Section 3: Reference Materials

Reference #6: Participatory Rural Appraisal1

PRA is a participatory assessment approach that involves local people in gathering and analyzing information. It is a combination of techniques and is usually conducted by local teams using local language. This approach does not attempt to gather comprehensive data – data are largely qualitative in nature, and the sample size is usually small. Cross-checking and stratified sampling are used to help ensure the validity and reliability of findings.

PRA uses a variety of techniques, including:

• semi-struc tured interviews
• focus groups
• mapping techniques, e.g., social maps that show population, poverty indicators, types of households, resource maps showing agriculture land, forests, etc., mobility maps
• trend analysis
• ranking exercises, e.g., ranking households according to economic well-being or wealth
• seasonal calendars that show what men and women do at different times of the year
• Venn diagrams that depict key institutions, organizations, etc.

Detailed information on PRA is found in Module #2 of this training package, Participatory Rural Appraisal.”

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