What we do
- Food and agriculture Practical Action works with small-scale farmers and pastoralists to help them increase their food...
- Disaster risk reduction Practical Action is working with communities to enable them to prepare for, cope with and adapt t...
- Energy Practical Action provides renewable, locally-sourced sustainable energy solutions which lift peop...
- Water and sanitation We help find practical, sustainable water and sanitation technologies that people can use to redu...
Reducing poverty through technology
Practical Action works with communities to find practical solutions to the poverty they face. Technology has a vital role to play in building livelihoods - and technology can include physical infrastructure, machinery and equipment, but also knowledge, skills and the capacity to organise and use all of these.
We currently have over 100 projects worldwide. Last year we used technology to directly benefit over 900,000 poor women and men through projects in developing countries around the world. We work in four main areas:
Energy
Water and sanitation
In addition to our physical projects on the ground, our consultancy and educational work and the Practical Answers technical information service extend the reach of our practical approach to tackling poverty, scaling up our approach to reach millions more poor people worldwide.
Our project work can also be viewed through the following cross-cutting themes and technology areas:
Climate change
Around the world, Practical Action is working with people to help them adapt to the effects of climate change.
Read moreInclusive markets
We help poor people to make a better living – by enabling producers to improve their production, processing and marketing.
Read moreNew technologies
We help poor communities respond to the challenges of new technologies, helping them to access effective technologies that can change lives forever.
Read moreWaste management
As is the case with so many countries in the developing world, rapid urbanisation has placed a considerable strain on urban services, such as solid waste management.
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