Bøger udgivet af Practical Action Publishing

The classic disaster model of an emergency, which assumes simple cause and effect between food shortages, malnutrition and death, no longer holds. The nature and perceptions of emergencies are changing. In fact most emergency situations are protracted, with obvious political dimensions, and the great majority of crises can be predicted and often recur in the same area and. With appropriate interventions, the progress of famine can be halted. This book is based on the authors'' views and experiences as fieldworkers in situations of food insecurity and famine, combined with their in-depth knowledge of the discipline of nutrition. They develop a new conceptual framework of the role of nutrition in famine which can be used to analyse the underlying causes of malnutrition, the stage of famine, and the risk of disease and death. This is useful as a basis for nutritional assessments, for identifying appropriate intervention, and targeting strategies. Practical suggestions for carrying out assessments and for alternative interventions are given. The institutional and political change needed for the successful implementation of appropriate interventions is also considered.

Based on evidence from throughout the developing world this book takes a fresh look at the processes and the problems of income generation through housing.

A technical handbook to assist small-scale producers with alternative production techniques - to help them choose and apply those techniques which are most appropriate to local socio-economic conditions.

This book examines land tenure and food security problems, and evaluates the effects of rural development policies in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia. The author draws on case studies and over 40 years'' first-hand experience.

Technical assistance fails to bring technical change when it fails to work with local innovation. This book aims to raise awareness of people''s innovation from actual cases in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The combination of stencil duplicating with screen process printing enables one to build a press very cheaply, using no sophisticated components for either construction or implementation. The sten screen will print a wide variety of formats and on many materials.

Shows how the landless poor of Bangladesh have worked to determine their own future, independent of the existing power structure. Demonstrates effective organizing by the landless, the results of their action, and thoughts on the way forward.

Through a series of case studies written by women in development organizations this book reflects on the progress of gender mainstreaming. It shows how feminists can build effective strategies to influence development organizations and attempts to foster greater understanding and forge more effective alliances for social change.

Through a series of case studies written by women in development organizations this book reflects on the progress of gender mainstreaming. It shows how feminists can build effective strategies to influence development organizations and attempts to foster greater understanding and forge more effective alliances for social change.

This book explores how international NGOs are navigating these rapid changes, changes that challenge their role and legitimacy, their values, and their overall purpose. It calls for a re-examination of theories about change, and a re-focus on ideas of complexity and feminism and on learning from past NGO experience.

This book seeks to provide impetus for a step change in the adoption and mainstreaming of participatory statistics within international development practice. The time has come for participatory statistics to be recognised as the first and best option for a "win win" approach to data generation and analysis.

This book seeks to provide impetus for a step change in the adoption and mainstreaming of participatory statistics within international development practice. The time has come for participatory statistics to be recognised as the first and best option for a "win win" approach to data generation and analysis.

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.

This book has been written for existing and prospective entrepreneurs who wish to produce dry foods commercially at small and medium scale. Great effort has been made to use simple language but at the same time to examine all relevant technical aspects.

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.

Health care practitioners, planners and artisans will find ideas and designs for equipment that can be made locally in relatively small workshops. Alternative materials and fabrication methods are described to meet differing local circumstances.

The success of newly industrialized countries of Southeast Asia is a prime example of the role that science and technology can play in development strategies. This book aims to identify those policies which have proved to be workable in most situations.

For development and education workers, guidance on do-it-yourself printing methods which are simple and can be used with home-made equipment. Suggests when it is easier to go to a commercial printer and includes advice on setting up a print shop.

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

Strong financial management skills are essential to promote high standards in international development organizations. Many non-finance people find numbers and financial techniques difficult, however, NGO managers and staff are responsible for sound financial management and without full understanding their programmes will be at best less effective, and at worst vulnerable to going unfunded. Poor communication about financial information, by both finance and non-finance people, often seems to cause a block. This book helps people speak and write financial information better, avoiding jargon, and preventing listeners from ΓÇÿswitching offΓÇÖ. It explains why messages about finance may not be received as they were intended when working cross-culturally and outlines how information can be tailored to different audiences and how to improve understanding and collaboration between finance and non-finance people. It shoud be read by non-finance and finance managers and staff within non-profit organizations internationally, as well as other organizations.

Collectively, billions of dollars have been invested in the provision of rural water supply systems in developing countries over the past three decades. Although progress is being made and rates of coverage are increasing, users often find that, once installed, water supply systems are poorly maintained and eventually break down, leaving them with an unreliable and disrupted water supply. Supporting Rural Water Supply takes a critical look and asks why we have been unable to provide a sustainable water service to rural people for so long? What are the critical success factors in the areas where there has been good progress? How can we support the adoption of a service delivery approach to rural water supply - one that moves beyond implementing infrastructure projects to delivering a reliable and indefinite service? This book brings together findings from 13 country studies which were carried out as part of a global learning initiative - Sustainable Services at Scale, or Triple-S. It offers insights into ways countries and individual organisations can move towards a service delivery approach step by step. Published in association with IRC.

Women are central to overcoming rural poverty. They play a critical role in poverty reduction and food security because they are responsible for both production and reproduction. Rural women in developing countries have longer working days than men because of their triple roles as farmers, caretakers of their families and cash earners through income-generating activities and microfinance. In addition, increasing drought and deforestation in many parts of the world make womenΓÇÖs workload even more burdensome as they have to walk ever-longer distances to find firewood and clean water. The multiple roles of women can act as an obstacle to development interventions, which often put additional pressure on womenΓÇÖs time. WomenΓÇÖs heavy workload reduces the time available for participation in project-related activities or affects their ability to care for their families. Ensuring womenΓÇÖs access to labour-saving technologies for water, energy and farm-related activities is fundamental, and the need for such technologies is greater than it has ever been before. This timely publication looks back at three decades of experiences in introducing labour-saving technologies and practices to rural women and in combating persistent gender discrimination in access and control. It also takes into account major developments in science, technology and innovation over the last several years and shows they can benefit women.

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.

The importance of public space in supporting city economies and in contributing to poverty reduction is rarely recognized. Instead, public space is more often an arena for contest ΓÇô between municipal governments or other vested interests, and street traders, whose activities are proscribed by restrictive social norms, ambiguous legal status, street violence, or an official response that vacillates between indifference and eviction. Based on a research study in four developing cities ΓÇô Dar Es Salaam, Kumasi, Maseru, and Kathmandu ΓÇô Contested Space explores the survival strategies of street traders and their relationships with city governments, and examines the practical and policy implications for pro-poor street management. This is essential reading for all those interested in innovative city governance, for planners, NGOs, students, academics, and practitioners in Development Studies and Urban Development.

A practical, teacher-friendly booklet providing a motivating and relevant context for learning about food manufacture designed for teaching 14-16 year olds (UK key stage 4). In a Nutshell provides information about food processing and small-scale industrial practices, exemplified through case studies of peanut butter production in Zimbabwe. The booklet includes ideas for practical teaching activities, supports the teaching of Food Technology knowledge, skills, issues and values, develops awareness of food in other cultures and food as a global technology and promotes understanding of some of the cultural, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability.