Planning and Implementing a PRA

The purposes of this note on planning and implementing a PRA are to share MYRADA's most recent experiences in PRA and to provide a basis from which the reader can proceed by adapting existing methods and inventing new ones. It begins by introducing the rationale for the use of PRA, and some applications to participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation of integrated rural development programmes, resource management programmes and poverty alleviation programmes, and to the study of seasonality and coping strategies of the poor. Methods or steps in the procedure are outlined as follows: duration, participant mix and numbers, location and logistics, materials, schedules, briefings, interviews and exercises, presentations, documentation and final outputs. There is a discussion of Do's and Don'ts, and the paper ends with a list of ways of enhancing participation. This paper would be of interest to trainers and to facilitators of PRA team exercises.