Occupational Standard: Forest Development and Utilization (Level III)

Module Title: Preparing community participatory plan

Definitions

Participation can be defined as the involvement of significant number of peoples in situations or

actions which enhance their well- being for instance their income, security, self esteem etc.

Other definitions for participation

- Participation is considered as a voluntary contribution by the people to one or another of

public programs supposed to contribute to national development.
- Participation is sensitizing people to increase the receptivity and ability of rural people to
respond to developmental programs.
- Participation includes the active involvement of people in decision making process,
implementing programs etc.
- The organized efforts to increase control over resources and regulate institutions.

Decentralization is a process of devolution of power, functions and finances to the local bodies
and communities.

The objective of decentralization is to improve resource allocation and service provision by

bringing decision making process closer to the citizens.

Participatory planning

- Is part of the decentralization process

- Aims to identify the critical problems, joint priorities, elaboration and adoption of socio-
economic development strategies.
- The process mainly involves: appraisal, needs identification, restitution, organization,
planning, implementation and evaluation.

Advantages of participatory planning

1. It creates feeling of ownership and builds a strong base for the intervention of the
community.
2. It ensures that the intervention will have more credibility in all segments of the
community because it was planned by a group representing all segments of the
community
3. Brings a broader range of people to the planning process which provides access to a
broader range of perspectives and ideas.

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 4. Avoids pitfalls, caused by ignorance of the realities of the community or the target
population.
5. It involves important players from the outset.
6. It can provide an opportunity for often disentranced groups to be heard and teach the
community that they have important things to say.
7. It teaches skills which last far beyond the planning process and can help to improve the
community over the long term.
8. It can bring together and establish ties among community members who might normally
have no contact.
9. It builds trust, both between your organization and the community and among the
individuals involved.
10. Generally reflects the mission and goals of grass roots and community – based
organizations.
11. It implies respect for everyone in the community, and thus sets a standard for community
participation and empowerment that other organizations and the community at large may
feel compelled to follow.
12. It is believed to be effective as it includes the values and perspectives of every one
affected by the intervention.
13. It does things the way they should be done.

Disadvantages of participatory planning approach

1. It takes longer time.

2. Members of the target population or the community may not agree with the “experts”
about what is needed.
3. Lots of education may be needed to convince community members and the organization.
4. One determined individual can wreck the whole process if he is not handled well.
5. It may be difficult to assure that all the right peoples get to the table.
6. It takes patience and commitment on every one’s part.

Conducting socioeconomic survey

- Quantitive vs qualitative
- Formal vs informal

Conducting Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA/RRA)

i. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)

- Evolved from Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) – a set of informal techniques used by
development practitioners in rural areas to collect and analyze data.
- Enable local people to make their own appraisal, analysis and plans.
- Efficient in terms of both time and money.

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 - Facilitate collection and analysis of information by and for community members.
- Used to identify, formulate, implement, monitor and evaluate projects.
- An investigation tool of the rural realities.
- A family of approaches and methods to enable rural people to present share and analyze
their knowledge of life and conditions to plan and act.
- Emerged as an alternative to the two common qualitative methods:
a) Questionnaires – which often proved lengthy, costly and prone to errors?
b) Rushed site visits by researchers to collect haphazard data from local elites
(PRA uses a combination both the above methods)

Major techniques used in PRA

1. Secondary data reviews

2. Observation
3. Semi- structured interview
4. Analytical game - a quick game to find out a group’s list of priorities performances,
ranking, scoring or stratification
5. Stories and portraits
6. Diagrams
7. Workshops

PRA has three pillars

- Unlearn your self

- Use your own best judgment at all times
- Do it your self

Scope of PRA

PRA tools and techniques could be used at all levels of project formulation and implementation.

Practical tips while administering PRA

- Do not lecture. Look, listen and learn.

- Facilitate: do not dominate; do not interrupt or interfere once a talk is initiated, let people
get on with it; give them time to think or discuss among themselves.
- Embrace error. To make error is human.
- Try to obtain opinions from all groups.
- Relax, do not rush.
- Meet people when it suits them.
- Use six helpers: what, why, who, how, where and when

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 ii. Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) – can be defined as a qualitative survey methodology
using a multi-discipline team to formulate problems for research and development.
It is a family of approaches and methods to enable rural people to present share and
analyze their knowledge of life and conditions to plan and act.

Characteristics of RRA

- Rapid
- Eclectic
- Holistic (free)
- Interactive
- Interdisciplinary
- Cost effective
- Shared perspective
- More realistic

The RRA tools kit includes:-

1. Triangulation – a method of linking different survey methods in order to cross – check

the information collected from each method.
2. Observation
3. Semi-structured interviews
a. Informal conversational interview – there is no pre-determination of question topics
or wording. Data organization and analysis is difficult for this method.
b. Interview guide approach – topics and issues to be covered are specified in advance,
outline form and interviewer decides sequences.
4. Wealth ranking
5. Preference ranking – ranks the preference of individuals
6. Transect walk

Characteristics of RRA

1. Iterative
2. Innovative
3. Interactive
4. Informal
5. In the community

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RRA and PRA are often interchangeably used. However, there is a difference, which has to be
understood properly.

RRA
Information is extracted by outsiders
(professionals)
Professionals go to rural areas, obtain
information and then bring it away to process
and analyze
Collected information is owned by
professionals and often not shared with rural
people
Helps the outsider to have a better, more
sympathetic understanding of rural life, thus
improving his/her decisions.
PRA
Information is owned and shared by local
people
Professionals go to rural areas; they facilitate
rural people in collection, presentation and
analysis of information by themselves.
The information is owned by rural people but
usually shared with professionals.
Empowers the local community to analyze its
situation and to improve its decisions.

Individual Assignment

Give short and precise answer to the following questions.

1. Explain the similarities and differences between participation and decentralization.

2. The application of PRA is need to be ‘interactive’. What does this mean?
3. Explain the similarities and differences between PRA and RRA.
4. Explain the difference between wealth ranking and preference ranking of PRA
methods.
5. One characteristics of RRA is that it should be ‘interdisciplinary’. What does this mean?