Soft Drink, Hard Labour

Mike Gatehouse, Miguel-Angel Reyes

For nine years the 450 workers at the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Guatemala City fought a battle with their employers for their jobs, trade union and lives. Three times they occupied the plant - on the last occasion for thirteen months. Three General Secretaries of their union were murdered and five...

Small-scale Soapmaking

Peter Donkor

Making soap in the context of protracted economic difficulties has meant not only the development of a simple method that could meet rural conditions, but one that could survive the temperament of the wildly fluctuating marketplace as well. Peter Donkor’s book describes the development of soapmakin...

Scrap Metal Recovery

Colin Relf

A case study of the development of a small business in Papua New Guinea involved in recovering a range of scrap, non-ferrous metals. An income-generating opportunity for hundreds of shanty town dwellers.

Tech and Tools Book

Joanne Sandler, Ruby Sandhu

A research manual of appropriate technologies used throughout the world in women's projects. Includes sections on support systems, credit training, and technology transfer.

Understanding Natural Fibre Concrete

Barrie Evans

A technical rationale of how and why natural fibres reinforce cement/concrete, with chapters on the strength properties, durability, manufacture and installation of natural fibre concrete products, fibre-cement, cement, and concrete.

Water Current Turbines

Peter Garman

Developed from Intermediate Technology (now Practical Action) experience in Sudan, this handbook describes the development and testing of the water current turbine as a simple and inexpensive means of lifting water for irrigation purposes. With detailed technical information on the technology, this...

Women and the Transport of Water

Val Curtis

The haulage of water is one of the most arduous and time-consuming tasks of rural women, and this paper looks at the scale of the problem in general and in particular in Kenya, suggesting ways in which improved methods of transport could help.

How To Run a Small Development Project

This will help the managers of development projects to design and manage their projects well, in particular by emphasizing the importance of forward planning. Covers both starting up and running projects, and working with Northern partner organizations.

Rainwater Harvesting

Arnold Pacey, Adrian Cullis

This book emphasizes the importance of social, economic, and environmental considerations when planning and implementing projects. For rural development workers, it aims to fill the gap in existing literature on the gathering and storage of rainwater.

Rural Vulnerability to Famine in Ethiopia

Mesfin Wolde Mariam

Prescriptions for rural development abound, but ‘what is frequently lacking is not so much ideas or techniques as the will and the commitment’ to improve conditions. The author describes how, in the complex case of Ethiopia, man can be held responsible for famine –and suggests how he can act to prev...