PRESENTATION ON

TOPIC:

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF PRA/PLA

PRESENTED BY:

GULZAR HUSSAIN

PIRAMAL FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION LEADERSHIP

 INGREDIENTS
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITIONS OF PRA/PLA
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PRA/PLA
CONCEPT OF PRA/PLA
PRINCIPLES OF PRA/PLA
TOOLS OF PRA/PLA
USE OF PRA/PLA
BENEFITS OF PRA/PLA
DANGERS AND LIMITATIONS OF PRA/PLA
CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION
Participatory techniques emphasize on the
importance of involving people i.e., people
participation for the betterment of society
through their involvement in implementation,
execution, monitoring and evaluation of
various developmental programs set by the
government.
DEFINITIONS OF PRA/PLA:
PRA (Participatory rural appraisal)

It is a methodology to involve rural community

by interacting with them and understanding
them along with their locality.

PLA (Participatory learning and action)

PLA is a one of the recent terminology in the
field of participatory technique . It is a
learning from community , collection of data
and carrying actions.
 HISTORY OF RRA/PRA/PLA
Farming system research (FSR)
DEVELOPMENT IN 1960s
Objective of FSR was to further research in the field of farming
system, analyse problem and plan research.

Rapid rural appraisal (RRA)

BEGAN IN THE LATE 1970s
(Rapid collection of data by outsiders to achieve a more
comprehensive understanding of the complexity of rural societies)
 Rapid rural appraisal (RRA)

Participatory rural appraisal (PRA)

DEVELOPED IN1980s
(Development of tools that helped farmers to collect,
analyze, and present their own data and information)

Participatory learning and action (PLA)

(Participation should not only be limited to rural
appraisals and the approach has learning for action
as its basic essence)
 CONCEPT OF PRA/PLA
A PRA/PLA field exercise is not only for information
and idea generation, but it is about analysis and
learning by local people.
It is about building a process of participation, of
discussion, communication, and conflict resolution.
The outsider’s role is that of a catalyst, a facilitator,
and convenor of that process within a community
RRA/PRA/PLA therefore basically aims at a process
that empowers local people to change their own
conditions and situations. It is intended to enable
them to conduct their own analysis to plan and to
take action.
 PRINCIPLES OF PRA/PLA

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

INTERDICIPLINARY TEAM

FLEXIBILITY

OPTIMAL IGNORANCE

TRIANGULATION
 TOOLS OF PRA/PLA
SOCIAL MAPPING (Resource & Threat)

TRANSECT WALK

TREND ANALYSIS

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE CHARTS (Wealth Ranking)

CHAPATI DIAGRAM

SEASONALITY DIAGRAM
 BANK COMMUNITY
POLICIES
AWARENESS

PANCHYAT
SHG
GHAR

ROADS & RATION

LANES SHOPS

AANGANWA
DI

GOVT. REGIST.
DOCTORS
SCHOOL
FUNCTIONING

CHAPPATI DIAGRAM
PRA/PLA CAN BE USED FOR:
General analysis of a specific topic,
question, or problem;
Needs assessment;
Identification and establishment of priorities
for development or research activities;
Monitoring and evaluation of development or
research activities; and
Identification of conflicting interests between
groups.
BENEFITS OF PRA METHODS
Empowerment of the local people

Securing active involvement of the community

Creating a culture of open learning with each

other and with community members

Setting research priorities

Setting participatory extension program

Policy review
DANGERS AND LIMITATIONS OF
PRA/PLA
Difficulty in getting exact information
Difficulty in finding the right questions to ask
Not enough time to spend in the village
Danger of ‘rural development tourism’
Difficulty in finding the right interdisciplinary team
Lack of experience of team members,
particularly lack of skills in the field of
communication, facilitation, and conflict
negotiation
Team members do not show the right attitude,
fail to listen, and lack respect
DANGERS AND LIMITATIONS OF
PRA/PLA
Overlooking opinions and demands of women,
particularly by male team members
Lack of institutional support and an open learning
environment within organizations (centers, departments)
PRA becoming a fashionable label to satisfy public,
institutional, or donor expectations for ‘participatory’
approaches
Villagers are occupied with farm work
Villagers give unrealistic answers to receive more
support (sometimes be the village headman)
Actors involved in PRA research for action activities are
not neutral
 SOURCES

Books:
 Mukherji, Neela
Participatory Rural Appraisal: Methodology &
Applications
 Good, W. and Hatt, P
Methods in Social Research
 Das, D.K. Lal
Practice of Social Research: Social Work
Perspective.
PRA/PLA Is effective because it
seeks to understand the survival
strategy of the community, appraise
it and show ways to enhance the
capability of that effort to ensure
sustainability.