Rapid rural appraisal in humid tropical forests: an asset possession-based approach and validation methods for wealth assessment among forest peasant households

Researchers and practitioners often use rapid rural appraisal (RRA) methods to secure a representative, accurate, and cost-effective portrayal of wealth rankings among rural populations. This paper proposes an asset possession-based approach to developing RRA wealth rankings and portrayals of wealth holdings and portfolios. It also offers new validation methods for RRA efforts, especially for identifying sources of error in wealth attribution and rankings. The approach and validation methods are examined using data gathered from forest peasant households in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon. Ways of improving future RRA efforts are suggested.