019524592/

7. Open-source approach
We are making all our content available through the Creative Commons scheme. We are attaching an ‘Attribution-Non-commercial-Share Alike 2.0’ licence to all copyrightable content.

This work by https://madegood.wordpress.com/ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.

“This document is an output from the EPA Project funded by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) for the benefit of the African Further and Higher Education Sector and the UK Higher Education Sector. The views expressed are not necessarily those of BIS, nor British Council.”