Description of suitable PRA Tools for PLUP

Participatory Rural Appraisal or PRA is a way of enabling local (rural and urban) people to analyse their living conditions, to share the outcomes and to plan their activities. It's a "handing over the stick to the insider" in methods and action. The outsider's role is that of a catalyzer, a facilitator and convenor of processes within a community, which is prepared to alter their situation.

In the context of PLUP several RRA/PRA tools are used in order to ascertain needs and analyse the present situation, to establish priorities for required changes, to study specific topics e.g. in forestry or fishery, to identify conflicting interests between groups and to conduct monitoring and evaluation exercises.

The following main PRA Tools commonly used in PLUP and already practiced in Cambodia will be briefly described in this annex:

• Semi-Structured Interviews
• Options for Wealth Ranking/Poverty Assessment
• Ranking Exercises
• Village Resource Maps
• Mobility and Conflict Maps
• Other Mapping Exercises
• Transect Walk
• Trend Analysis
• Venn Diagrams
• Dream Mapping

Current state of experience with PRA tools by some NRM Projects in Cambodia

1. Oral Histories

Oral histories are an excellent entry tool for village-level discussions, as people are often eager to share their history and elders are respected within Khmer culture. Although key informants in this activity are often village elders, younger people can listen, and often also have valuable information to contribute to these discussions.

Important notes to the facilitator:

• Allow the Elders to share their general story before asking specific details;
• Show respect to Elders;
• Gather a group of other community members around so that others can learn from these experiences (this information is often not shared).

2. Semi-Structured Interviews

Formal interviews, with a prescribed set of questions often allow for little flexibility and make both participants and facilitators uncomfortable; on the other hand, a completely informal discussion means that it is often difficult to compile information as facilitators only gather bits and pieces. It is useful to brainstorm with a team of facilitators prior to fieldwork about the types of information that is useful to the project and the types of information useful at the village level.

Semi-structured interviews (SSI) is one of the most important tools which could be used extensively at various stages of PRA exercises. The way it differs from the structured traditional interviewing is in its informality. Although no structured schedule or formal questionnaire is used in this kind of interviewing, a flexible outline of the discussion points are kept in mind. As the interview progresses the questions are formulated and asked by the interviewer keeping in view the central theme of discussion. A good SSI is more a discussion than an interview in which the interviewer steers the process without imposing.

The semi-structured interview could be of different types like individual interview, group interview, focus group discussion or interview of key informant(s).

Before the SSI:

• The topic of discussion and the specific areas of questions should be determined and discussed among the team members before the beginning of the interview.

During the SSI:

• Set the climate by asking some general questions like on any recent incident or the weather.
• Select a suitable place for a comfortable discussion.
• Gradually bring in the topic of discussion.
• Always ask open-ended questions and try to avoid closed, suggestive or leading questions.
• Avoid irrelevant and very sensitive questions.
• Listen carefully, be patient, try to understand various reasonings on any particular point.
• Use the 7 helpers: what?, when?, who?, why?, how?, which? and where?
• Do not interrupt or suggest or lecture and always be respectful.
• Do not ask more than one question at a time.
• No member of the team should leave abruptly during the process of interviewing.
• The interviewer and the interviewee(s) should sit in a mixed group in one place, and do not polarize the sitting arrangements of outsiders and insiders.
• Change gradually from one topic to the other.
• Take detailed notes of all information and record it as it has been said, without giving your own meaning.
• Head nodding in agreement or in disagreement should be avoided.
• Use local language or local dialect as much as possible.
• Make sure that the major information provided is probed and cross-checked.
• Thank the people for providing information.

3. Wealth Ranking and Poverty Assessment

Wealth ranking is a PRA technique that is used to understand the economic profile and well-being of the villagers. It is with this technique the team learns more about different wealth and poverty groups in the community, about better-off, middle and poor farmers, landless people and female-headed households.

The main idea is that villagers use their own knowledge and criteria to do the ranking and outsiders can understand the way the villagers interpret the economic status of each family living in the village.

One option is to ask villagers to draw a simple village map, showing some roads, paths and water courses for orientation, the Wat and then the location of all houses in the village as a small empty square. After discussion of the main poverty criteria applied by the local population, the villagers are asked to mark the houses of the better-off families in one colour, those of the poor in another colour and the remaining houses of the average or medium families in a third colour. It is useful to list all the criteria applied on the side of the map.

Furthermore, the social map can be used to mark those houses with people having a special function (e.g. village chief etc.), families having shops or rice mills etc. or families with relatives abroad etc. by the use of special symbols, which should then be explained in a legend.

Wealth ranking can be done by using cards. Villagers write the names of all families living in the village on a card (one card for each family) and rank them. Then ask the villagers to group the families in the village in terms of their wealth. Villager would develop suitable criteria for this purpose.

In the end there will be three or four piles of cards representing different family groups. This information can be cross-checked by doing the same exercise with different groups of villagers at different locations.

4. Ranking Exercises

The PMMR Project in Koh Kong Province has used ranking exercises in a series of different manners. For example, after villagers have examined different issues pertaining to the environment, they are asked to rank these issues in order of importance. Ranking exercises help to prioritise goals and actions. It is essential that priorities are identified so that work can be begun to address relevant issues. For example, in the case of village-level management planning, a number of areas near the village were identified for mangrove replanting. These areas were then ranked according to a selected criteria (written by villagers) and a replanting and monitoring program began.

Important notes to the facilitator:

• In order for a ranking exercise to really be effective, issues must be first clearly identified and discussed. Only once participants have a clear understanding of the issue can something be ranked;
• Ranking is useful when helping a community begin working on an issue i.e. if a community is working on resource management and has identified three areas of interest (enforcement, replanting, water supply) then they can use a ranking exercise to decide on the area that is most important;
• Remember to ask WHY something was ranked the way it was (this is very useful information).

Example: Matrix ranking on useful tree species

5. Village Resource Maps

This can be a very useful and central techniques for developing participatory land use plans or a plan for natural resources management. The map drawn by the villagers will help outsiders to understand the geographic and administrative boundaries, roads, settlement areas as well as forests, upland areas, rangeland, ponds/lakes, rivers/streams and their local names.

Before:

• Decide what sort of map will be drawn and for what purpose.
• Have sufficient discussion on the exercise amongst the facilitators before beginning.
• Try to involve a good number of villagers to prepare the map.
• Either use paper, colour markers or natural materials such as stones, wood, seeds etc.

During:

• Ask the villagers to draw the map of their own village area in a suitable place which is convenient for all villagers.
• Allow the villagers to draw the map in their own style indicating boundaries, roads, water resources, settlement areas, forests, grassland, flooded areas, crop land etc.
• Don't interrupt from outside. Don't take over and draw the map yourselves.
• There could be 5-6 or more villagers preparing the map of the village at the same time. The more participation of villagers the better the quality of the map would be. When the group of villagers finish their work of drawing the map, ask others if they would like to add something.

If a historical village map (see below) was prepared, compare the two maps: What has changed? Why?

6. Mobility and Conflict Maps

This is a very important tool to understand about outside users and use of resources by villagers outside their own area. Once again a map of the village area is drawn by villagers.

Then the facilitators ask: Which areas outside your village area do you use e.g. for firewood collection, construction wood, fishing, hunting etc.? Name all the natural resources used outside the village area and draw them on the village sketch map! Draw darts to indicate the direction! Ask: who is going there?( e.g. men or women, entire families etc.) And how many villagers go?

Which areas inside your village are also used by other villagers/outsiders? Describe these areas and their use and draw darts pointing from the outside to these areas! Ask: who is coming there? ( e.g. men or women, entire families etc.) And how many villagers come?

In case this use of land and resources by outsiders is considered a problem and use conflicts have emerged, ask villagers to mark the areas with red flashes or other signs.

7. Other Mapping Exercises

Mapping work helps to identify and analyze the distribution of and the relationships between specific resources or features; sometimes it can be very useful to look back at the situation of land and resources use several years ago. Whoever is participating in this exercise is asked to think back to what village life was like "before" ("before" can be as far back as the group, collectively, can remember). Often it makes sense to begin with drawing a map of "now", identifying important land use patterns/features, and then drawing a second map of "then". Having two maps enables the groups to discuss changes in land use and resource use over time.

Important questions by the facilitator to all participants:

• How is the village today different from before?
• What lessons can be learned from resource use and management in the past?
• What historical information needs to be taken into account for current land-use planning?

A suitable participatory tool to identify the peoples' vision of their village area is called dream mapping. The PLUP team would in this case distribute paper and colour markers to representatives of several sub-groups in a village, some old people, men and women, children, different ethnic groups etc. Then the selected people are asked to draw a picture or a map of their village and the village area, as they would wish to have it in 5-10 years from now. After these "dream maps" have been presented by the "artists", the role of the PLUP team is to moderate a discussion on the pictures and to support villagers in developing a common vision on the future of their village area. Finally, the implications of their conclusions on land use within the area are summarized.

8. Transect Walks

A transect walk by a PLUP team across the village with villagers helps them to develop a clear idea on the natural resources, present land use, vegetation, changes in the physical features and cropping systems, etc. in the village area. They can share with the community a wide range of information and their indigenous practices. A transect walk is useful to the PRA team to have direct observations on the village resources and to triangulate data already collected through other tools.

Before:

• Select a group of villagers who have good knowledge on physical resources of the village and who are willing to participate in the transect walk.
• Discuss with these villagers on the basis of the village resources map which route they would like to follow in the walk. Think carefully and plan what you want to see during the walk.
• Distribute responsibilities for recording information among the members of the PLUP team, by topics. The members of the team can also share responsibilities for activities such as interviewing, collection of samples, time keeping, sketching and recording.

During:

• Observe and record in detail all important things that you come across and get as much information as possible from the villagers.
• When talking to the villagers feel free to use the six helpers: when, what, how, where, why and who.
• Make notes of all vital information you gather and draw sketches wherever necessary.
• You need not necessarily adhere to the original route of the transect. Deviate from the route from time to time to observe the surrounding area and gather any relevant and usefulinformation.
• Travel slowly and patiently and try to understand the physical features in the village from different perspectives

After:

• After the completion of a transect walk, sit down in a suitable place with the villagers to have a discussion and recording of information and data collected.
• Prepare an illustrative diagram of the transect walk using the information already gathered.Get the information cross-checked by other villagers.

9. Trend Analysis

A trend analysis matrix helps to analyse and discuss the changes of various parameters over time. Usually the parameters or "topics" should be proposed by the villagers themselves and the PLUP team can add their ideas.

The facilitating team should make sure that some old people are in the group and should start with easy topics, like population, rainfall or flooding, then move to the changes in natural resources.

Example: Changes and trends in village ………..

Discuss the changes and trends and draw conclusions. Then ask for the reasons for these changes and discuss what could be done to change the negative trends.

10. Venn Diagram

This PRA technique helps outsiders to understand the importance attached to different organisations inside and outside the village by the villagers. It reveals the impact of these organisations, the extent of overlap and the influence exerted in the village as perceived by the villagers.

While using this simple techniques villagers allot different sizes of paper discs for different organisations and also adjust the distance of the paper discs from the village depending upon its relative influence or closeness to the villagers needs.

During the preparation of the venn diagram the villagers often find it easier to concentrate on any particular type of organisation at a time, such as, all village organisations, all service providers, all projects or all credit organisations. It is often useful to prepare venn diagrams separately by women and by men groups.

Before:

• Cut paper discs of different sizes and keep them ready. Alternatively, villagers can draw the circles of different sizes directly onto large white paper sheets.
• Carry large paper sheets and markers.
• Select a suitable place and set the climate for a frank discussion.
• Invite people from all sections of the village to participate in the discussion, then separate them into a women and a men group.
• Decide the entry topic before, e.g. village organisations.

During:

• Ask the villagers to make a list of all the institutions functioning in the area according tothe categories, e.g. government organizations, village organizations, NGO projects etc.
• Ask the villagers to draw a circle on the large paper sheet denoting their village.
• Ask them to choose or draw a large disc for an important and a smaller one for a less important institution (as they feel), write the name of the institution on the circles and position the paper discs or circles around that. The paper circles may or may not overlap. The distance of the paper circle from the centre will denote the intensity of involvement or importance of that particular institution in the village.

• Allow them to change the position of the paper discs if they want to, e.g. after a second round of discussion. A complex diagram will emerge.
• At the end of the participatory exercise ask the villagers to paste the discs on the paper sheet.

Note: the distance of a paper disc from the circle representing the village does not mean geographical distance.

After:

• Try to understand the relationship of these organisations with the villagers from the diagram.

• Record the findings. Record differences of views between men and women, rich and poor people in the village.

• Conflicts and frictions in the village amongst different inside organisations or with outside organisations will come to the surface and will be very valuable knowledge for the actual planning process and future work.

11. Modelling

An example from the PMMR Project Koh Kong: Modelling a coastal community

Mapping is a common tool used to illustrate the conditions in a coastal community. The facilitators introduce a "variation" of the mapping activity, which is the three-dimensional clay modelling.

This exercise can be made in place of mapping because the participants are given more room for creativity and expression of their thoughts on the conditions of coastal resources. Instead of clay, the participants could also use a mixture of sand, stones and wood to represent the various land units.

Important questions to the facilitator:

• What are the resources in the community that are perceived to be important?
• Are people regarded as resources? Why or why not?
• What are some of the emerging issues perceived to be important?
• Observe what the groups first model from clay i.e. coastline or fish or trees and discuss why/how groups came up with their coastal profiles.