Rapid Rural Appraisal: The Critical First Step in a Farming Systems Approach to Research
This paper introduces the basic concepts of RRA as a first step in understanding the complex problems of farmers. It identifies key methodological issues and suggests a checklist to evaluate the quality of an RRA. Its usefulness where time constraints are important is emphasised. It is not seen as a method producing 'true' results. A strength of RRA is its flexibility and adaptability. however, its adoption is a question of strategy, not morals. RRA is compared with survey research, and potential roles of RRA are identified.