Brief review of the participatory work of the Foundation for Public Interest, including short summaries regarding new tools, methods and mechanisms being used, particularly in the field of monitoring and evalaution.
In response to the failure of over fifteeen years research into soil fertility improvement in the south of Benin, whereby farmers were only involved only at the end of the research process, this document reports on a new more participatory research project started in 1994. The research process began with a topical PRA on soils and cropping systems, followed by a discussion with farmers of a range of potential agronomic principles already tried out elsewhere. Each year farmers tried those they were interested in to compare with ther own traditional practices. The paper describes briefly a study designed to determine the importance of using a participatory approach and the tools and methods used to do so. Impacts examined include those on both the development and adoption of technologies, impact on the welfare of potential users, on long term regional trends and also the impact on both local institutions and other institutions involved in research and extension.
This resource kit for trainers has been prepared to help develop facilitators for watershed programes enabling farmers to own and implement their own watershed management plans. Key aspects covered include, facilitating farmers to analyse their current situations, visualise a better future and the steps needed to get there and develop simple yet meaningful indicators to evaluate and monitor their progress along the way.
This document describes and reflects on the use of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques in six villages to gain an understanding of the history of the societies living in the Uluguru mountains from the pre-colonial era until today.
This paper provides several examples of inappropriate policies and programmes in the field of natural resource management, as a basis for highlighting and reflecting on the importance of appropriate behaviour and attitudes on the part of policy makers and programm managers.
This document reports on a short pilot study commissioned by the Community Literacy Project, Nepal to provide baseline information on the social uses of literacy in different types of communities of south Dhading district and also to pilot some methods for doing so. Data on existing literacy practices was gathered through photography, social mapping, participant observation of literacy events, semi-structured conversations with local people and collection of 'real' literacy materials.
This paper compares the results of a rapid appraisal that was carried out using Participatpry Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques with a conventional sample survey which were used to establish socio-economic well-being ranks in Njombe District.
Western notions of "participation" and "private initiative" are alien concepts in some of the post communist countries. In view of this, this paper discusses the challenges for participatory approaches in such societies.
This document describes and reflects on the process and methods used to conduct an evaluation carried out between phases of the Red Sea Hills Development Programme to assess the performance of a new project team and the impact of the introduction of a participatory approach. The evaluation was carried out in two settlements in the coastal area and two in the hilly area.