Participatory Rural Appraisal and Participatory Learning Methods: Recent Experiences from MYRADA and South India

This paper presents an overview of the work of MYRADA, an NGO in South India. Its origins and major programmes are described. Relations with the government are of prime importance in the key areas of its work, and are discussed in detail. The adoption and use of PRA by MYRADA is described, and the key principles (behaviours and attitudes, sharing and methods) are discussed. Successes in applying and spreading PRA are noted, with the main caveat that more work needs to be done to change attitudes and behaviour among government staffs and to sensitise them to the potential of PRA methods.