Mukherjee, N.

This issue, devoted to participation and sustainable development includes:
* Introduction. Neela Mukherjee
* Participation, learning and sustainability: emerging challenges for agricultural development. Jules N Pretty.
* Participating in the planning process - a must for sustainable development. Nira Ramachandran and Anil K Dimri
* Poverty and well-being: rural community views and policy implications for socio-economic and natural resource development. Neela Mukherjee
* Forests under people's management in Orissa. N. C. Saxena

This paper discusses issues around attitudes and behaviour of professionals in the context of participatory development. The emerging development paradigm, which is based on a participatory approach to human development, provides the rationale for such a change in the attitudes and behaviour of professionals and institutions associated with developmental activities. The paper also discusses some important phases in participatory learning for influencing attitudes and behaviour of individuals and institutions and sustaining such changes.

This brief note describes the experience of PRA facilitators who were to conduct PRA with Dhaka slum dwellers. The concerned authorities not only were reluctant to cooperate with the facilitators, but aggressive. The facilitators had to abort their attempt in the end.

This report describes the use of mapping in studying villagers' perception of poverty in two Indian villages. A clear description is given of the method, by which the villagers worked on understanding the basis of the ranking, identified the poor households in the village, ranked them and discuused the whole process. It is unclear whether the villagers were involved in the identification of criteria for the ranking, but these criteria included, living conditions, and assets.

The PRA exercise described in this paper was part of an FAO PRA training workshop which was carried out at a time when local people were experiencing one of the worst droughts of the century. Matrix scoring, semi-structured interviews, seasonal food calendars and preference ranking were some of the techniques which were used during the workshop. The exercise highlighted the central importance of livestock to the village economies.

This paper argues the case for training in participatory methods for government officials. The "system" in most 'Southern' countries is top-down, with a set of beliefs that "rural people are ignorant". The "built-in features" of the system which follow from these assumptions are listed, with an analysis of "the scope for participation" and the changes implied. Training needs based on these changes are identified and a proposed PRA training programme briefly outlined.

This three day PRA workshop for nine 'Southern' health workers included a field visit to a poor area of Birmingham. Teaching methods (cartoons, slides, role play) in the theoretical sessions are described in detail, together with the trainees' responses. The concluding section makes suggestions on practical aspects of organising a workshop for PRA trainers and reflects on the different experience of doing PRA activities in the 'Northern' and urban context.