Participatory Rural Appraisal: An Innovative Methodology for Effective Community Development

This report concerns the use of PRA methods in participatory natural resources management in Kenya. The aim of the study was to learn whether a team consisting of national level staff, a foreign representative, and community leaders could gather data, define problems, rank solutions and devise an integrated village plan for natural resources management with substantial community participation. The bulk of the report consists of discussion of the PRA process, and descriptions of the use of various PRA methods and the results. These include: mapping, transects, time lines, trends, seasonal calendars, interviews and institutional analysis. The problem analysis and solution ranking processes are also described, leading to the adoption and implementation of the village plan. Key findings concerning data collection, participation, the roles of village leaders, technical officers and donor/NGO assistance, and sustainability are discussed. The final sections present general reflections on the use of PRA: raising expectations, majority will/minority sensitivities, and PRA as a flexible approach and as one possible approach among others. This paper is identical to Kabutha, Thomas-Slayter and Ford (1991).