HUMANITECH · Humanitarian Technology Interventions

Humanitarian Technology Interventions

There is growing interest in the positive impact of technology in humanitarian contexts, yet research on humanitarian technology interventions is overly technology-centric, focusing on the technical issues of design and production or beneficiary adoption and impact. HUMANITECH sought to advance the study of humanitarian technology interventions as an organizational phenomenon having global/local dynamics through three studies that relate to improved cookstoves, a technology promoted for health, safety and climate benefits. The first study explored of how improved cookstove interventions in humanitarian settings are viewed by user-beneficiaries. The second study explored the decisions and processes by which scientists and experts create health policy estimates that elevate the importance for improved cookstove interventions. The third study explored the way digital platforms shape the way improved cookstove experts interact and work together in a virtual multi-stakeholder processes. These studies involved the use of the following research methods: narrative interviews, thematic analysis and ethnography. The HUMANITECH project contributes to society in a number of ways. For instance, the first study provides a grounded picture of the diverse ways improved cookstove interventions influence the lives of women in humanitarian settings. The study captured unique aspects of economic, health and social benefits, raising important considerations for policymakers and improved cookstove designers to consider. The second study seeks to clarify the assumptions and decisions taken by air pollution experts in their efforts to estimate mortality resulting from cooking with solid fuels over traditional open fires or basic stoves. The third study explored the way improved cookstove experts collaborate using digital platforms, and proposes how the technical attributes of digital platforms shape work processes and outcomes. The HUMANITECH project reached its intended scholarly and policy impact through research, scholarly seminars and presentations, engagement with policymakers, research methods training, participation in standards processes, attendance at key events, and a blog piece (see below).

Data: CORDIS, © European Union