Ernst Friedrich ("Fritz") Schumacher was born in Germany in 1911, trained in economics and came to England as a Rhodes Scholar.  Like many Germans living in Britain, he was interned for a time during World War II. Later, he was released to do farm work, an experience that strongly influenced his later work.  While pursuing a career as a government economist (he was chief economic advisor for the National Coal Board for 20 years), he became involved in organic farming and in 1966 founded the Intermediate Technology Development Group, an organization that promotes small-scale technology tailored to the needs of developing countries.  Schumacher died in 1977.  More than any other single individual, he is responsible for popularizing the notion of appropriate technology.

Links:

NEW! "E.F. Schumacher:  A Retrospect and Reflection After September 11, 2001," by Bruce Piasecki, Loka Alert 8:6 (November 1, 2001).

Excerpts from Small is Beautiful, including Theodore Roszak's introduction may be found on the webiste of ECO BOOKS, a mail order bookstore featuring books on the environment.

The E. F. Schumacher Society is an organization founded in 1980 devoted to applying Schumacher's ideas.  The Society, located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is home to most of Schumacher's personal library and archives, which can be searched on-line.  An excellent biography can also be found on this site.

Links to information about Schumacher on PreserveNet.com

Schumacher College is an international center for ecological studies in Dartington, Devon, England.

E. F. Schumacher. . . as if People Mattered, a short documentary film summarizing Schumacher's economic arguments with special reference to the world energy situation, directed by Swain Wolfe (1977.

"Levels of Being," chapter 2 from A Guide for the Perplexed by E. F. Schumacher.

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Updated November 20, 2001.