Practical Answers

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  Solar Cooking and Health

  Solar cookers are devices that use the energy of solar radiation to cook food. In the rural areas of most developing countries, cooking is usually done on open fires fuelled by wood, but solar cookers are a cleaner and healthier option.

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  How to use the DRYIT Semi-continuous Tray Dryer

  A comprehensive guide on how to use this tray dryer - you can dry herbs, fruit, vegetables, and even colouring materials and textiles.

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  A Woodworking Bench

  This technical brief shows how a woodworking bench with vice can be made without the use of steel components.

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  Small-scale Oilseed Processing

  Discusses refining oilseed on a small-scale; topics include raw materials, health and safety and processing.

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  Floating Gardens in Bangladesh

  A floating garden is built using aquatic weeds as a base on which vegetables can be grown.

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  Lime Production

  There is a long history of production and use of lime in Sri Lanka. Its main use has been as a cementing agent and as a decorative whitewash in the building industry.

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  Water Harvesting in Sudan

  In semi-arid zones such as North Darfur where the rainfall is concentrated over short periods of time, various approaches to balancing water demand with supply, such as rain water harvesting, are described in this brief.

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  Dead-Level Contours

  This brief describes the use of contours and shows how to construct the Manama in-field rainwater harvesting storage facility.

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  Methods for Testing Lime in the Field

  The acknowledged standard test for available lime is the ASTM Rapid Sugar Test, which uses relatively simple, portable laboratory glassware and common reagents.

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  Building Small-Scale Water Harvesting Dams

  North Darfur faces acute deficit in its water. The need for water has forced farmers to try and adapt their practices and conserve more water.