Sharing our concerns and looking to the future

A small group of PRA practitioners and trainers met to discuss their experiences in the use of PRA. One of the areas of concern identified was the quality of PRA training and practice, given the growing demand by funding agencies for "a PRA" to be conducted, and the rapid expansion in the use of PRA. Several areas are identified within which it is felt that there is potential for improvement. These are: personal and professional approaches to PRA and development; interactions with communities in terms of ethics, equity, preconditions for engagement, practice and local human resource support/ development; institutional aspects such as long term commitment, organisational environment, institutional management, incentives, organisational procedures and outward linkages; training quality (compared to PRA orientation); and networking/ information sharing. The final table indicates some symptoms of poor PRA.