Overview of presentation Introduction and Definition of PRA Origin of PRA Principles shared by PRA and RRA Exclusive principles of PRA What it is? Definition Principle Components Precepts of PRA Evolution in Details What’s in it? Where it is Applied? Practical Example Criticism Bibliography

PRA: Introduction and Definition PRA : Participatory Rural Appraisal

Components: People Knowledge Participation Planning Action

It is a combination of different approaches to Share Enhance Analyze Plan ActFor the betterment of the rural people with their participation

The secrets behind the success of PRA are Decentralization Empowerment

PRA: Origin

PRA has been evolved from RRA (Rapid Rural Appraisal) In mid 80’s the necessity of participation in rural

development became evident and the term PRA was born

The understanding of PRA came mostly from field rather than academia

PRA mostly focuses on the empowerment of people through participation

The sustainability rate of PRA is high due to the participation of the local people

The sense of ownership and belongingness helps to the success of PRA

Principles shared by PRA & RRA Reversal of learning To learn of the local people

Learning rapidly and progressively Exploration, flexible methods, adaptable

Offsetting bias To be receptive rather than preconceived ideas

Optimizing tradeoffs Understanding the usefulness of information

Triangulating Crosschecking and approximation

Exclusive Principles of PRA

Empowerment The authority to local people through decentralization

and confidence building Self critical awareness

Mistakes are lessons to learn and to do better next time

Personal responsibility The belongingness and ownership to the participants

Sharing To discuss and argue about ideas in open forum with

all stakeholders

What it is? Participatory research is not an alternative

research method, but an approach that can be applied to any methodology – survey, experimental, qualitative (Lilja and Bellon 2008).

“PRA methods, as they are often called, are visual and tangible and usually performed by small groups of people”. (Chambers 2007)

PRA comprised of different research tools to facilitate local people in Analyzing information Practicing critical self-awareness Taking responsibility Sharing their knowledge of life and conditions to

plan and to act.

Definition

As it has diverse application and has been changing rapidly any effort to define it might be folly and ‘unhelpful’.

“ An approach and methods for learning about rural life and conditions from, with and by rural people”. (Chambers 1994)

Principle Components of PRA

Source: Chambers 2007.

Adopted from Chambers 2007

Evolution

Originally evolved from Rapid Rural Appraisal and spread fast in the 1990s.

Shift in rhetoric: “from top-down to bottom up, from centralized to local diversity, from blue prints to learning process”. (Chambers 1994)

Learning is two way system and respondents know better his/her daily encounter.

Emphasis on the power relation between the researcher and ‘researched’.

Practicing participatory research started since 1983 in Bangladesh.

Evolution

Five streams which stand out as sources and parallels to PRA are, in alphabetical order: Activist participatory research; Agro-ecosystem analysis; Applied anthropology; Field research on farming systems; Rapid rural appraisal. (Chambers 1994)

Activist Participatory Research The contributions of APR to PRA are more

through concepts than methods: Common ideas:

Poor people are creative and capable; Can and should do their own investigation,

analysis and planning; Outsiders have roles as a convenors, catalysts

and facilitators. The weak and marginalized can and should be

improved.

Agro-ecosystem Analysis

Gordon Conway developed this approach in Thailand at the University of Chiang Mai around the year 1978.

It contributed much in current RRA and PRA through: Transects (Systematic walks and observation); Informal mapping (Sketch maps drawn on site); Diagramming (Seasonal Calendars, flow and causal

diagrams, bar charts, van or chapati diagrams ) Innovation assessment (scoring and ranking different

actions)

Applied Anthropology

“PRA represents an extension and application of social anthropological approaches, insights, and methods, cross-fertilized with others.”

Insights and contributions from Applied Anthropology: Field learning is flexible art rather than rigid science; The value of field residence, unhurried participant

observation, and conversations; The importance of attitude, behavior and rapport; The emic-etic distinction; The validity and importance of ITK.

Field Research on Farming System Have contributed to the appreciation and

understanding of Complexity, diversity and risk-proneness of

many farming system; The knowledge, professionalism and

rationality of small and poor farmers; Their experimental mindset and behavior; Their ability to conduct their own analysis.

Rapid Rural Appraisal

Has three main origins: Disappointment: anti-poverty bias, rural

development tourism. Disillusion with questionnaire surveys and

their confusing results; Cost-effective.

From RRA to PRA

What’s in it?

Where it is applied?

PRA applications include: Natural Resource Management; Agriculture; Poverty and Social Programs; Health and Food Security Analysis.

Project Cycle From inception to end. Participatory projects pull methods, attitudes and

values from PRA. ‘Micro projects’

Practical Example

VGDUP- Vulnerable Group Development for Ultra-poor What are the indicators?

Owning less than 10 decimals of land(0.04 ha) No ownership of production assets There are no active adult male house hold members Employment, if any is limited to day-laboring or domestic help The household is de facto headed by a women (divorced,

abandoned, widow, unmarried)

PRA in this project Wealth ranking among the candidates

Whose Participation?: The criticism “... much of what currently passes as 'participatory'

involves local people taking part in other people's projects, according to agendas set by external interests.” (Cornwall 1996)

Remained donor driven and ‘imposed’. Lack of proper training distorts the overall objectives of

this approach. Methods are often used to extract info’s rather than to

empower. Even the term ‘carpet-bombed with PRA’ came forward

due to its over utilization. Shortcomings of some methods like community

meetings and widespread use of group discussion.

Bibliography

Lilja , Nina and Mauricio Bellon ; Some common questions about participatory research: a review of the literature, Development in Practice, Volume 18, Numbers 4–5, August 2008.

Chambers, Robert; The Origins and Practice of Participatory Rural Appraisal. World Development, Volume 22, No 7, pp 953-969, 1994.

Chambers, Robert; From PRA to PLA and Pluralism: Practice and Theory, Working Paper 286, IDS, 2007.

Cornwall, Andrea; Towards participatory practice: participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and the participatory process in De Koning, Korrie and Martin Marion (1996). Participatory Research in Health: Issues and Experiences. Zen Books Ltd., London.