Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is an approach that aims to involve local communities in identifying and analyzing their needs and solutions. It addresses criticisms of top-down development by putting research in the hands of community members and having experts act as facilitators. The process involves collecting data as a whole community to gain a detailed understanding of the local context and have communities prioritize their own needs. Key aspects include encouraging the use of local knowledge, involving communities at all stages, and helping communities find their own solutions to problems. Data collection techniques are designed to be usable by people with low literacy levels and involve group-based learning and investigating issues from different perspectives.

1. Basic skills on Need Identification
PARTICIPATORY
RURAL APPRAISALRURAL APPRAISAL

2. RATIONALERATIONALERATIONALERATIONALE
Antidote to criticisms of traditional research
Issues of ownership, control, power relations
Powerful outsiders investigating local communities with only partial knowledge of context
Criticisms of top down economic development
Response to development needs for quick access to
socio economic data
Community demands to be included in decisionsCommunity demands to be included in decisions
Increasing emphasis on need to respect multiple
voices, ethical issues around participation

3. ApplicationsApplicationsApplicationsApplications
HEALTH
Agriculture
Biodiversity
Urban planning issues
Water and SanitationWater and Sanitation
Education
Security

4. How to come within reach of it
Research process in the hands of Ordinary People
Involvement of experts as Facilitators
Data collection exercise about a whole community

5. Detailed understanding and analysis of local
context
Local people prioritise needs
How to come within reach of it
Community action plan
Practical goals

6. The Strategy
ENCOURAGEuse of local cultural values, organisations and
knowledge systems for solving problems
INVOLVEcommunity at every stage of the process
HELP solutions problemsHELP local communities find solutionsto their own problems
BUILDcommunity confidenceand capacity

7. The Way to Do it
Workers listen and communities articulate their LOCAL knowledge
Shared process of learning and working together to look
for solutions to identified problems
Data collection techniques designed to be usable amongst peopleData collection techniques designed to be usable amongst people
with low literacy levels
Using methods that involve group-based learning and
planning, investigating an issue from different angles

8. PRA stages
Selection of
Site
Preliminary
Site Visits
Announcement
of activities to
Public
Data
Collection
Community
Members become co-
researchers
Preparation
of ACTION
PLAN
Adoption of
Plans and
Continue researchers
Data Analysis
and Collation
PLANPlans and
Strategies
Continue
Ongoing
Monitoring
and
Evaluation

9. Tools in PRATools in PRATools in PRATools in PRATools in PRATools in PRATools in PRATools in PRA
TransectsTransectsTransectsTransects
WalkWalkWalkWalk
TransectsTransectsTransectsTransects
WalkWalkWalkWalk
SocialSocialSocialSocial
MappingMappingMappingMapping
SocialSocialSocialSocial
MappingMappingMappingMapping
VennVennVennVenn
DiagrammingDiagrammingDiagrammingDiagramming
VennVennVennVenn
DiagrammingDiagrammingDiagrammingDiagramming
Matrix Scoring/Matrix Scoring/Matrix Scoring/Matrix Scoring/
RankingRankingRankingRanking
Matrix Scoring/Matrix Scoring/Matrix Scoring/Matrix Scoring/
RankingRankingRankingRanking
Time/ TrendTime/ TrendTime/ TrendTime/ Trend
analysisanalysisanalysisanalysis
Time/ TrendTime/ TrendTime/ TrendTime/ Trend
analysisanalysisanalysisanalysis
ResourceResourceResourceResource
mappingmappingmappingmapping
ResourceResourceResourceResource
mappingmappingmappingmapping
WealthWealthWealthWealth
rankingrankingrankingranking
WealthWealthWealthWealth
rankingrankingrankingranking
SeasonalitySeasonalitySeasonalitySeasonality
analysisanalysisanalysisanalysis
SeasonalitySeasonalitySeasonalitySeasonality
analysisanalysisanalysisanalysis

10. Can I Do it?
Kya mein yeh kar sakta hoon?

11. Do not Forget
Emphasison group data, building up a knowledge base of the community.
Exploring how people LIVE their lives, values, cultures etc
Feeding back issues to the community for analysis, discussionFeeding back issues to the community for analysis, discussion
and NEW IDEAS
Visual activities, Walks, Discussions, role play, interviews, Photos, Seasonal calendars, Diagrams do
come in handy....

12. Your Role as PC’s
Walking through a particular area and identifying issues
Inviting people to put themselves into relationship groups
Inviting individuals and groups to list/draw key events in
the life of a community
Encourage men and women and children to contribute toEncourage men and women and children to contribute to
needs of the community
Create a map of how resources are sourced for daily
household needs

13. Is PRA the answer?
Whose voices are being taken seriously?
To whom does the data belong?
Whose interests are being served?
Whose indicators are most relevant for assessing development?
Whose analysis is most relevant, reliable?
Who needs the information?
How much should one unquestioningly accept the status quo of
community responses?
Who needs the information?
Who is most likely to be empowered in the process?
How much data should be removed for analysis from outside
the community itself?

14. CONCLUSION
Versatility as an approach and family of methods
Opportunities for data collectiondata collectiondata collectiondata collection partnerships and newnewnewnew
relationshipsrelationshipsrelationshipsrelationships
A way of uncovering hidden knowledgehidden knowledgehidden knowledgehidden knowledge
Need for facilitationfacilitationfacilitationfacilitation, as well as research skillsresearch skillsresearch skillsresearch skillsNeed for facilitationfacilitationfacilitationfacilitation, as well as research skillsresearch skillsresearch skillsresearch skills
EffectivenessEffectivenessEffectivenessEffectiveness of action plans, without follow-up
There is improved understandingimproved understandingimproved understandingimproved understanding between all parties

15. Proverbs 2:9