Resources

This paper presents a methodology for participatory evaluation of small group capacities and performance that has been developed for water-user associations in Sri Lanka. The system devised was one of self evaluation and was presented to the farmer groups as a system of self strengthening. The process of self evaluation is described in some detail in the first section of the article which consists of five activity areas in which farmers assess their own performance. The activity areas range from the economic/material activities of the project groups to the organisation and development of the groups. The approach was designed to be an iterative and consultative one i.e. the criteria for evaluation, although initiated by the programme were to be agreed and selected by the program participants themselves. The paper lists the different stages of the process and describes six reasons or rationales for the use of such an approach. Briefly, the paper concludes by identifying some of the more prominent problems associated by this approach.

This paper reviews the experiences of an organisation called UPWARD in integrating participatory monitoring and evaluation in it's research and development process. The organisation aims to design monitoring and evaluation systems that research and development professionals can engage in jointly with users and also to explore ways of how monitoring and evaluation can be made into a participatory process. The paper highlights the importance of PM&E as a critical but often undervalued tool for successful agricultural research and development. Thirteen vignettes (case studies) are used to demonstrate UPWARD's experience in seeking to operationalise the PM&E approach through it's various field research and development projects. The paper illustrates the diversity of project experiences and illustrates the complexities that are involved. The paper concludes by affirming that there are no shortcuts to effective PM&E, it's a costly process and needs careful planning early on in the project cycle.

This describes a Participatory Poverty Assessment (PPA) undertaken by the Government of Kenya and the World Bank during Febuary-April 1994. It had three primary objectives; to understand poverty from the perspective of the poor, to start a process of dialogue between policy makers, district level providers and the poor and to address the issue of the 'value added' of the PPA approach to understanding poverty. Methods used included mapping, wealth ranking, seasonal analysis, trend and price analysis, focus group discussions, key informant interviews; visual card methods, gender analysis, understanding health seeking behaviour; and incomplete sentences. Statistically the findings of the PPA and the Welfare Monitoring Survey based on an established poverty line were strikingly similar. The study also found a gap in the perception of poverty between the poor themselves and district officials. Separate chapters look at poverty in urban Nairobi and Mandera district.

An Economic Development Institute (EDI) Learning Resource Series of the World Bank. The journal is a case study that describes the process of participation during the implementation of a watershed development program in the village of Pimpalgaon Wagha India. It highlights joint action by a number of stake holders namely; an NGO, Social Centre, government representatives and the local people with case studies, giving an insight into the process of participatory development. It has an overview of the Biomass Resource Base in India, background information of Pimpalgaon Wagha. The study examines the relations between and amongst the various actors involved in the project and the direct beneficiaries, by looking at the impact of the watershed development on various sectors; wells and watershed availability, crop productivity, horticulture, forestry, energy plantation and pasture development, livestock, irrigation, employment and income .

This is a project proposal developed by the Dry lands and Sustainable Agricultural Programmes of the IIED for a four programme, 1993-96 in Participatory Planning Methods in some Sahelian countries; Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Senegal. Although it focuses on MARP, it traces the history of PRA and RRA. It looks at the IIED's support of MARP in the Sahel. The strengths and weaknesses of MARP are discussed, with a reference on MARP and PRA.

This is the second of a series of articles by World Vision International. It begins with the description of how a community deepen their understanding of their situation by using participatory mapping technique. The first part of the report is on Participatory process, community evaluation and planning , and the recognition of basic participatory principles that must be acknowledged in people and key characteristics of a good facilitator. It further describes a world vision exercise on participatory planning where match boxes were used to represent households in Brazil. In this exercise different kinds and lengths on match sticks were used to identify the various categories of people in the community. This enabled the community to identify the number of children of school going age in the community and then followed on to develop educational and nutritional programmes . It has a Christian theme, and draws on parallels between the work of Christ and Participatory processes. The report includes photocopied photos of the maps and the key of match sticks for the census of the community.