Resources

These papers discuss the experience of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP India) with participatory rural appraisal and planning (PRAP). The first contribution documents the adoption of RRA by AKRSP in 1988 and its subsequent applications by staff to a variety of topics. Since then, experience has led to shortening and intensification of RRA contacts with villagers and increasing involvement of villagers as team members. PRAP has become related to the production of village action plans. The paper contains reflections on the use of RRA in the organisation - the term has been loosely used and training relatively unstructured. In taking stock of their experience with PRAP, a list was compiled of all exercises conducted and their characteristics (given in Annex 2). It is suggested that PRAP should be integrated into AKRSP's work in a more structured manner, to facilitate future planning. the second contribution consists of guidelines for using RRA in the AKRSP context. This includes rationale for its use, objectives, methodology, exploratory RRAs, and topical RRAs.

This extract from a review of qualitative research methods consists of the extensive bibliography only. References relate to action research, monitoring and evaluation methods, farming systems research, analysis of agricultural data, informal and formal data collection methods, research methods for social analysis, and many more. The references cover a broad range of aspects of rural development research, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

This reports the findings of a village appraisal carried out in North England by the parish council. The purpose was to gain a better idea of local opinions to inform council decisions on a range of topics. The booklet gives overviews of the locality's main characteristics, population, housing, transport, local needs and concerns and suggested options for the future.

This report presents the results of a village appraisal questionnaire conducted in three parishes in northern England. The questionnaire addressed education, transport, housing, recreation, services and general issues in the communities. The tabulated responses to the questions on local peopleÆs opinions on these issues are presented. There are also short discussions of particular issues such as road safety, litter etc., and of what should be done.

This document reports on an Oxfam project in Vietnam aimed at addressing gender issues in the context of rapid structural change. It begins by outlining the challenges posed by the socio-economic reforms in Vietnam, and identifying gender and environmentally sensitive project planning as roles which foreign NGO's can perform. The bulk of the report describes a PRA focusing on gender and the environment. In a brief discussion of PRA methodology it is cautioned that PRA is not inherently gender sensitive - this depends on how the PRA is conducted. In this case, to ensure greater gender sensitivity: (i) prior to fieldwork, the team was formed composed of a majority of women and during training gender issues were emphasised; (ii) During fieldwork male and female villagers participated in equal numbers, a female translator was used, data collected was gender disaggregated, and women's many responsibilities were accounted for in the way exercises were conducted; (iii) the planned activities derived from the PRA includes gender-sensitive objectives, indicators and a monitoring plan. The PRA was also used to identify local women who can act as contact people in the future.

This report concerns the Rural Family and Child Welfare Project (RFCWP) of the NGO Enfants du Monde (EDM) in Bangladesh. It is largely concerned with the introduction of participatory processes and institutional changes in the RCFWP. Formerly, conventional survey research methods were used with many shortcomings (cost, time, etc.), so new methods were introduced. Focus group discussions were conducted. ZOPP was used, but found to be overly sophisticated and did not address participation. PRA was later included in field training of beneficiaries, village institutions and project staff, as well as for monitoring and evaluation. PRA methods were used for an internal self-evaluation. Questions of attitude and behavioural change were also brought up, and PRA came to be seen as part of the move towards participation in the whole project cycle. Reflections on the need for changes in the RFCWP are listed. There are also reflections on the limitations of PRA, including: tendency for it to be technique driven; staff determine relevant and accepted knowledge; individual interests may distort data collection; summarizing by outsiders may lead to misrepresentation and so on.

This transcript of a speech discusses the origins and importance of participatory development approaches which aim to 'put the last first'. It argues that marginalisation is due to historical (colonial rule) and structural (social hierarchy) reasons. It emphasises that the poor are not the object of development but the subject. Promoting critical consciousness is therefore a key to sustainable participatory development. the implications of this approach for development projects, technology, gender and environment are discussed.