et al.

The interactive effects of wells refers to the withdrawal of groundwater from one well resulting in a reduction in water level in another, accidentally connected, well. Among several wells the cumulative interference may be complex. Well interference poses serious threats to sustainability and equity in well irrigation. This paper provides a combination of statistical and PRA approaches for selecting farmers to study and analyse the equity issues involved. The statistical approach provides the method for sampling study sites, and PRA is used for selecting farmers in the study sites.

This report is the result of an international training workshop in RRA held in Thailand, as part of larger activities to network and spread RRA techniques. The characteristics, methodology and applications of and conditions for RRA are described in the first section. The second section discusses several different training modes (classroom teaching, group work in classrooms, field teaching, field practicums, readings, reading discussions, video presentations, etc.). The final section gives reflections on the training workshop.

This is the report of a study designed to reach some broad conclusions about social, economic and cultural change in rural and peri-urban communities of mainland Tanzania. It draws on previous accounts and on group interviews and other RRA methods. Substantive findings concern the responses of members of rural communities to the process of economic liberalisation and their reception of constitutional reforms leading to the adoption of a multi-party political system.

This paper reviews the Rapid Assessment Technique (RAT) conducting within the cropping systems component of a NERAD project. In contrast to conventional procedures - assessments of farmer problems from a commodity perspective leading to technological solutions - RAT can be used as a tool for wider assessments of needs, problems and constraints, and in planning implementing and analysing the R&D trials. It also fosters an interdisciplinary approach to agricultural research and extension.

This is a selection of letters and memos from FAO offices sent in reply to an IDS request for information on the use of PRA in policy research. Most replies indicate little such application of PRA. the last letter, however, concerns the use of PRA in a fisheries programme in Guinea. 45 fisheries department staff were trained in PRA. This resulted in a series of reports, prepared by national staff without requiring any further outside assistance, being one of the reasons why the reports seem to have had an impact on policy decisions at the ministry level.

As the sub-title of the document suggests, this is a participatory project evaluation guide which clearly outlines the necessary steps to be taken in conducting a successful participatory evaluation. The emphasis is placed on understanding local cultures , local people's need and their developmental priorities and establishing a channel of communication between the local people and project staff. Use of ethnographic techniques, participant observation and semi-structured interviews have been made in evaluating the project.

This is a collection of materials used in PRA exercises by KGVK. A number of methods are presented, each with an example of the visual product and a short discussion of the purposes and applications of the method, and the process of application. Methods include: family line (genealogy), trend lines, seasonal calendars, causal diagrams, pie charts, resource and institutional mapping, interviewing, matrices, ranking, transects and village planning. Examples include applications to health, agriculture and livelihood analysis.

This is an extensive report of a community appraisal, undertaken as part of a social forestry and upland development programme in Mindoro and Cebu, Philippines. The appraisal focused on two problem areas identified by an earlier rapid appraisal: (i) agricultural production and soil conservation, and (ii) social organisation and conflict. The appraisal team decided information was required on these two areas for the formulation of interventions. Fieldwork methods included community or group meetings, key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews, direct observation and measurement.

This manual has been developed in line with Dutch development policy for the 1990s, a central element of which is increased involvement of the poor in decision-making. It is intended as a guide to conducting a participatory analysis of the needs and demands of local people, particularly groups which tend to be discriminated against or ignored such as women, young people and the poor. Accordingly, it is based on an approach which differentiates by socio-economic status, gender and age. Part one presents the conceptual framework and the methodological approach adopted.

El artÝculo describe una investigaci¾n para determinar la calidad de lana entre hembras y sementales ovinos de la regi¾n de San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, MÚxico. La investigaci¾n se hizo utilizando la filosofÝa y mÚtodos del DRP, con pastoras indÝgenas (Tzotziles) como protagonistas. Las pastoras son las que crian por costumbre el llamado "borrego de Chiapas". Los investigadores del Centro de Estudios de la UNACH y del Depto. de GenÚtica y EstadÝstica de la Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria de la UNAM trabajaron algunos mÚtodos del DRP con un grupo de pastoras.