Books published by ITDG Publishing

Community Health and Sanitation presents a community-sensitive approach to the developing world's water supply; for students, trainers and engineers alike. Deals with disease and problems of water in the house and at the source, waste disposal, and education and training.

This is the last of the Small-scale Textile series and covers the pre-spinning processes which make plant fibres suitable for textile manufacture. The book includes not only familiar plant fibres such as cotton, sisal and jute, but also less well known fibres from plants such as Himalayan nettle, pineapple leaf and kenaf, which are of great value to small communities where they are used for both utilitarian and decorative purposes. As well as extraction and other pre-spinning processes, there is background information on the growing areas, soil and climatic requirements and methods of harvesting, and details of equipment suppliers and sources of further information.This book covers the pre-spinning processes which make plant fibres suitable for textile manufacture. It includes plant fibres such as cotton, sisal and jute, Himalayan nettle, pineapple leaf and kenaf, which are of great value to small communities where they are used for both utilitarian and decorative purposes.

Prescriptions for rural development abound, but ''what is frequently lacking is not so much ideas or techniques as the will and the commitment'' to improve conditions. The author describes how, in the complex case of Ethiopia, man can be held responsible for famine -and suggests how he can act to prevent it. This book sets out to demonstrate that the subsistence production system, with the disincentives of oppression and exploitation which keeps peasants and their families permanently at barely subsistence level without any means of averting or coping with the consequences of crop failure, is the system that creates famine in time of peace. A subsistence production system impoverishes peasants and pastoralists as well as the physical environment. It is this fact that occasionally disturbs the delicate balance between the activities and expectations of the peasants and the pastoralists, on one hand, and the process of the physical environment, on the other. When this delicate balance is disturbed famine does not occur automatically, but instead takes several months to mature into a mass killer.The author urges positive and rational action - for example, the accumulation of data, programmes of research and development, and reform, especially of taxation, can create the conditions necessary for improvement. ''The world of under development is a world of faith as opposed to critical reason... The pain of thinking can replace the pain of famine.''

Brings together a series of short, highly illustrated introductions to many of the main technologies and processes in the field of village and community level water and sanitation, ranging from household water storage to public standposts.

The basic principles of spinning are described by the text and line drawings, and are supplemented by descriptions of methods of testing spun yarn quality; different types of small-scale spinning machines; and how to plan.

An illustrated guide to the use and design of cycle trailers in urban and rural areas. Contains new material and updates the information in the earlier edition.

A 'state of the art' survey, with guides to costs and criteria for choice of pumping methods.

This guide is a quality directory of agricultural equipment and machinery which is suitable for small scale beekeeping and honey processing. A general introduction to beekeeping is followed by an illustrated catalogue of suitable equipment and the addresses of suppliers and manufacturers.Ethel CraneEthel Crane''s writing culminated in two encyclopaedic tomes, Bees and Beekeeping: science, practice and world resources (1990) and The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting (1999). These distilled a lifetime''s knowledge and experience and are regarded as seminal textbooks throughout the beekeeping world. She died at the age of 95 in Slough.

A technical rationale of how and why natural fibres reinforce cement/concrete, with chapters on the strength properties, durability, manufacture and installation of natural fibre concrete products, fibre-cement, cement, and concrete.

Despite efforts to increase the level of mechanisation, animals remain an important existing or potential source of power in rural areas of developing countries, primarily in agriculture and transport, but also for water pumping, forestry, road construction, etc.

A case study of the development of a small business in Papua New Guinea involved in recovering a range of scrap, non-ferrous metals. An income-generating opportunity for hundreds of shanty town dwellers.

Using traditional cheesemaking methods, this book gives an idea of the opportunities that cheesemaking offers as a source of rural employment, and of the problems that will be encountered by anyone planning to start such a business.

Construction details for a stencil duplicator that can be built using simple woodworking tools, and is easy to use and maintain. Includes templates for use in construction.

Revised edition of this practical survey of low-cost stoves for use in developing countries. Prepared for skilled technicians who will be able to use the drawings as a basis for building stove models, for testing and adaptation to local conditions.

This handbook describes the development and testing of the water current turbine as a simple and inexpensive means of lifting water for irrigation purposes. With detailed technical information on the technology, this manual also includes an economic assessment of its cost-effectiveness compared with other pumping technologies.

Using over 50 case studies from 22 countries which show how unconventional projects have developed women''s earning power, this book is a source of ideas for all those helping to develop cash-producing work for women in developing countries.

The construction industry pattern of most industrialized countries is often unsuited to the needs of developing countries. Case studies in Ghana and Sri Lanka suggest a new approach, and illustrate how existing frameworks could be changed.

This book aims to assist anyone about to start or to expand a small scale foundry to consider the various available processes, and to select the most appropriate for the circumstances. Technical aspects covered include pattern-making, moulding, coremaking, melting cast iron, steel castings, non-ferrous metal castings, cleaning castings, safety, planning and wources of foundry equipment and materials.

Getting and keeping clients is top priority for the successful building contractor. This book, the third and final volume in the series, shows how small contractors can get established and run their business satisfactorily.

This excellent, clearly illustrated book has been written for those working with farmers on development and extension in rural areas who do not have much access to the technical know-how needed for developing irrigated agriculture on a small scale.

Describes how cylindrical water storage tanks of up to 150 cubic metre capacity can be built using wire-reinforced cement-mortar. Covers design and planning, costs, standard, recommended and alternative construction methods, and other information.

Modern Irrigation Technologies reviews the experience of smallholders with irrigation technologies in a range of diverse conditions in many different countries. Some people argue that modern irrigation technologies are the key to increased food production. However, projects introducing modern irrigation technologies in the developing world have often failed because the irrigation hardware, which has been developed for high-technology commercial agriculture, cannot be easily adapted for the use of the smallholder. The author identifies the pre-conditions relating to water availability, institutional support and economic opportunity that must be satisfied before smallholders in developing countries can adopt irrigation methods and benefit from them. The circumstances in which modern technologies were introduced are identified, and the relative success or otherwise of the initiatives are summarized. The book also contains a practical review of the range of irrigation hardware that is available and indicates the types of equipment that are more likely to meet the requirements of the smallholder sector. G.A.Cornish is an irrigation engineer with wide experience of technology transfer and staff training on irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa and south and southeast Asia. He currently works at the Overseas Development Unit of HR Wallingford, UK. Modern Irrigation Technologies will be an invaluable guide to project workers, planners and smallholders involved in planning and designing irrigation projects.

This in-depth study examines the colonized native groups of the Kariri and the Shoko of North-eastern Brazil and it shows how a threatened minority group can effectively help to shape its future and how small groups of disenfranchized individuals can recover their ethnic identity and human dignity. The significance of this study extends far beyond these groups alone, and the book will be of interest to students of ethnicity, folklore, ethnobotany and epistemology. Published in the Indigenous Knowledge and Development series.

This book discusses national strategies for small enterprise, examines legal, regulatory, and tax reform, and makes proposals on how to improve competitiveness and access to credit. Agents of Change provides practical solutions and suggestions for real change, and will be of interest to scholars, students, policymakers, business associations, bankers and NGOs involved in fostering small-and medium-size enterprises in developing countries.

This book deals with a wide range of current development issues relating to subjects including community management, groundwater, health and disease, institutional development, irrigation, sanitation, solid waste management, water quality, water sources, water supply and water treatment. It presents over forty papers presented at the 19th WEDC Conference held in Accra, Ghana, in 1993. Material is drawn from countries in all parts of the world.This book deals with a wide range of current development issues relating to subjects including community management, groundwater, health and disease, institutional development, irrigation, sanitation, solid waste management, water quality, water sources, water supply and water treatment.

The text defines 'qualitative' in this context; surveys the types of information that practitioners of rural developing communities need to assemble; describes the main general techniques in use; recommends areas of potential improvements; and looks to the future of qualitative enquiry in the light of present trends and likely information needs.

This book examines the pros and cons of the local production of carpentry hand-tools as opposed to their importation. In seeking the best strategy to adopt it also outlines the previous methods adopted by VSO and Intermediate Technologywho have much experience in this area. Published in the VSO ECOE Programme series.

A low-cost technology which will enable workshops to set up their own facilities and manufacture a range of wheels from standard steel sections. For those familiar with metalworking techniques. Presented with technical drawings and sketches.

Activists present their experiences of managing plant genetic resources. The contributors document the achievements of farmers in developing crop varieties tailored to their needs, and demonstrate how these approaches can be built upon.