Peasants and the Art of Farming

Jan Douwe van der Ploeg

Peasants and the Art of Farming: A Chayanovian Manifesto focuses on the structure and dynamics of peasant farms and the historically highly variable relations that govern the processes of labour and production within peasant farms. Jan Douwe van der Ploeg argues that peasant agriculture can play an...

The Complete Manual of Small-scale Food Processing

Peter Fellows

Small-scale food processing is important worldwide. For individual processors, it is highly accessible as a start-up business, especially for women; farmers and fishermen can readily diversify into processing to increase their incomes; and high added-value enables processors to earn an income from r...

Design, fabrication and testing of a millet thresher

A thresher was developed for threshing, separating, and cleaning millet seeds. The major components of the machine include threshing, separation and cleaning units.

Mushroom Production for Sustainable Livelihoods

This manual is a culmination of Practical Action Southern Africa's work in Chakohwa. The project worked with the Chakohwa Community-Based Organisation (CCBO) in Chimanimani District of Manicaland province. The aim of the project was to provide income earning opportunities for HIV and aids orphans an...

Fodder Conservation Using a Manual Baler

A simple method for baling fodder.

How to Make Sausages

A wide variety of sausages are produced in countries throughout the world. Most are produced from meat (especially pork and beef) but in some countries, fish sausages are also popular. Vegetarian and vegan sausages are available in some countries, made from tofu, nuts, pulses, mycoprotein, soy...

Extrusion of Foods

There are two types of extrusion process: cold extrusion, which mixes and shapes foods such as biscuit dough and pasta without cooking them; and hot extrusion (or extrusion cooking).

Farmers' Choice

Helene Bie Lilleør, Ulrik Lund-Sørensen

Food security is an urgent international priority. However, agricultural extension methods that relied on imposing centrally-developed technological solutions have been ineffective, since small farmers in developing countries often cultivate marginal lands, working under constraints for which these...

Small Farmers, Big Change

David Wilson, Kirsty Wilson, Claire Harvey

Support for smallholder agriculture is seen as increasingly important, both to boost the food security and incomes of the rural poor and to provide food for urban populations. But to achieve scale in agricultural interventions, NGOs must move beyond a project-by-project approach and instead enable f...

Toddy and Palm Wine

Virtually any sugary plant sap can be processed into alcoholic drinks. The process is essentially fermentation of sugars making alcohol and carbon dioxide.