PRA
Roeland Kindt
Outline
• Introduction
• Basic rules for surveys
• What is PRA
• PRA tools
• Selection of respondents
Participatory Rural Appraisal
• focus on local knowledge
• information sharing and analysis (shared
learning)
• avoid miscommunication (questionnaires),
include marginal groups, qualitative
information
Basic rules for surveys
• Hypothesis
• Information for hypothesis testing
• Systematic sampling and data collection
• Secondary sources, cross-checking
• Confirmation (statistical analysis)
• Generation of new hypotheses
Participation
Mode of
participation
Type of participation
Co-opted
Tokenism, manipulation, representatives are
chosen, but no real input or power
Co-operating
Tasks are assigned, with incentives; outsiders
decide agenda and direct the process
Consulted
Local opinions asked, outsiders analyze and decide
on a course of action
Collaborating
Local people work together with outsiders to
determine priorities. Responsibility remains with
outsiders for directing the process
Co-learning
Local people and outsiders share their knowledge
to create new understanding and work together to
form action plans, with outsider facilitation
Collective
action
Local people set their own agenda and mobilise to
carry it out, in the absence of outside initiators and
facilitators
Outsider
control
Potential
for sustaining
local action
and ownership
PRA principles
• Participatory
• Systems theory
• Teamwork
• Systematic practice, but flexible
• Indigenous Knowledge
• Semi-structured interviews (next page)
Semi-structured interviews
• Open-ended, interactive and informal
• Protocol
• Probing
• Successive iteration
• Triangulation
• Creative/optimal ignorance
• Attitude
PRA tools / exercises
• Facilitate communication and reflection
• easy, fun, participation
• visual
• not technique-led
• combine with SSI approach
• sequence of large groups (participation) to
key informants (gaps, sensitive topics)
Diagrams
• generate ideas
• sensitive topics
• oral and visual
•
•
cultures
memory
care for visual
perception differences
Image from IIRR. 1996. Recording and using indigenous knowledge.
Mapping
•
•
•
•
locations
relationships
legend, direction
historical maps
Image from IIRR. 1996. Recording and using indigenous knowledge.
Transects
• uni-dimensional map
• section by section
(systematic, much
information)
Image from IIRR. 1996. Recording and using indigenous knowledge.
Matrices
• Various characteristics
•
for various items
(comparisons)
qualitative
(preferences) or
quantitative (proxies)
information
Image from IIRR. 1996. Recording and using indigenous knowledge.
Sorting and ranking
• Direct (matrix, pile)
• Ranking better than sorting for analysis
• Pairwise or triadic comparisons: reveal
inconsistencies, but longer (only for small
numbers of items)
– n! / g! (n-g!) with n: number of items, g:
groups of comparison
• n=5, g=2,3: 10 comparisons needed
• n=10, g=2: 45 comparisons needed
• n=10, g=3: 120 comparisons needed
Selection of respondents
• Description of population: (stratified)
random selection
• Key informants (specialists of specific
topics): targeted selection
Image from IIRR.
1996. Recording
and using
indigenous
knowledge.