Resources

The article discusses the issue of conflict and the skills required to deal with it, in the context of two FAO projects in Guinea and Tanzania. In the Guinea example an exploratory RRA investigating food security issues in a fishing community revealed conflict between the project credit scheme and the local community over the repayment of loans. In the second example an exploratory appraisal focusing on nutrition and food security in fishing communities in Tanzania uncovered layers of corruption and manipulation in the management of the credit team. This was the cause of conflict between the communities and the project. Although in these examples a constructive resolution to the problems was found, it does raise questions about whether facilitators and researchers have the skills to deal with such situations.

This paper looks at the role of PRA in addressing inequality and argues that participatory methods themselves contribute very little to an emancipatory process. It suggests that unless PRA is explicitly linked with an educational process which enables people with little power and resources to gain more control over their lives, the term 'participatory' will remain meaningless. A critical step is understanding issues of difference among 'the poor,' especially gender difference. However, it is one thing to identify differences but another to deal with the conflicting interests that emerge. The potential for a backlash against weaker groups is a real concern and must be taken into consideration. While the facilitator has a role to play in enabling groups to analyze the effects of possible reactions to the action they propose, it is the group of participants who must make the final decision.

The author spent a year amongst Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, using questionnaire surveys, PRA and anthropological participant observation methods in her research. The paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the different research methods, and explores questions of validity, appropriateness and complementarity. The experience demonstrated that PRA and anthropology can be of mutual benefit in enhancing a critical self-awareness and understanding of complex realities.

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) was used to assess people's perceptions of the benefits and difficulties of their life near Mole National Park in northern Ghana. PRA was frequently the only approach acceptable to villagers biased by years of mistrust and conflict with the Ghanaian Department of Game and Wildlife (GWD). The paper briefly recounts the methods used and problems encountered, the most significant of which was the suspicion and antagonism towards GWD by the villagers. Reviewing some of the lessons learned, the paper concludes that 'if obtaining community participation is crucial to ensuring the sustainability of protected areas then PRA must be viewed as an important component of any conservation approach'.

The report outlines the findings and process of a participatory planning exercise initiated by Oxfam in northern Mutara, Rwanda. After the genocide of 1994, some community structures were becoming visible in the Mutara region which indicated potential for a development programme. It was also seen as an important area because from 1994 there was an emerging environmental crisis with large numbers of people and cattle entering an environmentally fragile area. The first three days were spent training NGO staff and local authority and community members in PRA methods and participatory approaches to development. This was followed by one week working with three communities, and culminated in drawing up outlines of action plans. The report discusses the approach and process of participatory learning and planning; what was learned from secondary sources; and the methods used and findings of the PRA exercises in the three communities.

Describes the experiences of a lone researcher using conventional questionnaire surveys as well as PRA methods while carrying out PhD fieldwork in Benin, West Africa. The advantages and disadvantages of using the different research methodologies are discussed. The group nature of the PRA methods inevitably led to raised expectations, and underlying conflicts were exposed in a way that probably would not have occurred with the conventional methods. Combining the two types of methods was found to be rewarding, with the RRA work supplying the contextual information for the quantitative data provided by the conventional research methods. However, it is suggested that if no action is planned it might be better to use RRA methods only to supplement more conventional methods, being careful to avoid raising false hopes or exposing conflicts unnecessarily.

This is an extensive report of a community appraisal, undertaken as part of a social forestry and upland development programme in Mindoro and Cebu, Philippines. The appraisal focused on two problem areas identified by an earlier rapid appraisal: (i) agricultural production and soil conservation, and (ii) social organisation and conflict. The appraisal team decided information was required on these two areas for the formulation of interventions. Fieldwork methods included community or group meetings, key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews, direct observation and measurement. The findings from the two study sites relating to the two problem areas defined above are presented in detail. On the basis of these findings, recommendations specific to the two study sites are made.