Bøger udgivet af Practical Action Publishing

Microplanning is a community-based process which enables local people to prepare and implement programmes for settlement upgrading. Local participants contribute to both the content and structure of programmes. Case studies from Chile and Sri Lanka.

For planners and manufacturers, this book contains detailed technical information on the design and manufacture of vehicles which can be produced locally and can compete with capital-intensive technologies originating from industrialized countries.

A practical classroom and workshop guide for teachers of technology, craft and design subjects in schools. It is based on the comprehensive Nigerian introductory technology curriculum, and encourages an integrated, active learning approach. Published in association with VSO.

Written in an accessible manner for development economists and agricultural policy analysts, this book is designed to help researchers.

Discusses decision-making in inland water transport, focusing on official policies towards country boats. Describes the river system of Bangladesh and the constraints imposed by natural conditions and the operational environment.

This book presents articles from the journal Gender and Development and explores the relationships between religion, gender, and development, and points towards future research for positive outcomes for women and gender equality.

This book shows how land tenure laws, decentralization policies, institutional capacity building, common property management, conflict resolution and participatory development can be made more responsive to the needs of those practising transhumance today, or pastoralists, for ecologically and economically sustainable development in arid Africa.

"Making Good Governance Grow" presents experiences of participatory natural resource management based on four case studies from Helvetas projects in Bhutan, Guatemala, Mali and the Dominican Republic. The approach considers how to involve the local population in the sustainable management and sharing of natural resources benefits. Intrinsic to the project aims are the improvement of ''grassroots'' participation, the promotion of gender equity, and the development of sustainable livelihoods for disadvantaged groups through actual practice within the process.

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.

Poor people bear the brunt of climate change since they live in those regions most affected by fluctuating temperatures, sea level rise, flooding and drought. Far from behaving as victims, however, they use the assets and resources at their disposal to adapt and survive. How can agencies assist local communities adapting to change? By what mechanisms can communities make the most of emerging information? Can effective community-based approaches be scaled up? Understanding Adaptation to Climate Change demonstrates that although communities' adaptation strategies may be varied and depend on local context, social networks play a pivotal role in accessing appropriate climate knowledge and resources and communicating useful approaches to other communities. The key activities of reducing vulnerability, fostering resilience and developing the capacity to experiment and learn are combined as appropriate. This book is essential reading for NGO practitioners, students and government and NGO policy makers who wish to gain an understanding of what adaptation means in theory and practice.

This pack presents activities that encourage students to draw parallels between approaches to housing development in both Kenya and the UK; explore values and issues which influence design and technology choices; learn about sustainable approaches to building techniques; and engage in a range of focused practical sustainable technology activities.

Contains information on basic masonry techniques, basic carpentry techniques and preparation for on-the-job training.

A study of the practice of intercropping, Innis's meticulous analysis of the scientific base of different traditional forms of agriculture, is at the forefront of the search for integrated systems of indigenous and modern agriculture. He proposes the return of the small farmer to the land and suggests how this might be done.

The result of a review of the literature on infrastructure design for urban low-income housing. Covers infrastructure planning; site preparation; drainage; roads and access; water supply; power supply; sanitation; solid waste management.

Links the issues of sustainable agriculture and land reform. When farmers own their land they are likely to produce more food and to farm sustainably. Large increases in food output occur when farmers are given land under agrarian reform programmes.

Beautiful sailing boats and life around them will soon be remnants of the past. This book aims to convey the atmosphere of the diverse unspoiled shipping on the inland water routes of Bangladesh, and so aims to preserve the rich cultural heritage that the traditional country boats represent in Bangladesh.

In many developing countries access to veterinary services is a particular problem in rural areas, and poor farmers suffer significant losses due to preventable livestock diseases. This book describes three Intermediate Technology programmes built from local knowledge.

This survey of the current, and likely future extent of, biomass energy shortages in Sri Lanka seeks to identify the most appropriate means by which these might be addressed, and draws out the lessons to be learned in other parts of the world.

To mark the UN Year of Energy in 2012, Practical Action is publishing some of its best practical briefings and case study material for the benefit of energy development practitioners around the world. Practical Answers 1 is the first in a new series of handbooks that provide guides on a variety of subjects for international development workers.

This book presents 15 case studies and a variety of approaches to document the capacities and constraints to be encountered among communities facing changing climates in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, South Africa, Sudan, United States, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

Community-based adaptation is a new concept whose meaning is still to be fully understood. Most agree that communities should be supported to respond to the challenges they face, and some see this as the goal of community-based adaptation. By contrast, Uncertain Futures proposes that community-based adaptation must also address inevitable future uncertainty by supporting the ongoing ability to change. In this view, attention is focused on adaptive capacity, through which communities are able to make changes to their lives and livelihoods in response to emerging environmental change. Uncertain Futures argues that as greenhouse gas emissions continue to accumulate, a 'business as usual' approach to development practice is increasingly inadequate and the importance of securing adaptive capacity becomes more urgent. Uncertain Futures examines this challenge, and invites readers to rethink development policy and practice in terms of how adaptive capacity can be best supported. This book should be read by the staff of donor agencies, policy makers, NGO practitioners, academics and students of development studies and the environment.

For centuries, water pumping, food processing, and manufacturing , amongst other productive uses, have been enhanced by the application of mechanical power. Recent technological advances in mechanical power have further enhanced productivity and reduced the drudgery of human labour associated with these tasks. However, in spite of the undoubted importance of mechanical power in meeting every day energy needs at a local level, it is generally under-appreciated to the point that there is an almost complete lack of official data and documentation of its role. Expanding Energy Access in Developing Countries surveys the variety of mechanical power applications and options available, and argues that they should be given more consideration by policy makers and practitioners responsible for improving energy access for poor communities worldwide. This publication will be of interest to anyone seeking an overview of mechanical power and its use in pro-poor development work and should be required reading for programme planners at national and local level.

This book examines case studies from the work of Swiss development organisation Helvetas and its local partners in the Philippines, Cameroon, Mali, Vietnam and Guatemala to show how context specific initiatives have driven greater decentralisation and more effective local governance