PRA-Manual Embracing Participitation tools-only.pdf - PACA

3.22 EMBRACING PARTICIPATION IN DEVELOPMENT: Wisdom from the Field
1.17.3 Analytical
Proper analysis of information generated is crucial for the success of a participatory
appraisal (as also in monitoring the implementation of activities during the
implementation phase). Analysis should be understood as a continuous process
of reviewing information, classifying, and verifying it before any conclusions are
drawn. The first level of analysis is with the community itself. Very often visual
outputs prepared by the community are not probed enough. Outputs have to be
‘interviewed’. A discussion must follow a visual presentation.
Information given by only one group or individual should never be taken as
applicable for the community as a whole. Triangulation is very important before
any results can be finalized.
It is important to remember that a participatory appraisal is an incremental
process. Results from one set of analyses have to be linked to the analyses carried
out earlier and that will be facilitated in the later stages. The role of the facilitators
is important during this second level of analysis. While most facilitators are,
with practice, able to master the use of methods in the field and in facilitating
participatory appraisals, many find it very difficult to analyze the huge quantity of
information that such a process can generate.
1.17.4 Process related
Very often PLA is understood to be synonymous with ‘rapid’.
This is a myth. A participatory process takes time to develop
and evolve. A map or a matrix ranking exercise may take less
than an hour for the community to prepare, but this is only a
small step towards developing a participatory process.
Part 3
A group of girls working on a visual analysis. Zambia
Another common misconception is that of achieving a
participatory process by merely facilitating a participatory
appraisal with a community. It has been mentioned several
times here that a participatory appraisal is only the beginning
of a participatory process. Without following up the appraisal
by the preparation of a community plan and its implementation
in a participatory manner, the process is only half-baked. Methods, it must
be repeated yet again, are only a means to facilitate a participatory process.