Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in Asia, Africa and Latin America
Chambers, R.; Mascarenhas, J.; Malhotra, K.C.; Poffenberger, M.; Arunabha Bhattacharya; Debal Dev; Johansson, L.; Holben, A.; Cabarle, B.; Zazueta, A.
Forests, Trees and People Newsletter ( 15-16): 4-35
1992
Document Number: 259093
Five papers. The first, 'Participatory rural appraisals: past, present and future' (Chambers), briefly describes how RRAs have evolved into PRAs, and indicates their potential, based on experience in India. The key difference between the two methods is that RRA uses indigenous technical knowledge as a tool for outsiders in project development, while in a PRA (considered to be 'the tool for the future'), knowledge is articulated, generated and used in more participatory ways, with more of the work being done by the rural people themselves. The second paper, 'Participatory rural appraisal and participatory learning methods: recent experiences from MYRADA and South India' (Mascarenhas), describes the innovatory PRA method developed by MYRADA (an NGO working in the south Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu). The method is called PALM (Participatory Learning Methods) and complements MYRADA"s style of functioning which emphasizes local participation and views its role as catalyst and partner (rather than patron and benefactor); it is applicable to various types of rural development programmes. Some of the methods used in PALM are the construction of historical and geographical land use transects, social mapping, primary resource mapping, seasonality diagramming, and ranking and scoring. The third paper, 'Rapid rural appraisal methodology trials in southwest Bengal: assessing natural forest regeneration patterns and non-wood forest product harvesting practices' (Malhotra, Poffenberger, Bhattacharya, Dev), shows how RRA methods can be used to obtain relevant data for forestry related projects, reporting on a study in a degraded sal (Shorea robusta) forest in West Midnapore District. The fourth paper, 'RRAs for land policy formulation in Tanzania' (Johansson, Hoben), reports on a seminar and 4 RRA exercises carried out for the purpose of bringing senior officials and academics into contact with the reality of rural areas, in order to provide them with relevant and topical information for decision making. The last paper, 'Gaining ground: people's participation in the Tropical Forestry Action Plan (TFAP) for Ecuador' (Cabarle, Zazueta), summarizes some of the work carried out by the World Resources Institute in Ecuador to support the active participation of local NGOs and grassroots organizations in developing the TFAP for Ecuador. The training of local leaders and NGO staff in PRA techniques was one of the strategies used.