{"id":3391,"key":"Practical_Action","title":"Practical Action","latest":{"id":1218959,"timestamp":"2025-12-17T16:30:22Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"{{Practical Action navigation}}\n\n{{Organization data\n| type = Nonprofit organization\n| founded = 1966\n| founders = E.F. Shumacher\n| website = http://practicalaction.org\n| location = United Kingdom\n| area = Peru\n}}\n\n{{Publication data\n| title = Practical Action Technical Briefs\n| description = Technical information for development by Practical Action, a pioneering appropriate technology organization in the UK. These cover a wide range of information, often relating to village-level industry, commerce and agriculture.\n| year = 2006\n| publisher = Appropedia\n| cover = Practical Action cover.jpg\n| pdf = yes\n| zim = yes\n}}\n\n[[File:Pa logo 175x77.gif|thumb|Practical Action old logo.]]\n\nIs small still beautiful? We think it is. In an increasingly divided and fragile world, '''[http://practicalaction.org/?id=about_us Practical Action]''' aims to demonstrate and advocate the sustainable use of technology to reduce [[poverty]] in developing countries.\n\nPractical Action was founded in 1966, as '''ITDG''' (the Intermediate Technology Development Group), by the radical economist [http://practicalaction.org/?id=faq#Who%20was%20ITDG's%20founder? Dr EF Schumacher] to prove that his philosophy of 'Small is Beautiful' could bring real and sustainable improvements to people's lives.\n\nWith our commitment to poverty reduction, environmental conservation and technology choice we think Practical Action is uniquely placed to contribute to a world free of poverty.\n\nPractical Action has a unique approach to development – we don't start with technology, but with people. The tools may be simple or sophisticated – but to provide long-term, appropriate and practical answers, they must be firmly in the hands of local people: people who shape technology and control it for themselves.\n\n== Using technology to change the world ==\n\nPractical Action believes that the right idea – however small – can change lives. It can create jobs, improve health and livelihoods, and help people have better lives. That's why, since 1966, we've been working with poor people to develop the skills and technology that will enable them to build a better future.\n\nPractical Action's approach really is unique – and we focus our work on four key areas:\n\n* We help ''[http://practicalaction.org/?id=reducing_vulnerability reduce the vulnerability]'' of poor people affected by natural disasters, conflict and environmental degradation – events which, sadly, are increasing.\n* We help poor people to ''[http://practicalaction.org/?id=production_and_markets make a better living]'' – by enabling producers to improve their production, processing and marketing.\n* We help poor communities gain access to basic services – like safe, clean water, food, housing and electricity.\n* We help poor communities ''[http://practicalaction.org/?id=new_technologies respond to the challenges of new technologies]'', helping them to access simple effective technologies that can change lives forever.\n\nIn everything we do, Practical Action is about bringing positive, lasting change to people's lives.\n\nRead more about how we aim to change lives in ''[http://practicalaction.org/?id=technologychallengingpoverty Technology Challenging Poverty]'', or read about our most recent work in our ''[http://practicalaction.org/?id=annual_review_2005 annual highlights]''.\n\n== License ==\n\nThe Practical Action [http://web.archive.org/web/20101221221111/http://practicalaction.org:80/practicalanswers/conditions.php conditions of use] page licenses their content is licensed under the [[GFDL]] (the Gnu free documentation license). This is a 'copyleft' license which lets anyone copy and reuse the content provided the revised content is also licensed under the same license.\n\nThis is the license which was used by Wikipedia and Appropedia until 2009 when they changed to the [[CC-BY-SA]] license. Under the terms of version 1.3 of the GFDL any Practical Action content which was added to Appropedia before November 1, 2008 was relicensed under the [[CC-BY-SA]] license with the rest of the Appropedia.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gfdl#Compatibility_with_Creative_Commons_licensing_terms]\n\n== Technical briefs ==\n\n'''Practical Action Technical Briefs''' are a form of technical information for development from the pioneering [[appropriate technology]] organization, [[Practical Action]] in the [[UK]].\n\nThese cover a wide range of information, often relating to village-level industry, commerce and [[agriculture]]. These were [[Appropedia:Porting|ported to Appropedia]] to enable wider sharing.\n\n* [[Practical Action/porting]] - Where progress was tracked on the [[porting]] of numerous technical briefs originally published by Practical Action\n\n== External links ==\n\n* [https://practicalaction.org/ Practical Action Homepage]\n* [https://answers.practicalaction.org/ Practical Answers] - Practical Action technical brief homepage\n\n{{Page data\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| keywords = international organizations, appropriate technology organizations\n| description = Practical Action uses tech to fight poverty. Appropedia explains how its tools help people build resilient, sustainable communities.\n}}\n\n[[Category:Appropriate technology]]\n[[Category:International organizations]]\n[[Category:Appropriate technology organizations]]\n[[Category:Publications]]"}