Publisher’s Comments and Table of Contents – September 2025

Welcome to the Appropriate Technology September 2025 issue.

In this September issue of Appropriate Technology, we explore innovation and resilience at the inter­section of science, sustainability, and community empowerment. From fish leather to renewable energy, this edition highlights how ingenuity continues to transform livelihoods and industries across the globe.

Our News Briefing features “Fish leather: a novel material for the fashion industry” and a “New robot pollinator” aiding agriculture. In Rwanda, farmer–private sector collaboration boosts maize and soybean value chains for 4,000 smallholders. At the UN, IFAD highlights rural communities’ role in global security, while scientists warn of Malawi’s declining groundwater.

Our Agriculture & Food section delves into key innovations reshaping farming systems. Articles explore how biotechnology may threaten traditional vanilla farming, how the Coos Milling Machine Project from Blue Sands Foundation is empowering communities through local processing, and how new bio-based fertiliser from food waste is helping close the nutrient loop.

In Humanitarian & Disaster, we spotlight South Sudan, where cooperatives are not only boosting productivity but also engendering prosperity and peace among communities recovering from conflict.

Our partner features include Engineering for Change, which provides insights into the off-grid solar energy and repair ecosystems, while Prolinnova shares grassroots innovations from South Africa, improving crop productivity in Swayimane, combatting sorghum smut, and expanding their network of local trainers. Appropedia reports on Innovations for Sustainable Development.

In this issue we have another “Focus on...” report. Focus on China comes from staff writer and editorial board member Andy Crump, who reports on China’s global leadership in technology and innovation. He highlights breakthroughs in agriculture, renewable energy, waste-to-energy incineration, and telecoms, concluding with practical examples of some technologies in action across the country.

Finally, our Events Review revisits 25 years of the Ashden Awards, celebrating climate innovation, and our Events Preview looks ahead to DIHAD 2026, where humanitarianism in transition will take centre stage.

Together, these stories remind us that appro­priate technology remains a driving force for inclusive, sustainable progress.

Ras Patel - Publishing Director
raspatel@appropriate-technology.com