In recent years much has been said and written about the economics of small units and the virtues of individual or cooperative self-help. This trend has been spurred by several factors. The soaring cost of oil underscored the need to conserve energy and eliminate waste by every conceivable srneans. The spiraling cost of food, even in America; has made kitchen gardening more rewarding. The outbreak of double-digit inflation has forced many families to undertake more do-it-yourself jobs. The persistence of economic stagnation in industrial societies with stubbornly high rates of unemployment has impelled more people to create work for themselves. And there is the appalling case of poor nations, burdened with burgeoning populations, where the search for food and jobs has become a matter of life and death.