Shah, M.

The Forestry Cooperation Programme in Vietnam initiated a training process to develop an approach to gender analysis and implementing gender-sensitive programmes at the village level. The report describes a training programme which included two days classroom session on gender concepts and a period of fieldwork using PRA methods for gender analysis. The fieldwork focused on resources, activities, decision-making, social relations (between individuals and institutions) and the impact of project components. PRA methods were used to explore the gender dimension of all these areas.

This brief overview of a workshop on PRA and Gender held at IDS begins with the "unfortunate and astonishing" observation that "PRA so rarely incorporates a thorough gender-differentiated analysis".

Four key issues were addressed at a workshop on PRA and Gender held at Institute of Development Studies, Sussex: 1. Working with conflict. 2. Does the "input of consultation with women as well as men" in itself guarantee empowerment? 3. Ethics of addressing gender through participatory approaches (ie use of PRA methods rather than following through the whole process). 4. PRA with gender or Gender with PRA? Each of these issues is summarised, in terms of practical, analytical and institutional implications.

This training workshop was designed to introduce participants to appraisal techniques suitable for use in a Participatory Poverty Assessment study being conducted in Ghana by the World Bank. Written by one of two trainers, the report covers only the rural appraisal methods. The Darko field work section describes in detail the PRA methods, including sequencing, materials used and findings. Gender issues underlie the lively analysis: eg the wealth and well-being ranking shows how differently men and women tackled the activity.

A major part of this twelve day workshop was spent in fieldwork, using the PRA techniques (listed in Section II) learnt in theory classes. This report describes in detail the methodology and findings of the field exercises, showing clearly the practical problems encountered (such as how to "reach" the women) as well as the lively and diverse information that can emerge from PRA activities.

The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) works with village communities in Gujarat State, India. This paper describes how village analysts are trained in participatory appraisal and planning. Details are given on how the training programmes are designed at the village level, with defined stages in the training process. Training leads to a "local cadre of village analysts... who can take up the responsibility of initiating the development process". The constraints of such a process are highlighted.