et al.

Este manual constituye una guÝa metodol¾gica para la realizaci¾n de un estudio que permita analizar las demandas de la poblaci¾n rural y sobre todo de los grupos frecuentemente discriminados y no tomados en cuenta, como son los pobres, las mujeres campesinas y los jovenes. El manual utiliza el anßlisis participativo como un proceso en el que la poblaci¾n local identifica, analiza y jerarquiza sus aspiraciones para formular demandas. Estas pueden luego motivar las lÝneas de acci¾n de un proyecto o de otras iniciativas de desarrollo.

La alfabetizaci¾n es una manera de recordar, registrar, representar la realidad, comunicar, transformar. Sin embargo, un programa de alfabetizaci¾n debe considerar a la gente analfabeta como entendida y competente, para que el programa de alfabetizaci¾n pueda a±adir al conocimiento actual en vez de sostituirlo. Este manual tiene la finalidad de ser usado como: capacitaci¾n inicial para alfabetizadores, talleres de capacitaci¾n, y como documento de referencia o guÝa para los facilitadores de la alfabetizaci¾n.

This report discusses the results of a community survey conducted to establish the scope of run-off water problems, and to identify ways to promote community cooperation and participation. Prior to the survey, researchers consulted secondary sources. Survey interviews were conducted by 32 students and five university staff during a one-day field visit. People were interviewed about the runoff problem and associated issues. Then patterns in the information were identified by first listing all the issues people discussed and then identifying themes around the issues.

This report describes the results of a training workshop on Participatory Environmental Assessement held in Cambodia. The initial training in Environmental Impact Assessment and PRA is briefly described, with some attention given to the concepts behind them. The results of an appraisal and planning process by two groups in separate villages are described in detail. Throughout, the report nicely illustrates the work done with diagrams, maps, etc. An extensive evaluation of the process by all involved, while specific to this workshop, provides interesting ideas for training in general.

This paper presents the findings of a one and a half day investigation of the impact of BRAC's Rural Development Programme (RDP) on a village in Manikganj. It was conducted by 11 BRAC staff as a part of a RRA/PRA Refresher course and provided an opportunity to test out the methods to be used in the PRA component of the BRAC Impact Assessment Study [IAS]. The paper is divided into four main sections. In the first, the methodology used in the study is explained - main methods used time lines, seasonal calendars and wealth ranking.

Based in Mongolia, this study is an interesting example of combining natural resource ranking with seasonal calendars. The result is maps for different times in the year, which clearly show differentials between seasons and times when food is short. The method is clearly described and the uses to which the results can be put discussed.

This article is based on work done by the Policy Alternatives for Livestock Development project which is facilitating the transfer from a command to a market economy in the extensive rural livestock sector in Mongolia. Wealth ranking was used in the early stages of this project. The paper is interesting as rather than discussing and describing the wealth ranking method. It considers the policy reasons for using this method, the role and value of wealth ranking by card sorting and its position in the research and training process.

This paper was written from the perspective of a rural sociologist doing wealth ranking in Swaziland, with the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) with the intention of identifying the poorest members of the community. It details the process of a decision to use a "rapid" approach, the percieved and actual problems with the said approach. Ranking mechanisms used are described and results and conclusions from the exercise given. It emphasises the need for adequate time for exercises to be conducted if they are to produce 'good' results.

In an area of El Salvador where dengue fever was endemic four anthropologists, one entomologist and one epidemiologist collected data from women for one week. Participants were given nine different insects in mounted boxes which included malarial mosquitos and were then asked to group insects with common characteristics. The results were processed on computer using a package called (ANTHROPAC).

This article describes a three day workshop on PRA conducted by the NGO SPEECH in Tamil Nadu, based in a village where SPEECH was working. The main purpose of the PRA was to discuss the rehabilitation of an irrigation tank network, while introducing the concepts of PRA to the participants. Several techniques were taught and practised: timelines, participatory mapping, modelling, seasonal calendars. One of the group activities documented was the construction of a matrix of six trees according to eight criteria, illustration included.