Rapid Rural Appraisal and Participatory Rural Appraisal

120 Pages·2008·0.63 MB·English

Rapid
Rural
Appraisal
(RRA)
aanndd
Participatory
Rural
Appraisal
(PRA)
A M anual for CRS Field Workers
and Partners
by Karen Schoonmaker Freudenberger
228 W. Lexington Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3443
www.crs.org
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i

About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ii

VOLUME I

Part I:

An Introduction to Information Gathering, Participatory Research,

and RRA and PRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Part II:

How to Put Together an RRA or PRA to do Field Research . . . . . . .15

Part III:

The Tools and Techniques Used to Gather Information in

RRA and PRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Postscript:

Maintaining Flexibility, Creativity, and

Your Sense of Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

VOLUME II

Part I:

Using RRA and PRA for Sectoral Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Part II:

Case Studies from the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Jindra Cekan, of Catholic Relief Services,
who is the inspiration behind this manual and who patiently but
persistently shepherded it through the process. She was integrally
involved at all stages, from the earliest conceptualization to the final
details of publication, and contributed many perceptive editing
comments along the way. Robb Davis of CRS was also particularly
helpful in providing feedback and contributions from his extensive field
experience with these methodologies. Creative Services at CRS and
Lynne Bensarghin were also helpful in producing this manual.
Some parts of Volume I of this manual were prepared under contract
with Africare. Africare and Judy Bryson’s willingness to collaborate with
CRS in the broader dissemination of these ideas is greatly appreciated.
This publication was made possible through support provided by the
office of Food for Peace, Bureau for Humanitarian Response, United
States Agency for International Development, under the terms of Grant
No. FAO-0801-G-3034-00. The opinions expressed herein are those of
CRS and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for
International Development.
i
About this Manual

Intended Audience: CRS field staff, partners, and those who support them at headquarters.
Purpose: To familiarize users with RRA and PRA methods, to demonstrate the applicability of these
methods to CRS funded projects, and to encourage the rigorous application of the methods
in order to obtain the best results.
Organization of the Manual: This manual is organized into two volumes. Each volume is
then divided into several parts.
Volume I
Volume I addresses the generic use of RRA and PRA in development projects. The information
here is relevant to people working in any sector. It is divided into three parts as follows:
Part I offers a brief introduction to these participatory, qualitative methods and how they fit into the
spectrum of research methodologies.
Part II discusses how RRA and PRA are used in practice, looking first at the methodological principles
and then outlining each step in carrying out an RRA or PRA.
Part III introduces a sample of the tools and techniques that are used to gather information in these
methods.
Volume II

Volume II focuses on the use of these methods to address specific sectoral concerns. It is
divided into two parts.
Part I focuses on five sectors (Agricultural/NRM, Microfinance, Health, Education and Food Security)
in which CRS anticipates using RRA or PRA, discussing how these methods might be adapted
to specific sectoral needs. Each section outlines the types of information that typically need to
be addressed in projects working in that sector and gives examples of the ways that RRA or
PRA tools would be used to get that information.
Part II will eventually offer sample case studies of how RRA or PRA has been used in different sectors.
This part of the manual will grow as relevant case studies are produced in your projects. The
first case study is from a food security study in Kenya.
Caveats:The reader should be aware that a manual such as this one cannot make you an expert in
RRA or PRA. That can only happen by actually using the methods in the field, ideally after
working with an experienced practitioner on one or more cases. One characteristic of these
methods is that they are flexible and creative. A standard recipe for implementation simply
does not work. Therefore, while the methodological principles outlined here should be
accorded considerable respect, the examples of tools and their applications are just that:
examples to stimulate your thinking and ideas. They should not be treated as specific
recommendations for how you should use the tools.
ii
CP4
Volume I:

Introduction,
Field Research and
Methodology
Table of Contents Volume I

Part I:

An Introduction to Information Gathering, Participatory Research,

and RRA and PRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Information in Development Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

The Need for Information in Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

There are Many Ways to Gather Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Participatory vs. Top-Down Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

RRA and PRA in the Spectrum of Research Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

An Introduction to RRA and PRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Anticipated Use of These Methods in CRS Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Part II:

How to Put Together an RRA or PRA to do Field Research . . . . . . . . . .15

Methodological Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Triangulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

How to Triangulate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Monitoring Bias During the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Behavior and Attitudes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

The Mechanics of Preparing the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Putting Together the Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Setting Study Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Site Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Carrying out the Field Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

RRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Managing the Time in the Field (The Whole Field Study) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Managing the Time in the Field (One Day of the Study) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

PRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Maintaining a Participatory Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

The PRA Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Analysis and Report Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Documenting the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

The RRA Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Oral Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Village Log Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Part III:

The Tools and Techniques Used to Gather Information in

RRA and PRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

An Introduction to the Use of RRA/PRA Tools and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Adapting the Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Interviewing the Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Preparing the Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Using the Tools in an RRA or a PRA mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Sequencing of Tools and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Selecting Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Conducting the Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Note Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Semi-Structured Interviewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Participatory Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Transect Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

Venn Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Wealth Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Historical Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

Tools Specifically Useful in Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100

The Community Action Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Postscript: Maintaining Flexibility, Creativity, and

Your Sense of Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Scope of Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Where to Go for More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Part I:

An Introduction to

Project Information Needs,

Participatory Research,

and RRA and PRA

Information in Development Projects
The Need for Information in Projects
There are Many Ways to Gather Information
• Qualitative vs. Quantitative Methods
• Participatory vs. Top-Down Methods
• RRA and PRA in the Spectrum of Research Methods
An Introduction to RRA and PRA
RRA
PRA
Anticipated Use of These Methods in CRS Projects
1