Books published by Practical Action Publishing

Value Chains in Development charts the rise of value chain analysis from the sub-sector approach and takes the long view of a discipline that has recently become an essential tool for economic progress in developing countries. It is essential background for students and practitioners of the market-based approaches to development.

Based on extensive field research and in-depth interviews, Achieving Water Security draws conclusions for policy and practice of relevance not just for Ethiopia, but for sub-Saharan Africa more widely, linking findings with current international debates on service delivery in rural areas. Published in association with ODI.

The relationship between scientific and technological change and development has altered with the changing character of developing countries and with advances in technology. High tech, appropriate technology, technology transfer and diffusion all serve to complicate further the already complex task of guiding socioeconomic development in the Third World. The technological fix is no longer seen as a viable solution to the problems of under-development. The authors of this interdisciplinary book stress that a full understanding of the many aspects of the introduction of new technology is the only way to achieve a workable compromise regarding science, technology and development.

Describes the origins and development of the appropriate technology movement, and analyses both its changing concerns at the different stages of development, and also its abiding emphasis on scale and human values.

Maximum transparency, a profitable structure for saving, access to small loans and an annual lump sum of capital are the hallmarks of the Savings Group methodology. The outcome: empowered groups, made up mostly of women, who manage themselves as tiny financial institutions.Today there are Savings Groups in 60 countries with over 6 million members

Bridging the Finance Gap in Housing and Infrastructure concentrates on how groups of poor people - coalitions of the poor around the world have been able and been enabled to lead the process of transforming slums into vibrant and stable neighbourhoods. It showcases the strategies and the dedication, commitment and achievement of one northern NGO - Homeless International - as it has pioneered new approaches to analyzing and helping to arrange finance for community-led slum upgrading. This is a very encouraging story. It confirms that the homeless poor in the world''s slums should never be dismissed as the helpless victims of urbanization.Technically, this book is valuable for the explanation of how innovative financing packages can be arranged for slum upgrading programmes. But primarily, it is about human rights and how institutions and organizations respect and help people to realize their rights.

The challenge of urban poverty is growing every year. It is predicted that over 95% of global population growth between 2000 and 2030 will take place in the cities of the developing world. If current trends continue, the huge majority of those will end up in slums. Tackling urban poverty, however, has had a lower profile than other of the Millennium Development Goals, for example the one on water ΓÇô despite the efforts of major players such as UN-Habitat. This book makes a case for approaches to urban development that are locally driven and which complement the vast investments and efforts of slum-dwellers themselves. It discusses a range of approaches for achieving that, focusing on practical experiences and clear lessons for the future. Essential reading for development practitioners, donors and funding agencies, academics and students interested in NGO-supported approaches to urban development.

This collection of articles includes case studies of attempts to improve small-scale food processing, remembering that ''small is beautiful, but difficult''. Case studies cover grain and fruit processing, baking, beekeeping, and small-scale oil production.Marilyn Carr is Chief of the Economic Empowerment Section of the United Nations Development Fund for Women. She is a development economist with over 20 years experience in Asia and Africa and specializes in the fields of small enterprise development and technology choice and diffusion.

A state of the art review of rice husk ash cement technology in the Indian subcontinent, highlighting its effectiveness as an alternative low-cost binding material. Includes case studies of field-testing in local institutions.CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION 12. SITE VISITS 22.1 INDIA 22.2 NEPAL 132.3 PAKISTAN 153. COMPARISON OF PRODUCTION METHODSAND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USE 284. TESTING OF SAMPLES IN UK 295. RESULTS OF UK LABORATORY TESTS 296. COMPARISON OF PRODUCERS '' DATAWITH UK RESULTS 317. COMPARISON OF EXPERIMENTAL DATAWITH STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS 31ECONOMICSCONCLUSIONSRECOMMENDATIONSTABLES

A handbook of simple methods for rural areas in developing countries. This corrected and revised impression includes an appendix on planning in developing towns.

The findings in Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change reflect on experiences of CBA in practice, building on current academic research to frame lessons for adaptation planning in developing countries

The international development agenda remains dominated by economic and institutional priorities of the North. Research used to determine and justify development priorities should be both Southern-driven and Southern-based. This book fully reflects southern-driven networking principles for policymakers and development practitioners.

This practical manual is a major new addition to the resources available for micro-hydro power project and programme managers worldwide and represents excellent value for such a detailed technical reference handbook.

Together these papers add new perspectives and a host of lessons on the science and the art of bridging research and policy, focusing on African Politics; Poverty Reduction; Primary Education; Aid and Finance.

Part one describes the necessary preparations for a fundraising campaign: the role of the leader, the board, volunteers and strategic alliances, and ways to fight fear of fundraising. Part two outlines the practical essentials of an effective communications program, from personal contacts to obtaining good media coverage and making the Internet work for you.This book describes preparations for a fundraising campaign: the role of the leader, the board, volunteers and strategic alliances, and ways to fight fear of fundraising, the practical essentials of an effective communications programme, from personal contacts to obtaining good media coverage, and making the Internet work for you.

The publication includes selected case studies from four different countries in Latin America. These address key issues regarding crop cover integration in LEIA systems. A wide range of agroecosystems are covered by the case studies, so that the information can be adapted for use in other regions.

Millions of slum residents across the world suffer the hazards and misery of frequent flooding of their streets and homes, which may result in savings of a lifetime being washed away in a few hours, damaged property, loss of work and time, and higher risks of diarrhoea, worm infection and other health problems. This manual is written to help engineers, aid and agency workers understand drainage problems more clearly in the developing world, so that they can work towards finding practical solutions. It focuses on three questions of particular relevance to low-income urban areas in developing countries: what is drainage performance? how can we evaluate a drainage system, to access how best to improve its performance? what are the effects of solids in drains upon performance? This manual is the outcome of two-and-a-half years of fieldwork in the city of Indore, in Madhya Pradesh, India and can be used as a practical aid by municipal engineers, consulting engineers and engineering instructors and students, as well as development and aid workers involved in drainage systems.

Miombo forest occurs in a swathe across central and southern Africa. Traditionally shifting cultivators have farmed in miombo, and allowed it to regenerate, but increasingly the demands for land and for fuelwood have resulted in deforestation. This book provides comprehensive details of the climate, environment, ecology and species characteristic of Miombo, and describes methods for assessing the timber and other resources, through inventories, in order to use the forest sustainably.

Weaving together philosophical, historical, legal, scientific and personal viewpoints, this book gives a rich sample of the vast web which makes up our cultural, spiritual and social diversity. It demonstrates how many cultures see Nature as an extension of society, and how sensitive stewardship is an integral part of existence.

A training book for drawing techniques related to the subjects covered in the other volumes of the Rural Building Course, and general drawing training.From foundations, walls, doors and windows, to roofs, plaster and render, locks and painting.Contains information on tools, maintenance of tools, rural building materials, rural building products, tables of figures and a glossary.This official text book is designed purposely to meet the needs of trainees who are pursuing rural building courses in various training centers administered by the National Vocational Training Institute.The main aim of this book is to provide much need trade information in simple language and with illustrations suited to the understanding of the average trainee.It is the outcome of many years of experiment conducted by the Catholic F.I.C. brothers of the Netherlands, and the German Volunteer Service instructors, in simple building techniques required for a rural community.The National Vocational Training Centre is very grateful to Brothers John v. Winden and Marcel de Keijzer of F.I.C. and Messrs. Fritz Hohnerlein and Wolfram Pforte for their devoted service in preparing the necessary materials for t he book; we are also grateful to the German Volunteer Service and the German Foundation For International Development (DSE) - AUT, who sponsored the publication of this book.We are confident that the book will be of immense value to the instructors and trainees in out training centers.