In 1973, the radical, Oxford-educated economist, E. F. Schumacher, published his ground-breaking book, Small is Beautiful. His critique of our economic system challenged the fundamental principles underpinning it, namely: consumption, profit and growth. Although controversial at the time, the book attracted enormous interest from across the world, becoming highly influential for environmental and social equality movements.
Schumacher called for people-centred economics, where the needs of communities are placed above the needs of corporations, and livelihood choices are based on ethics and job satisfaction. His proposed approach for tackling poverty is both pragmatic and holistic, emphasising the sustainable use of our natural resources.
In 2023, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of this seminal, groundbreaking book and its pivotal place in our founding story and ethos.
In his lifetime Schumacher wore many hats, from well-established economist and progressive entrepreneur to farmer and journalist. After completing a scholarship at Oxford, he taught economics at Colombia University. He served as Economic Advisor to the National Coal Board for twenty years, and President of the Soil Association.
While working as an advisor to the government of Burma (now Myanmar), his interest in the challenges faced by people living in poverty grew. In 1965, his views on the inadequacies of the UK’s overseas aid policies were put into print when the Observer published his article, “How to help them help themselves”. He called for an end to the imposition of expensive, large-scale technologies and prescriptive approaches, and a shift towards what he termed “intermediate technologies” – measures that are relevant to the local environment and context and informed by the needs and skills of people in developing countries.
The greatest deprivation anyone can suffer is to have no chance of looking after himself and making a livelihood.
E. F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful
Rather than speaking for communities, Schumacher wanted to work with them, understand their day-to-day challenges and enable them to improve their own lives. To put this approach into practice, in 1966 along with his collaborators, Schumacher founded the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), known today as Practical Action. He was awarded a CBE in 1974.
Small is Beautiful encapsulated Schumacher’s views on what constitutes sound, sustainable economic progress. The ITDG took practical steps towards this vision. As well as a radically different approach to supporting people living in poverty, its mission moved towards building local economies that work for everyone, and function within the limits of the planet’s finite resources.
Although the ITDG changed its name to Practical Action in 2005, the ethos of Schumacher’s writing still strongly informs our work today. From our policies to our projects on the ground, we’ve continued to adhere to his guiding principles and pragmatic, holistic approach to tackling the complex issues surrounding poverty.
It is a book that was shaped to enable people in developing countries to move from poverty with confidence that the solutions are made by themselves and are sustainable.
Josiane Uwizeye – Community Mobilization and Inclusion Officer, Practical Action
For over 55 years, we’ve worked closely with people on the frontlines of poverty and climate change to understand their needs and the wider, systemic issues affecting them. Together with communities, we’re developing unexpected, real-world solutions that work for both people and planet. Combining traditional know-how, with cutting-edge technology, to create simple but effective solutions that last. We work to protect lives and livelihoods, so communities can thrive in the face of the climate crisis.
We still put sustainability at the heart of everything we do, implementing simple technologies that only utilise locally available materials, where possible. But we also believe in the power of using new technology to transform lives where appropriate. Solar power is a great example of this, as seen in Rwanda, where we established a local market for solar-powered lighting for refugee camps, and the solar-powered irrigation pumps that have made clean drinking water a reality in Kenya’s arid regions.
The book has retained its relevance. It’s a great advocate for sustainability, and central to many of modern ideas, such as degrowth, circular economics and doughnut economies. For myself, the most poignant aspect is its relevance to the climate emergency.
Colin McQuistan – Head of Climate Resilience, Practical Action
The only difference in our approach since Schumacher’s time, is the scope and scale of our work.
We still believe that small is beautiful, but due to the complexity of issues like the climate emergency, we needed to scale up. Rather than only addressing the symptoms, we work to transform the systems that underpin our global challenges. Today, our work begins at the community level, where lifechanging shifts happen. Then we work with our global network of partners, supporters, communities, and governments to take solutions to a national, regional and global level. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can create big change.
Take our waste management project in Bangladesh, for example. Emptying toilet pits and septic tanks used to be a dangerous, undignified job. It was poorly paid and workers suffered discrimination. At the community-level, we provided protective equipment and technology that enabled workers to empty the latrines without climbing inside. Then we took it a step further and collaborated with workers to establish cooperatives that would ensure fair wages and foster more respect from the public. But we didn’t stop there: we went beyond the city-level and presented these solutions to the government of Bangladesh, who are now building them into national policies. Just like our founder, we believe in the power of small to change the big picture.
In October 2023, we were joined by some of our supporters for a panel discussion that celebrated the 50th anniversary of Small is Beautiful. Sarah Roberts was joined on the panel by Akinyi Walender, David Nash and Gaia Vince.
The panel discussion reflected on Schumacher’s legacy. They also discussed the impact of climate change and shared inspiring examples of practical solutions that enable people to adapt and become more resilient. They explored the additional changes we need to make to create a future that works better for everyone.
In July 2023, John Chettleborough – Practical Action’s Agriculture and Markets lead – took part in the “Schumacher Conversations: Envisioning the Next 50 Years” by the Schumacher Centre for New Economics. This was an opportunity to highlight the 50th anniversary of Small is Beautiful, bringing together change-makers whose work is actively shaping a ‘small is beautiful’ future, organised around 12 key themes and fields of activism.
The July theme was called “Developing Convivial Technologies for Right Livelihood” which gave John the opportunity to talk about Schumacher’s principles and the ways technological solutions are helping the people who need it the most.
Now is the perfect moment to revisit Schumacher’s ideas; they are as relevant now as they have ever been.
