Manual - Participatory rapid diagnosis and action ... - FAO.org

PRDA Manual 5Chapter 2Overview of procedureThe three main components of the PRDA are: (1) preparation; (2) diagnosis(situation analysis) of the scheme; and, (3) planning of solutions to improveirrigation performance (Figure 2). The following pages will describe thesesteps in more detail.Step 1: Preparation1A - Identify and consult with stakeholdersRapid assessments can only be successful if the farming community trusts theinstitutions and/or team members who will conduct the diagnosis. It is alsoimportant to involve farmers from the very first stages to ensure that they do notfeel the findings of the PRDA are being imposed on them from outside.A very important first step for the PRDA is to seek farmers’ permissionand interest in having a Rapid Diagnosis of their irrigation schemes.Farmers should know from the beginning what they can expect from theparticipating organizations.However, there is always the risk of raising expectations that cannot be met.Remember that farmers also evaluate you and they may exaggerate theirstories in the hope of getting extra assistance or because they are afraid ofhaving to pay more tax.Figure 2. Details of project learning cycle for a Rapid DiagnosisPreparationScheme datacollectionDiagnosisperformancePerformanceassessmentconstraintConstraintrankingConstraint constraintdescriptionSolution solutionidentificationidentificationPlanningImpact & cost-benefitassessmentAction planPRA -PRA -toolstoolsM&E plan