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Appendix 12. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) comprises a set of techniques aimed at sharedlearning between local people and outsiders. The term itself is misleading because moreand more PRA is being used not only in rural settings, and not only for project appraisal,but throughout the project cycle, as well as for research studies. Indeed, the term PRA isone of many labels for similar participatory assessment approaches, the methodologies ofwhich overlap considerably. It is probably more useful to consider the key principles behindPRA and its associated techniques, rather than the name per se, when assessing itsappropriateness to a particular situation.http://www.snvworld.org/cds/rgMRD/rural-development/rra-pra_1.htmThere are five key principles that form the basis of any PRA activity no matter what theobjectives or setting:1. Participation. PRA relies heavily on participation by the communities, as the method isdesigned to enable local people to be involved, not only as sources of information, but aspartners with the PRA team in gathering and analysing the information.2. Flexibility. The combination of techniques that is appropriate in a particular developmentcontext will be determined by such variables as the size and skill mix of the PRA team, thetime and resources available, and the topic and location of the work.3. Teamwork. Generally, a PRA is best conducted by a local team (speaking the locallanguages) with a few outsiders present, a significant representation of women, and a mixof sector specialists and social scientists, according to the topic.4. Optimal ignorance. To be efficient in terms of both time and money, PRA work intends togather just enough information to make the necessary recommendations and decisions.5. Systematic. As PRA-generated data in their original form are seldom conducive tostatistical analysis (given its largely qualitative nature and relatively small sample size),alternative ways have been developed to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings.These include sampling based on approximate stratification of the community bygeographic location or relative wealth, and cross-checking, that is using a number oftechniques to investigate views on a single topic (including through a final communitymeeting to discuss the findings and correct inconsistencies).A new version of PRA comprises quantification of qualitative data so that at programmelevel, statistical analysis becomes possible. More useful websites can be found athttp://www.snvworld.org/cds/rgMRD/rural-development/rra-pra_1.htmPRA makes use of a “basket of techniques” through which from which those mostappropriate for the project context can be selected. The central part of any PRA is semistructuredinterviewing (http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/impact/methods/semi-structured)90 Hygiene promotion