Bøger udgivet af Practical Action Publishing

Writing from diverse locations, contributors critically examine some of the key terms in current development discourse. The reflections included here raise major questions about how we think about development itself.

The book demonstrates how women are gaining increased access to, and control over, economic resources, and how this in turn has led to far-reaching socio-cultural and political changes. It also shows how women are now building and taking control of their own organizations which are becoming more autonomous and financially self-reliant.

This handbook provides practical guidelines for evaluating water and sanitation related hygiene practices for the purposes of project planning, monitoring or impact assessment. The main focus, therefore, is on the practical concerns of field personnel working in water supply, sanitation, and health / hygiene education projects.

A highly successful network of Intermediate Technology Transfer Units has been established within Ghana, serving to foster and develop small-scale, informal industry. The idea has flourished with such units being set up throughout Ghana. This handbook provides detailed guidelines on the workings of the unit.

How Africa Works probes occupational change, identity, and social morality, challenging the view that development is secured through a market or a state-led path. It reveals insights into the interaction between states, markets, communities and households. Important reading for students, academics and policy makers working on Africa.

The current global economic crisis is expected to lead to millions more people being pushed into extreme poverty. The effects are profoundly different for women and men, and the existing gender inequalities and power imbalances mean that additional problems are falling disproportionately on those who are already structurally disempowered and marginalised. The economic crisis is the latest element in a complex web of shocks and longer-term traumas affecting women, men and their families in developing countries. These include food and fuel shocks, changing climatic conditions, and the HIV pandemic. For many people living in poverty, these crises are experienced as one multifaceted crisis, which has accentuated alreadyexisting underlying chronic concerns in both the productive and the reproductive (care) economies of the world. While these issues remain largely invisible to mainstream economists and policymakers, they are critical to the development of effective and sustainable responses to the crisis. Contributors to this book map the emerging impact of the economic crisis on women, men and their families in different contexts, and suggest policy and practice changes.

Presents the principles of communicating the information needed for building improvement. Covers the uses of different media to convey information and describes the use of graphic design for education.ntroduction 1Who is this book for? 3What is this book for? 31. Communication in planning 5Community participation, 5Information gathering in the field, 7How people change, 112. Educational materials 14Choice of media, 14Demonstration buildings, 19Local relevance, 20How many messages? 21Preproduction testing, 21Educational context, 27Training, 27Impact assessment, 283. Illustrating building for safety 32Picture styles, 33Symbols and conventions, 43Cartoons, 54Connections and sequence, 59Cultural associations, 64Use of text and language, 73Conclusions 79Further reading 80Picture credits so

The book explores the nexus between land, conflict and humanitarianism, discusses the challenges for an integrated response, and presents the findings of case studies from Angola, Colombia, Rwanda, and Sudan. It should be read by humanitarian aid workers, policy analysts, academics, and government officials in developing countries.

This book is the first attempt to examine 'what works for the poorest' and analyses innovative ultra-poor programmes from around the world and explores the lessons that emerge from this important body of knowledge. It should be read by staff of donor agencies and NGOs, students of development studies who are concerned about chronic poverty.

This book is essential reading for agribusiness leaders and technical staff, bankers and cooperative leaders working in agriculture, NGO and microfinance development practitioners, researchers and policy makers. Published in association with FAO.

Value chain development can identify and address the sector-specific bottlenecks that hinder the development of an industry. Value Chains in Development charts the rise of value chain analysis from the sub-sector approach, through classic business development services, and includes how to assess value chains, measure potential competitiveness and facilitate market-based interventions. Selected from among the best papers on this subject in Enterprise Development and Microfinance (formerly Small Enterprise Development journal), 14 papers take the long view of a discipline that has recently become an essential tool for economic progress in developing countries. In her introductory chapter the editor discusses what we can learn from past trends and more recent development. These critical readings are essential background for students and practitioners of the market-based approaches to development.

This book examines strategies of engagement employed by women working to transform the bureaucratic structures of state organizations, multilateral institutions and NGOs to make them more gender-equitable. It is aimed at feminists working within state or civil society institutions - with the aim of promoting women's concerns.

African cultural heritage, passed on from generation to generation, has been a source of guidance for African communities in times of peace, uncertainty, birth, life and earth. In Understanding Organizational Sustainability Through African Proverbs, the power of traditional wisdom contained in African proverbs is directed at organizational development and change. The result is a fresh new perspective on organizational management with important lessons for organizational leaders, consultants, volunteers and expatriates working or preparing to work in Africa. By discovering the power of African proverbs, readers are rewarded with new and creative ways to communicate organizational improvement efforts in a language that touches peoples hearts and motivates them to personal and organizational transformation. The book specifically addresses the needs of leaders and consultants implementing performance improvement and organizational change and contains proverb-driven assessment templates.

The jiko, a charcoal-burning stove consisting of a ceramic liner fitted inside a metal case, burns 25 to 40 per cent less charcoal than the traditional stoves on which its design was based. This book provides guidance on its production and promotion.

This book provides examples of toilets that provide a safe sanitation option and recycle nutrients in excreta to produce compost. The designs are suitable for regions where there is no high water table or prolonged wet season with instructions for constructing toilets, from the simplest, most affordable to the more sophisticated ecological toilet.

Confronts the paradox of mass poverty coexisting with vast resource potentials in rural India, such as the potentials from groundwater and trees, previously underestimated. Combines empirical research with practical political economy.

Traditionally the primary function of NGOs has been to mitigate the effects of war; providing humanitarian aid and protection on the peripheries of violent conflict. Recently there has been an increased focus on the impact of humanitarian aid in general, and to a lesser extent on the impact of aid on conflict and peace dynamics.

People's Participation draws on the 165 papers discussed at the 1997 World Congress of Participative Convergence in Knowledge, Space and Time, to present the most significant themes arising from this important event. The book looks at the social, political, economic and cultural movements at the heart of Participative Research - where knowledge, space and time are seen as the principal tools for change for the advancement of peoples. It has been published to promote the ongoing discussion amongst economists, politicians, scholars, NGO workers, policymakers, engineers, scientists, social scientists and all those with a deep interest or involvement with Participatory Approaches and methodologies.

This is a practical handbook providing an introduction to the equipment, maintenance and operation of solar pumping systems. It identifies situations where solar pumps may be appropriate and it reviews developments in solar pumping technology.

This book traces the development of Ghana's informal engineering sector through stories of the progress of the actual people involved. The first generation of grassroots engineers are wayside vehicle mechanics, or 'fitters', engaged in repairing machinery.

Microfinance has been a long-lived development fashion and in 2005 it enjoyed the accolade of a UN International Year. Many of the world's biggest multinational banks are now eagerly committing quite substantial sums to it, for business as well as public relations purposes. However, there are some important problems which risk being ignored or are fleetingly observed but then swept under the carpet in the current euphoria. The authors sound a timely and overdue warning to governments, bankers, donors and the general public and urges people to pause, reassess their expectations, re-think some policies and to recognise that microfinance is never a panacea and may sometimes be actively damaging to its intended customers. This important book will be of interest to students of microfinance, microfinance practitioners internationally, bankers, government ministries and NGO donor agencies, training institutions, and academics in finance, economics and sociology.

This manual provides a concise guide to how to set up and run a village savings and loan association and is based on over 15 years of research and development experience.

Learning from others in the form of fusion and adaptation of existing tools and approaches is very much part of evolving new participatory methods. This book discusses a wide and rich range of participatory methods, focussing on Reflect and the Internal Learning System (ILS). In the second part of the book, the authors reflect on what enables and constrains creativity, adaptation, and innovation, using examples of many different methodologies to illustrate their discussions.These reflections come from two broad perspectives: from innovators who have all worked principally as independent development consultants and advisors, and from researchers. These two common positions in the world of development and aid give rise to different challenges in creating and using participatory methodologies.

This is a guide to the use of induction motors for electricity generation in remote locations. It is written as a practical handbook for engineers and technicians involved in designing and installing small water-power schemes for isolated houses and communities.

Local crop diversity in the South is being threatened by the promotion of modern 'high-yield' varieties. These worldwide case studies show the importance of small-scale farmers and local communities to maintaining crop diversity.

This book contains both justification and inspiration for Design and Technology teachers wishing to introduce sustainable design into their lessons. The authors introduce the big issues, link climate change and poverty to sustainable design, and encourage us all to develop as active citizens taking on our environmental responsibilities.