Family Technology and its Use

Family technology refers to the technology used to accomplish various household tasks. Technology is the application of science in practice. 

The family technology used in countries like Nepal, which are lagging behind technologically, is as follows:

(a) Technology Used for Cooking: In countries like Nepal that are lagging behind in development, the practice of using firewood as fuel for cooking is prevalent in rural families. Traditional types of utensils are also used. For cooking rice, pots are used; for cooking vegetables, pans and woks are used; for heating milk, pots and wooden ladles are used; and wooden containers are used for storing oil. The use of these items has been decreasing recently. Nowadays, the use of gas as cooking fuel has increased in both villages and cities. The use of cooking utensils like pressure cookers and ovens has also increased widely.

(b) Agricultural Technology: In Nepal, the practice of using plows and spades for plowing fields is prevalent. Similarly, there is a practice of using sickles for harvesting and hoes for leveling soil. Recently, some improvements have been seen in agricultural technology. Tractors have started to be used for plowing and leveling soil in some places in the Terai, inner Terai, and hills of Nepal.

(c) Communication Technology: In the past, households used letters to exchange information. However, nowadays, the practice of using mobile phones, radios, televisions, etc., for information exchange has increased widely in most families.

(d) Transportation Technology: In the past, people used to walk when traveling from one place to another. Similarly, goods were carried on backs or in baskets to transport them from one place to another. In some remote areas of Nepal, people are still forced to walk and carry goods on their backs due to the lack of transportation facilities. However, in places where transportation has developed, people have access to modern means of transportation like buses, cars, etc. Similarly, goods are transported using trucks, tractors, etc.

(e) Cleaning Technology: In rural households in Nepal, traditional cleaning technology is still widely used. In very remote areas, clothes are washed using ash, soap nuts, etc. Similarly, brooms are used for cleaning houses. However, modern cleaning technologies have penetrated urban markets and semi-urban rural areas. Households in these areas use modern cleaning technologies such as washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners (or vacuum technology instead of brooms), etc.

(f) House Construction Technology: Traditional technology-based houses are found in rural areas. Mud and stone are used in house construction. Houses are one or two stories high. Roofs are made using slate, tiles, wooden planks, etc. A traditional house has one room. All tasks such as cooking, sleeping, eating, etc., are done in the same room. However, the practice of constructing modern and permanent houses using cement has increased significantly in cities and even in rural areas.

(g) Drinking Water: In some rural areas of Nepal, the practice of carrying water from wells, streams, etc., in pots and using it at home is prevalent. However, nowadays, the practice of carrying water in pots has been decreasing as the government has built taps and made arrangements for drinking water in many places.