Participatory rural appraisal (PRA): analysis of experience

This paper is the second in a three-part series examining participatory rural appraisal. It sets out to present and analyse the principles, insights, validity, reliability and modes of PRA, and to understand the nature of its power and popularity. The more significant principles of PRA concern the behaviour and attitudes of outsider facilitators, including not rushing, "handing over the stick", and being self-critically aware. The power and popularity of PRA are partly explained by the unexpected analytical abilities of local people when catalysed by relaxed rapport, and expressed through sequences of participatory and especially visual methods. Evidence to date shows high validity and reliability of information shared by local people through PRA compared with data from more traditional methods. Explanations include reversals and shifts of emphasis: from emic to etic, closed to open, individual to group, verbal to visual, and measuring to comparing; and from extracting information to empowering local analysts.