Is technology the solution to the problem of global poverty?

Introduction:

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” This claim, made
by acclaimed British science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke aptly encapsulates the
potential benefits that technological advancements bring about and points to an optimistic
picture of the endless possibilities of technology in solving many of the world’s problems.
One of the more pressing issues that has taken a toll on governments and the public
across the globe is that of global poverty. The World Bank estimates that 1.37 billion
people live on less than USD1.25 a day, and 2.56 billion live on less than USD2 a day.
With the proliferation of technology and its ability to provide greater access to remote
areas, cheaper machinery, food production, microfinancing and education, technology has
seemingly lifted many out of poverty. Yet, it is not without problems such as being too
technical to be handled as well as causing wage depression, and even unemployment. It
may also be limited by extenuating circumstances, attributed to poor governance and lack
of education, making technology a less effective solution to the problem of global poverty.
Given the complexity of global poverty, it would be wise to consider a multi-pronged
approach in tackling the problem, instead of solely relying on technology to perform its
‘magic’ as described by Arthur C. Clarke.

(1) Innovative Solutions - Basic Needs

- ​Access to Information:

Cell phones offer access to medical information otherwise inaccessible to

impoverished people. A recent Ghanaian project, for instance, targets
pregnant women who lack access to information on how to promote healthy
fetal development, reports the Research Council of Norway. Mothers receive
weekly, automated messages designed to help counterbalance superstition
and pregnancy-related myths.

- ​Water and Sanitation:

Globally, more than 748 million people do not have access to clean water and
more than 2.5 billion people have inadequate access to sanitation. More than
1,400 children die every day of diarrhea caused by unsafe water and
improper sanitation.

❏ Practical Action, for example, partnered with Kenyans from the dry,
arid Turkana region to develop a solution to the area’s drought
problems - developed a solar-powered water pump that uses
locally-sourced equipment to pump 30,000 clean litres of clean, safe
water to the village every day.

1
 - Improvement of Farming Techniques:

Most of the 1.4 billion people who live on less than $1.25 per day rely on
agriculture for their livelihoods, according to the United Nations. Technological
advances in agriculture, from better plowing techniques to rice adapted from
saltier water, can reduce hunger for millions.

❏ Food security within impoverished communities has been established with the
introduction of the Green Revolution​, which refers to the series of
research, development and technology transfer initiatives that increased
agricultural production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late
1960s. These movements saw the ​development of high-yielding varieties
of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, modernisation of
management techniques, distribution of hybridized leads and synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides​ to farmers.
❏ The highly significant development of new ‘high-yielding’ wheat cultivated was
made possible by advances in molecular genetics. These cultivates, together
with other agricultural technologies were introduced to man developing
countries including Mexico and India, where nearly a quarter of the population
was suffering from malnourishment as a result of poverty and rampant food
shortage. The crops distributed to them had undergone DNA modification and
were able to resist pests and diseases, and to grow at a faster rate, eventually
increases the yield, helping to alleviate the problem of global poverty.
❏ Recent developments in precision agriculture: ​Geospatial technology,
including ​satellites and drones​, can provide the in-depth monitoring services
needed to apply “precision agriculture” methodologies to farms, increasing
yields and reducing spending on inputs.
❏ Precision agriculture uses remote sensing data (images and information taken
from satellites or drones) and machine learning to identify the precise
quantities of water, fertilizer, pesticides, and other inputs that should be
applied to crops, as well as the right timing.

​* ​Nevertheless, this cutting-edge technology has also received its fair share of
criticism as it relies on high-cost machines to increase work efficiency, and this is
counter-productive in a sense that, compared to manual labour, these machinery
are favoured by companies, and the increased competition is driving the less
productive, poor farmers out of the agricultural industry. Even if they were to be
employed, it is highly unlikely that they would possess the knowledge or have the
experience to operate them. Thus, in many developing countries, there is little to
no use of western precision agriculture technology. This is due to smaller field
sizes, limited access to technology, financial capital and training.

Apart from ameliorating the dire effects of the hunger problem, technology, in the form of
new media has contributed significantly to combating poverty. The recent advent of the
Internet has indeed changed the world dramatically.

2
(2) New Media - Education, Global Awareness and Garner Support
- Functions as a platform for people to reach out and connect with other; removal
of physical and geographical barriers
- ​ Donations, volunteer work or direct provision of supplies​: eg. Singapore Red
Cross (website and facebook page) allows netizens to access information on
current humanitarian programmes; make online donations or to rally charity
campaigns
- Facebook, Twitter or YouTube to​ increase global awareness and garner
support​: eg. the Haiti earthquake in 2010, where social media platforms were
instrumental in engaging various humanitarian organizations in delivering
supplies to the nations and providing the funds for restoration projects.
- ​Education + One Laptop Per Child Project​: Attempted to integrate technology
and education, to emphasize people from poorer communities to take greater
ownership of their lives by giving them opportunities to learn through a small
computer called the ‘XO laptop’. (durable, low-cost gadget is wireless and has a
powerful screen that can be read in direct sunlight, making it portable for children
who go to school outdoors and for those who live in remote region)
- ​Limited effect​: eg. In Peru, over 800,000 low-cost laptops were distributed to
children, but the direct benefits were not felt due to a myriad of problems, from
ill-prepared rural teachers who were unable to fathom, much less teach, with the
machines; software bugs that were not fixed affecting the learning; to the lack of
electricity in the rural areas and schools to power the laptops.

​ ​ * ​Furthermore, the real question isn’t whether laptop programs help students, but
whether they’re more effective than other programs competing for the same
money. These concerns mar the alluring prospect that technology could
potentially eliminate the problem of poverty, and highlight the importance of
addressing the other issues that exist on the fringe of the main issue of poverty,
such as providing basic infrastructure reassessing the government.

(3) Technology is not the solution: Existence of Corruption

- The quality of the government has to be assessed before tackling the problem of
poverty, as the reality is that the existence of corruption within most bureaucracies of
developing countries makes the elimination of poverty an intimidating task:
Inept leaders → mismanagement of resources → instability & poorly developed
infrastructure → poor and inadequate public services, i.e. healthcare & education.
*​vital aspects for a country’s development.
- Eg. 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a significant proportion of food, medical, and
monetary aid failed to reach the victims of the disaster as the Indonesian military

3
 looted the essential supplies to sell them in the black market at inflated prices, while
the government pocketed the money.
- The ineffectiveness of technology in eradicating poverty is further reiterated here,
what aid offered to poorer countries can be siphoned by the leaders to improve their
wealth and status. Therefore, apart from technology, a call for action is certainly
required in this instance, to exterminate corruption and put in place proper policies to
ensure that aid is rendered to the poor, lest the impoverished be mired further in
poverty.

(4) Other solutions: Involvement of an International Alliance and Collective

- Various governmental and non-governmental organisations at national and
community levels can work in tandem to tackle some of the major issues faced by the
poor, such as healthcare concerns, and the lack of basic education, as these will
eventually go a long way in ensuring long-term job security and their physical
wellbeing.
- Healthcare: ​UNICEF has been building national capacities for primarily healthcare
*humanitarian and developmental aid

❏ Around 270 million children, just over 14% of all children in developing
countries have no access to healthcare services.
❏ UNICEF (also a global leader in vaccine supply) purchases and helps
distribute vaccines to over 40% of children in developing countries.
❏ Also provided oral rehydration salts for 10 cents per packet to children
suffering from dehydration. This two-pronged approach in engaging
government aid families is still adopted by UNICEF today, reducing child
mortality for those under 5, by almost 50% to date.

- Education: ​Collaborative partnership between The MacArthur Foundation, the

Mastercard Foundation and the Human Dignity Foundation in strengthening
Innovative Practice in secondary education; to support lifelong learning opportunities
and life skills for underserved youth between the ages of 12 and 19 in East Africa,
Nigeria, and India.
Education → better economic opportunities, higher agricultural productivity and
cultural thinking skills → Breaking the cycle of absolute / generational poverty*

Conclusion:

With all of the above in mind, it must be noted that ever since its use to prominence in the
early 20th century, technology has been a key aspect in our quotidian lives, strengthening
communications, and bringing work productivity to levels unparalleled in the last century.
While technological developments have indeed contributed to mitigating poverty to some
extent, the presence of other factors such as corrupt governments and lack of basic
education and infrastructure impedes its progress in making a profound difference in the
lives of the poor. ​As such, technology alone cannot be the only solution to the problem of
global poverty, because if the root causes of poverty are not addressed, technology can
and will only play second fiddle to the battle of poverty.

4
 What the poor require is not the complete removal of technology from their lives, nor is it
the bombardment of technology in their society. They need to be exposed to technology at
a gradual pace, along with other complementary external aid and reform actions, such as
investment in local innovations, increased education and communication in the
government. Essentially, a more calibrated approach towards tackling the problem would
produce a desired outcome in the decades to come.

TL;DR
Technology and Poverty:
https://opinion.inquirer.net/107865/technology-worsen-poverty
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17233946/olpcs-100-laptop-education-where-is-it-now
Globalisation and Poverty:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-globalization-help-o-2006-04/

“The advancement of science has led to the regression of mankind.”

Do you agree?

The possible exploitation of various technologies to mankind’s detriment may not necessarily
mean science is a barrier to society’s progress as the reality is that the advent of science
and technology has in fact allowed us to better understand the world and its complex
systems, solved social and economic issues and even improved the quality of life, which are
all synonymous with prosperity for all.