This presentation provides an overview of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and participatory learning and action (PLA). It discusses the definitions, history, concepts, principles, tools, uses, benefits, and limitations of PRA/PLA. PRA/PLA aim to empower local communities to analyze problems and plan/take action to change their own situations by facilitating participation, discussion, and learning between outsiders and community members. The presentation reviews methods like social mapping, trend analysis, and seasonal diagrams that are used in PRA/PLA.

1. PRESENTATION ON
TOPIC:
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF PRA/PLA
PRESENTED BY:
GULZAR HUSSAIN
PIRAMAL FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION LEADERSHIP

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. 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)

7. 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.

8. PRINCIPLES OF PRA/PLA
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
INTERDICIPLINARY TEAM
FLEXIBILITY
OPTIMAL IGNORANCE
TRIANGULATION

9. TOOLS OF PRA/PLA
SOCIAL MAPPING (Resource & Threat)
TRANSECT WALK
TREND ANALYSIS
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE CHARTS (Wealth Ranking)
CHAPATI DIAGRAM
SEASONALITY DIAGRAM

10. BANK COMMUNITY
POLICIES
AWARENESS
PANCHYAT
SHG
GHAR
ROADS & RATION
LANES SHOPS
AANGANWA
DI
GOVT. REGIST.
DOCTORS
SCHOOL
FUNCTIONING
CHAPPATI DIAGRAM

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.