The term self-reliance means different things to different people, depending on the history of national development, and the social, economic, and cultural constraints of a country. There are five discernible stages in the development of technology, namely operational, adaptive, replicative, innovative, and creative. The study team holds that the first three stages are achievable whilst the last two seem beyond the country's capacity, given existing constraints. Science is the knowledge of natural phenomena. Technology, on the other hand, applies a knowledge of science to help meet human needs and solve problems.
Technology has two major components, software and hardware.
The former concerns knowledge, while the latter constitutes the equipment and material used in production. Science and technology is only a part of the process of societal development. In building technology, Thais have adapted their indigenous timber technology to create a distinctive Thai building style. They have developed this technology to the point that they can now use it to prefabricate houses. Other technological practices, such as the use of farm machinery in rice production, also began during the same period.