PRA is described as a growing family of approaches and methods to enable people to share, enhanse and analyses thier knowledge if life and conditions, to plan and act. Here, teh origins of PRA are discussed - its sources identified as activist participatory research, agroecosystem analysis, applied anthropology, farming systems field research, and RRA. The shift from RRA to PRA is related to the differences between extraction of information and sharing - with the emphasis on changes in ownership of the "results". There has been a rapid explosion in the use of PRA, although the suitability of the label has been questioned.The menu of participatory methods is described, and the practical applications discussed. The spread of PRA is seen to be rapid, although concern is expressed that some reports may be exaggerated due to the "fashion" of PRA, and that many others remain inaccessible. It seems that dominant behaviour by outsiders may explain why it has taken until the 1990s for the analytical capabilities of local people to be better recognised and for PRA to grow, emerge and spread.
Interest groups:
Those interested in the development of PRA, its theory and application
Pages:
49 p.
Publisher reference:
Institute of Development Studies