Chambers, Robert

This is a report of an attempt to introduce PRA into four countries in Central Asia - Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tadjikistan. The report describes activities on the trip, which included trainings, participants in the trainings, lessons learned from the trainings, and future activities which may result from the trip. The training is reported in detail in INTRAC (1996).

This is a trip report on the second International Crop Science Congress held in India, entitled "Crop Productivity and Sustainability - Shaping the Future". The report notes that focus was overwhelmingly on high tech, such as developments in biotechnology. The author's contribution at the congress was on behaviour and attitudes - a divergence from the general theme. The report briefly discusses the few PRA-related meetings that took place during the congress, one of which was on networking.

These notes relate in detail the process of conducting a PRA focused on health in India. It includes interesting comments on mapping and modelling exercises by different groups (e.g. men and women), involving much innovation by villagers. Maps included information on categories of residents, health specialists. Interviews about changes in diet, livestock preferences, seasonality, and matrix ranking for health treatment are also described.

This extract discusses ways in which outsiders can change the ways they learn about rural conditions. These include improving development tourism and using RRA techniques. The principles and methods underlying reversals in learning are examined, including sitting, asking, listening; learning from the poorest, learning indigenous technical knowledge through compiling glossaries of local terms and employing games, quantification and ranking methods. Learning can be supported by the way organisations are managed, so reversals in management are important.

This paper has three aims: to outline main methods for quantifying and ranking data, to encourage the reader to adapt and invent other methods, and to provide information on where more can be found out. It begins by discussing the uses of quantified information in participatory approaches. Quantifying methods outlined include verbal estimates, manual counting methods, counters and sticks, pie diagrams, and trend diagrams. Ranking methods include verbal, direct physical ranking, pairwise ranking, direct matrix ranking and ranking by weighting.

This extract discusses the biases of urban-based professional development workers. Six key biases which impede outsiders' contact with rural poverty are examined: spatial biases (urban, tarmac and roadside), project bias, person biases, dry season biases, diplomatic biases (politeness and timidity) and professional biases.

This article introduces direct matrix ranking methods as they developed out of pairwise comparison. Direct matrix ranking moves quickly from discussion and questioning to recording respondents' views onto a matrix or table. Seven steps involved are outlined, and experiences and reflections are discussed. Weaknesses (it does not handle weightings, it is limited to classes of objects, it is subject to usual biases of interviews) and strengths (speed, interest, reversals) are noted.