The infrastructure in many rural areas in developing countries is often poor and/or inadequate to meet the needs of rural populations. Potable water supplies and sanitation facilities are often poor or lacking. Environmental protection measure to conserve soil and water are often not applied leading to severe environmental degradation and desertification. Many employment-intensive techniques, where local resources are utilised that have been used for years, exist and have been further developed by the ILO and others for the construction and maintenance of portable water supply and sanitation facilities, irrigation infrastructure and soil conservation measures.