To find marginal and threatened populations in environmentally challenging situations in Asia and help them meet their basic needs for housing, household energy, safe water, food and good health. Seeking out the poorest and using participatory practice, we apply technology and knowledge that is appropriate and environmentally sustainable embedding skills in the communities with which we work.
This British organisation works mainly in the Himalayan region, developing and applying environmentally and socially appropriate technologies to improve livelihoods, health and education. It is strongly committed to working in a participatory way with local communities, and seeks both to draw upon and enrich local skills and knowledge.
ATA has been working in Qinghai since 1999 – mainly, to date, in Hualong and Ledu Counties, where it has carried out a number of projects in the provision of basic infrastructure, training and services. These have included the construction of gravity-fed water supplies, passive solar greenhouses, mushroom units and poultry units. The group has also worked with local farmers to develop literacy skills, new agriculture techniques and environmental sustainability.
In addition to these areas, ATA is exploring innovation in food storage and refrigeration, rain water harvesting, the development of sustainable fuel sources and sanitation projects that provide hygienic and environmentally suitable toilet facilities to rural households and institutional buildings.
Projects run over a period of 1 – 5 years, depending on the specific sector, to allow time for developing, testing, applying and promoting technologies. High priority is given to training communities so that the benefits of appropriate technology innovations can be widespread and enduring.
