Half a decade on, Small is still Beautiful

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.

This year, we’re celebrating the 50^th anniversary of this seminal, groundbreaking book and its pivotal place in our founding story and ethos.

Who was Ernest Friedrich Schumacher?

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 still Beautiful: A vintage study of economics by Schumacher, half a decade on.

How has Small is Beautiful influenced Practical Action’s approach?

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 climate change.

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

John Chettleborough, our Agriculture and Markets Lead, took part in a Schumacher Centre event

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 50^th 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.

Going beyond the symptoms of poverty

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.

Now is the perfect moment to revisit Schumacher’s ideas; they are as relevant now as they have ever been.

Purchase your own copy of Small is Beautiful here

Join us in celebrating our milestones over the years

1971

Pedal power saves lives in remote Nigerian hospitals

Our engineering workshop in Zaria trained young people to make and maintain hospital equipment using locally available materials. This bicycle ambulance was one of their products.

1971

Ingenuity shines a light on child health

Other equipment made in Zaria included a baby incubator, hospital beds and lighting stands. We trained people to repair, maintain and calibrate the new equipment.

1973

Small is Beautiful

Schumacher’s book Small is Beautiful was published. Coinciding with the oil crisis, the book became a best seller and created worldwide interest in alternative technologies and economics.

1977

Our influence builds with a ministerial visit

We showed Dame Judith Hart, then UK Minister of Overseas Development, how we make stabilised soil bricks. We still train people to make these bricks today – they were used to rebuild houses after the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

1978

Big change starts with small boats in Juba

Boat building in Sudan was one of our earliest projects. In Juba, heavy rain can make roads impassable. Our small ferro-cement cargo boats were both flexible and manoeuvrable for transporting crops.

1987

Innovation = better health in Sri Lankan homes

Support from our donors allowed us to work with communities to develop a new stove with an insulating ceramic layer. It uses 30% less wood and produces less smoke. Our stoves remain popular – thousands have been made around the world.

1993

Clay pipes water crops on remote farms

We worked with smallholder farmers in the arid Chivi district in Zimbabwe to develop clay irrigation pipes to increase food security. By strengthening existing farmers’ clubs and women’s groups and working alongside the government, we ensured the project’s longevity.

1994

Training unlocks profits for Kenyan livestock farmers

Training in animal healthcare and the provision of a basic veterinary kit helped improve the health and value of farmers’ livestock. Trainees also increased their income by providing animal healthcare services to their community.

1997

Healthier alpacas mean more prosperous farmers

In the Peruvian Andes, our training for farmer to farmer extension workers, locally called Kamayoq, helped develop the skills needed to improve the health and productivity of the alpaca herds on which their livelihoods depend.

1998

Training and tech ease the load on arid farmland

Our innovative donkey plough proved a great time saver for women in North Darfur, Sudan. It was manufactured by local blacksmiths using easily obtainable materials. More than 1,364 ploughs were distributed here in the 1990s thanks to the generous support of our donors.

2002

Flourishing markets for flavoursome flowers

In Sudan, young women farmers saw their income grow when we helped them sell their hibiscus products more profitably by linking them with buyers and helping them access financial assistance to improve their businesses.

2006

The ingenious idea tackling a kitchen killer

Our improved cook stoves and smoke hoods have been used around the world, reducing toxic fumes in the home and the need to cut down wood for fuel. Our 2006 campaign helped put these life-saving products into even more homes.

2006

Smoke hoods hold the key to prosperity

Caleb, a metal worker from Kisumu in Kenya, makes a smoke hood to channel smoke from cooking fires. Our special design will help to alleviate the burden of ill health caused by smoke inhalation in the region, as well as earning him a good living.

2006

Water is life in the face of the climate crisis

A Maasai herdsman leads his animals to water in the Magadi district of Kenya. We supported these pastoral communities in adapting to climate change, which threatens their survival and way of life.

2007

Sustainable energy gives families brighter futures

Through a revolving fund, we helped install 47 micro-hydro stations in Peru between 1992 and 2007, producing enough electricity for more than 30,000 people. An example of what can be achieved through philanthropy and ingenuity.

2007

Coffee changes lives in the Amazon cloud forest

By improving forestry management and developing access to new markets for coffee, we enabled over 1,000 farming families in the Amazon cloud forest to increase their incomes as well as protect the fragile eco-system.

2008

Cheese is a game changer in rural Peru

Our partnership with local suppliers provides information for farmers and dairy farmers in Peru through a website, training programme and rural information system. This training session in Cajamarca is demonstrating good cheesemaking practice.

2010

Learning to cope with pests… and disasters

Pramila from Chitwan in Nepal learns to make organic pesticide from our special recipe of stinging nettle, cattle urine, dung, chilli, onion, garlic, and papaya. The pesticide improves productivity of her land and increases her income.

2011

The new skills unlocking brighter futures

Our Pathways from Poverty project, supported by UK donors, lifted more than 50,000 extreme poor out of poverty over five years. In flood-prone Bangladesh, a skill such as bicycle maintenance improves earnings and helps manage the impact of disasters and seasonal food shortages.

2011

A breath of fresh air in Sudan

These cook stoves don’t just mean clean lungs and good health to the women of Darfur. They represent freedom and financial independence. As well as helping them learn how to make the stoves, we showed them how to sell them at market for the best price.

2012

Nutritious pumpkins flourish on barren land

By sharing innovative techniques such as sandbar cropping, we’re helping communities living on embankments in Bangladesh, where land is regularly flooded, to keep producing healthy food for their families.

2012

The call centre helping remote farms thrive

The Krishi Call Centre offers real-time advice on farming issues in Bangladesh. Calls are free and experts provide immediate answers to callers’ agricultural problems.

2013

Vital information and advice – by podcast

Thanks to donor support and our training, podcasts are being recorded by extension agents. They’re played on mp3 devices to give isolated communities in Zimbabwe vital information about crop and livestock production and health and hygiene issues.

2013

Clean water – powered by the sun

The solar-powered pumps we helped install provide clean drinking water for drought-stricken communities in Turkana, Kenya. This saves the time spent collecting water and reduces the incidence of water-borne disease in the community.

2014

The children on the front line against floods

These kids in Peru are helping their communities cope with floods and landslides. We helped them set up a radio show that’s broadcast to schools across the country giving valuable information to teachers and pupils about weather patterns and evacuation procedures.

2014

Sudan’s women mean business

These women in North Darfur are heading up thriving businesses selling everything from food crops and hand-made baskets to perfumes and toiletries. Our work has unleashed their entrepreneurial spirits and helped them learn basic business and marketing skills.

2015

Health and dignity in the slums

In Bangladesh’s city slums, sewerage infrastructure isn’t keeping pace with city growth. Supported by gifts from our donors in the UK, we helped pit emptiers get specialist clothing and equipment like this ‘gulper’, as well as better pay and a voice in society.

2015

Reuniting families in Bangladesh

Jui has been seeing more of her dad since we trained him to make a living through pumpkin farming. Before, he spent hours travelling to the city of Rangpur for work. We’ve worked with rural families across Bangladesh to help them make a living from their land.

2016

Building back better after disaster

With our help, communities in Nepal are rebuilding their lives after the devastating earthquake in 2015. We’re helping people like this newly-trained stonemason develop the skills they need to build back their homes and help others do the same.

2016

Electrifying villages. Powering futures.

In isolated areas of Peru, the lack of electricity holds back individuals, businesses and whole communities from achieving their potential. We harnesses the power of the sun to connect eight of the country’s most remote districts. It’s powering progress and transforming lives.

2017

Seeds of change for remote farms

The climate crisis means that droughts are getting worse in Sudan. Millet farmers like Aisha struggle to earn a living. We’re helping them develop more robust seed varieties and form co-operatives, so they can get better prices for their products.

2018

Prosperity for growers that doesn’t cost the earth

Our work with coffee farmers in the cloud forests of Peru and Bolivia is protecting livelihoods and the environment. We’re helping to introduce planet-friendly agroecology techniques that increase yields while protecting the fragile ecosystem.

2018

Not too cool for school

These schoolchildren in Peru have internet access for the first time and it’s connecting them to a whole world of opportunity. Our project in Peru’s schools is also providing better toilets and clean water. The increased attendance rates speak for themselves.

2019

Mum and baby are doing well

Bondo Health Clinic sees up to 300 patients every week and two or three babies are born every day here. Since we helped connect the clinic to electricity supplied by our mini-grid, giving birth has been safer for new mothers and their babies.

2019

Building brighter futures around the world

In the 2018/19 financial year we delivered 84 projects on the ground in 10 countries. This year alone, we helped 1.8 million people directly and 2.8 million people indirectly. People like these schoolchildren in Nepal, whose school building doubles as an earthquake shelter.

Thank you

While our approaches have changed over the years, our founding principles remain intact. Equipping people to change their situations. Development solutions suited to context. Economic systems that benefit all. Our duty to live within the planet’s means. The combined power of knowledge, innovation and collaboration.

More information about Schumacher

E.F. Schumacher’s founding philosophy and how it still guides us today

Read the full story

How Schumacher, knowledge and a community approach keep Practical Acti...

Read the full story

Schumacher on COP26: A Q&A With the Daughter of Our Founder

Read the full story

Climate change COP