Self-Reliance Handbook

This handbook is intended as a reference for everything necessary for a person or group to become self-sustaining in every way possible. It will include information and links to other books which are useful in the obtaining of this goal. In each category information will be organized from less complex and sophisticated methods to ones requiring more sophistication. For example, in the section on construction of shelters the first entry explains how to construct a makeshift temporary structure out of sticks and leaves, while later entries discuss more permanent building methods including ones capable of withstanding hurricane force winds. Because this is such a broad topic, and will doubtless cover information which is available in other books, each section will contain a subsection for linking to other applicable books on the subject being addressed. This will prevent unnecessary work and redundancy.

Table of contents

Housing and shelter

Your primary consideration in housing type for self-reliance will be what type of building materials are available to you. Once you have established that move on to consideration of how long you will choose to stay in that location.

Temporary shelters are easy and fast to construct and even with several weeks in a location are easy to maintain. Long term shelters need more forethought and care during construction.

All shelters should be built with at least two doors so that you are not trapped inside the shelter. Depending on your situation even more consideration to getting out of the shelter could be prudent.

• Debris Hut Construction
• Snow Shelter Construction
• Rock Construction
• Ferrocement Construction
• Cordwood Masonry

Sanitation

• Purifying Water
• Disposal of Human Waste
• Washing Clothes
• Making Soap

Food and farming

• Gathering Edibles
• Vegetable Growing Guide

Tools and manufacturing

• Simple Oil Lamps

See also

Other Wikibooks

• Outdoor Survival
• First Aid
• Cookbook
• Raising Chickens

Wikiversity

• DIY home electricity system
• Compressed air kit car
• Domestic house food production system
• Low-cost, tropical, private food production system
• Underground refrigerated storage room
• Survival wallet
• Simplified DIY Rooftop Wind Turbine
• General house construction
• Resealable barrel for drinks

Wikipedia articles

• Microgeneration article

References

Much of this information is being imported from the public domain library of information at the Institute for Appropriate Technology