Participatory Rural Appraisal for Irrigation Management Research: Lessons from IIMI's Experience

Based on the analysis of selected case studies in which IIMI attempted to practise the PRA approach, this working paper focuses on the use - current as well as potential - of PRA in irrigation management research (IMR). It reviews the pros and cons of PRA in the context of IMR and discusses the potential for institutionalisation of PRA at IIMI. Two generic issues on the applications of the PRA approach by irrigation researchers are investigated, viz., the relationship between PRA and more formal quantitative approaches used in IMR; and the scope of using localised, highly variable insights of the water users in improving the management of the whole irrigation system. The paper analyses the potential for further utilisation and development of PRA in major areas of research in irrigation management.