Participatory Rural Appraisal

Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is a term used to describe the ever-expanding toolbox of approaches and methods that aim to empower and involve local people in decision making and planning for their future. PRA emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a synthesis of the traditions and techniques of participatory research, whose historical origins lay within applied anthropology and natural resource management. However, it significantly developed most directly from rapid rural appraisal (RRA), a series of techniques that were used by development practitioners and researchers to rapidly collect and analyze data in rural areas. RRA was more extractive by nature, resulting in the emergence of PRA in response to a call for more participatory techniques to enable and empower local people to take control over their own situation. PRA approaches and methods involve local people collecting and analyzing data in projects that are facilitated (rather than controlled) by outsiders. It represents a shift in development thinking from top-down, authoritative approaches to bottom-up planning.

The term participatory rural appraisal is somewhat misleading, as PRA approaches can be just as applicable within an urban setting. PRA techniques and methods include, but are by no means limited to, mapping exercises, timelines, cartoons, matrix ranking, diagrammatic representations, and seasonal calendars. These techniques and methods are often broadly grouped into those related to (a) space, that is, the environment in which people are situated; (b) time, that is, time-related dimensions of people's existence; and (c) the relationships within and between various aspects of community life. The focus of PRA is more on the level of engagement with the participants and the attitudes and behaviors of the practitioners involved than the actual techniques themselves. PRA is not prescriptive, but rather, it consists of a range of techniques that are used flexibly and can be adapted for the local context in which they are applied.

PRA emphasizes local knowledge, providing a mechanism by which communities can participate in and direct research agendas. This has resulted in the wide appeal and spread of PRA, particularly throughout the developing world. However, critics point out that while the approaches and techniques draw on local knowledge and experience, the process of identifying these data is carried out through Western theoretical and methodological frameworks. This can contribute to the development of uneven power relations between participants and facilitators and has been referred to as the tyranny of participation. The limitations and ethical issues of PRA can vary in their significance depending on the experience of facilitators and on the support of the wider community.