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This report looks at participatory appraisal (PA) methodology that is designed to involve people, particularly from communities that are socially excluded, in decisions that affect their lives. PA was originally developed with rural communities overseas, and has only recently started being used in the UK. This report summarises the findings from an evaluation of the use PA in a series of workshops looking at health issues in Scotland. It also introduces PA and looks at what it is, is not, and what it can achieve.

This guide looks at why addressing men and women's different life experiences is an essential part of any participatory work. It is based on an actual gendered participatory appraisal in Wales, UK, and takes the reader through a process that is gendered throughoutùthat is, it takes account of the different perspectives of men and women. It offers a range of tools, and explains how to analyse and collate qualitative information with a gender perspective.

This research report is borne out of CDRN and CAREÆs attempts to strengthen their support to civil society organisations in Uganda. The report takes the widely held belief that the needs and interests of poorer people are directly or indirectly represented through community-based organisations, and that working with CBOs is therefore a route to poverty reduction as its starting point. As more and more initiatives, both government and NGO-led, attempt to use this channel to reach the poor, the research examines the validity of this assumption.

This toolkit is a collection of participatory tools to assess poverty and well being among poor livestock keepers. For those readers familiar with participation, many of the tools are not new, but rather have been adapted for use within the livestock sector. As such, the overall objective is to provide a holistic to enhance understanding of the needs and the strengths of the poor, both within the livestock sector and more generally.

This report documents experiences of the Joint Mangrove Management (JMM) project that was introduced 1997 in mangrove wetlands of Pichavaram and Muthupet (Tamil Nadu). The main aim of this programme is to enhance the capacity of the local community, Forest Department and other interested parties to restore, conserve and sustain mangrove wetlands through participatory analysis and action. The program was implemented in eight hamlets until May 2003, covering traditional and non-traditional fishers and farming communities. The experiences are covered in a series of seven parts.

This report documents experiences of the Joint Mangrove Management (JMM) project that was introduced 1997 in mangrove wetlands of Pichavaram and Muthupet (Tamil Nadu). The main aim of this programme is to enhance the capacity of the local community, Forest Department and other interested parties to restore, conserve and sustain mangrove wetlands through participatory analysis and action. The program was implemented in eight hamlets until May 2003, covering traditional and non-traditional fishers and farming communities.

This technical report from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) reviews and draws lessons from recent experiences in participatory planning and management of marine and coastal resources in the Caribbean. The specific areas examined include protected areas (PAs), coastal zone management (CZM), and ecotourism (ET). The review is limited to the insular Caribbean, but the authors believe this region to be representative, and that the lessons drawn from this experience could be widely applicable.

The amount of aid that flows to Middle Income Countries (MICs) has recently been challenged and some donors are shifting the balance of their aid so that more goes to poorer countries. Is there still a role for aid to MICs and what should that role be? Drawing on cases from the Andean region and Jamaica, this paper seeks to contribute to that debate within the current context of the Millennium Aid Consensus and the new ways of working that include greater emphasis on country ownership and programmatic and budget support.

Soil fertility is declining in Kenya's low potential areas, and more appropriate soil fertility management technologies are needed, which fit into farmers' socio-economic circumstances. This issue of the series Managing Africa's Soils, presents a comparative analysis between two on-farm experiments in Kenya for improving soil fertility by applying compost and liquid manure in maize, using a Participatory Technology Development (PDT) approach. One group of farmers used a participatory and low external input approach. The other group was formed by conventional farmers applying fertilisers.