Reports on the methodology and findings of a RRA carrried out under the Pacific Regional Agricultural Programme to investigate farming systems on Fiji.
This article is based on a study in Bangladesh in which both wealth ranking and household surveys were employed to measure household economic status. The study revealed that wealth ranking is a valid means of stratifying households according to socio-economic status. However, the article points to certain factors which may affect its reliability which need further investigation, such as the number, age and gender of key informants, the quality of facilitation and also the question as to how many households a group of key informants can reasonably classify.
Based on findings from participatory studies, beneficiary assessments and on quantitative survey data, this paper examines farmers' perceptions of the constraints being faced by them in agricultural production, including the quality of agricultural services. Coping strategies adopted by farmers as a consequence of the agricultural policy changes in Zambia in the 1990's are also outlined.
This paper argues that local perceptions of poverty have tended to be used as mere additions to more conventional poverty assessments because not only do people's perceptions of poverty differ making it difficult to compare results across locations but also, little is known about how to aggregate these local perceptions to be able to estimate overall levels of poverty at regional and national levels. Work carried out in Honduras to test a methodology designed to overcome these constraints is reported on step by step in the document.
This case study presents examples of field uses of participatory tools for monitoring and evaluations of community-based resource management. The study is based on the premise that analytical tools developed through the rapid and participatory appraisal process (PRA) have applicability for monitoring and evaluation. It further builds from the assumption that by helping local communities select and monitor indicators, devise and record baseline data systems, there is a greater likelihood that local projects will increase sustainability, productivity, and transparency.