"But how does it compare with the real data?"

Comparison of seasonality diagrams drawn up by farmers during a RRA/PRA workshop carried out in Western Nepal, with scientifically collected meteorological data from a nearby agricultural research centre. The paper considers a number of methodological issues connected with the linking between "formal" and "informal" methods of research. It then moves on to consider the question of "fit" between the two sets of data. Concludes that if the scientific data is the "real" data, then in fact the PRA data is extremely accurate. In terms of cost effectiveness the PRA data is better, as it was collected extremely quickly and effectively without the need for an expensive infrastructure such as the agricultural research centre.