FIMS3201 Fisheries Extension (Yeasin)
RRA and PRA
Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA)
☺ RRA refers to a discrete study (or series of studies) in one or more communities.
☺ These RRA studies typically last from four to eight days.
☺ During this period, a multidisciplinary team of researchers looks at a set of issues that are
clearly defined by the study objectives.
☺ The team works in close collaboration with community members, involving them in collecting
and analyzing information.
☺ The focus is generally on gathering information and ensuring that the data is as rich and
accurate as possible.
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
☺ Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is used by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
other agencies involved in international development.
☺ The approach aims to incorporate the knowledge and opinions of rural people in the planning
and management of development projects and programs.
A Comparison of RRA and PRA
POTENTIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RRA AND PRA
RRA PRA
• Responding to the needs of development • Responding to the needs of communities
workers and agencies and target groups
• More emphasis on efficient use of time & • More emphasis on flexibility to adapt to the
achievement of objectives time frame of community
• • Communication and learning tools help local
Communication and learning tools help outsiders
people analyze their conditions and
analyze conditions and understand local people.
communicate with outsiders.
• • The focus of PRA is decided by
The focus of RRA was decided by outsiders.
communities.
• End product mainly used by development • End product mainly used by community
agencies and outsiders
• Enables development agencies and institutions • Enables (empowers) communities to make
to be more “participatory.” demands on development agencies and
institutions
• It can be used purely for “research” purposes • It is closely linked to action or intervention
without necessarily linking to subsequent action and requires immediate support for decisions
or intervention. and conclusions reached by communities
due to the PRA.
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FIMS3201 Fisheries Extension (Yeasin)
Origin of PRA
➢ PRA has been evolved from RRA (Rapid Rural Appraisal)
➢ In the mid-’80s, the necessity of participation in rural development became evident, and
the term PRA was born
➢ The understanding of PRA mainly came from the field rather than academia
➢ PRA primarily 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 help to the success of PRA
Principles of PRA
1) Empowerment: The authority to local people through decentralization and confidence building
2) Self-critical awareness: Mistakes are lessons to learn and to do better next time
3) Personal responsibility: The belongingness and ownership to the participants
4) Sharing: To discuss and argue about ideas in an open forum with all stakeholder
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FIMS3201 Fisheries Extension (Yeasin)
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 is 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.
Three Pillars of PRA
Role Clarity
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FIMS3201 Fisheries Extension (Yeasin)
Must be done
Stay in the village along with the villagers
Learn to unlearn by staying with the people, by more listening and less of talking
Establish a rapport with the people
Organize do-it-yourself to start the fieldwork. This will involve the team in trying their hands
at everyday local activities
Choose a place in consultation with the people where men, women, and people from different
sections of the community can gather and participate
Create an open and enabling atmosphere to encourage participation
Start and build up interaction and dialogue gradually
Meet the people at their convenience. Ensure that the team from outside is multidisciplinary
Decide the role of each member of the team from outside
Cultivate the attitude of letting people set agenda
Informally ask open-ended questions. Resort to the six helpers of PRA: What? When?
Where? Who? How? Why?
Use locally available materials in all PRA exercises.
Be humble in your approach and respect the local people, culture, customs, and way of life.
Be flexible in your system.
Be active participation in all the PRA deliberation.
Be aware of the conflicts, if any; positively deal with them.
Be conscious of the silent and invisible people in the village.
Be sensitive to the feelings of the people.
Be careful about your body language.
Think about the possible sequences of methods used before leaving for the field.
Share your knowledge with the people.
Hand over the stick.
Must be prohibited
Don’t fail to listen closely.
Don’t ask leading questions
Don’t ask intensive questions.
Don’t fail to probe into issues.
Don’t fail to judge the responses.
Don’t interrupt.
Don’t dominate.
Don’t lecture.
Don’t personalize cases.
Don’t make false promises.
Don’t be arrogant and obsessive.
Don’t be judgmental.
Don’t use tricky language.
Don’t decide; instead, facilitate the people to decide.
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FIMS3201 Fisheries Extension (Yeasin)
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FIMS3201 Fisheries Extension (Yeasin)
A social mapping
☺ A social mapping provides a basis for household listings and indicates population, social group,
health, and other household characteristics.
☺ This can lead to critical informants’ identification and discussions with them.
Procedures
☺ Find the members of the community who know and who are willing to be a part of it
☺ Take a walk with the participants and establish compass direction at the boundaries of the
village areas
☺ Explain the purpose of the exercise to the participants and request them to start. Leave them
to use whatever materials they choose
☺ Watch the process alertly. Listen to the discussions carefully
☺ Take notes in as much detail as possible
☺ Do not rush things. Avoid chipping in. Try to hand over the stick to them
☺ Observe who is actively involved. Encourage and facilitate others who are not able to say
anything
☺ Once the mapping is over, ask them to identify their houses on the map
☺ Number the households and mark different families according to the need
☺ Triangulate the information generated with others in the locality
Resource Map
A resource map is mainly drawn to present information on:
➢ Land, water, and tree resources
➢ Land used, land and soil types
➢ Cropping pattern
➢ Land and water management etc
Focus Group Discussion
☺ Purpose – To collect general information about an issue from a small group of selected people
through open group discussion.
☺ The facilitator needs to facilitate the discussion by probing questions and getting relevant
answers.
Transect Walk
Transect walking is a participatory process of walking with the community, almost dissecting the
village to understand the soil, water, habitat, problems, and opportunities at the community level.
Seasons make a significant impact on rural lives.
The livelihood, farm activities, festivals, marriages occur in different seasons, and the lives of the
people also change and get affected in different seasons.
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FIMS3201 Fisheries Extension (Yeasin)
SWOT ANALYSIS
To understand and identify the
1. Strength
2. Weakness
3. Opportunities
4. Threats
About a project or group.
Venn diagram
A Venn diagram is a method that shows.
• the key institution, organization, or,
•Groups as well as influential individuals in a village and
•Their relationships and importance in direction making. A Venn diagram can be
prepared on the ground, on a large sheet of paper, or on a blackboard.
