Report of evaluation carried out three years after introduction of VIPP by UNICEF Zambia at the country office level. The report describes the participatory evaluation methodology used. The evaluation was built on a framework designed to investigate initial reactions, acceptance, commitment and impact of the traning methodology with particular attention being paid to the indicator "degree to which the environment has become more participatory."
Report on participatory poverty assessments, highlighting new tendencies in the methodology and their contribution to new insights into African policy. Intensive use is made of both formal poverty assessments, especially in Zambia and Tanzania and other substantive work. The report notes the widespread adoption of principles of PPA (multiple stakeholders and diverse investigative styles) and concludes that the momentum of participatory and combined approaches is best sustained by disseminating as widely as possible the increasing sophistication and evolving agenda of work in this area.
Brief note on results of internal evaluation regarding the use of PRA by The Community Action Programme in Uganda. In the programme trained community facilitators used PRA techniques with partner communities to develop micro-projects. The report outlines some of the short-comings of the facilitation process based on the results of a survey of a random sample of the partner communities. The survey examined, attendance by men and women of PRA sessions, PRA tools remembered by participants and aspects learnt, the relationship between men and women's main problems and the final choice of micro-project and their level of agreement with it.
Draft report describing a participatory method used during a workshop to synthesise information from 8 village level participatory poverty assessment (PPA) studies and create a detailed structure for a synthesis report.
Draft final report describing the methodology and findings of a baseline survey, designed to examine technology (especially engineering) requirements. The survey involved using various PRA tools and techniques whilst staying in the village of Bulambila for a period of 20 days.
Systematic farmer involvement in agricultural research organisations in developing countries has been weak, and the impact of the introduction of farmer responsive research methods has been disappointing. More attention needs to be paid to political and institutional dimensions, in order to permanently alter the balance of power between research and its clients. Opportunities include participatory planning to involve farmers systematically in prioritising the research agenda and incorporating their needs. Strengthening and linking farmersÆ associations with research organisations enable clients to express demand, pressurise and work with research organisations.
Few studies of local knowledge focus on processing and marketing of farm produce which constitute an important source of income for rural households, and especially women. The author presents a case study of milk processing and marketing by Fulani women, in which their considerable knowledge of local market conditions and innovations as well as their limited knowledge of the linkages between the local and wider national economies are highlighted. The differences between æextractiveÆ and æenrichingÆ research are drawn on to explain why the study did not lead to institutional development in dairy planning, and to discuss the ethics
of wider dissemination of research results.
Report on the use of PRA by the Maharashtra Rural Credit Pilot Project (MRCP).