Schoonmaker Freudenberger, K.

Historical matrices can help connect the facets of lives revealed through research focused on the present situation with larger trends in people's lives. They are effective in facilitating local people's own analyses of how their situation has changed over time and the causes and consequences of that change. This paper gives three examples illustrating the range of issues that historical matrices can illuminate, focusing on the roles of livestock in livelihood strategies.

A case study using RRA to examine the land tenure situation in Anivorano, a village in the central hilly area of Madagascar, as part of a year long research programme intended to inform policy debate on land tenure and use in relation to biological diversity and conservation. There is a dichotomy between incentives to conserve resources at the village level and other factors that constrain or undermine villagers efforts. The report is split into two district sections. The first examines the methodology used, including detail about preparation as well as actual field activities.

An update of the community forestry note on tree and land tenure (Bruce, 1989) which examined the ownership and usufruct rights of local people to trees and land, using rapid appraisals as a tool which can be used to start to understand these complex systems. The introduction discusses both the importance of tenure, specifically its implications for project development, and the development of RRA and PRA. The appraisal process is split into three stages, each of which are examined in detail.