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PLA Practical Techniques

by James Mascarenhas. 

MYRADA in South India have done much work with rural people on participatory methods and provide training for other organisations in the use of these methods. They have produced a very helpful training video (see 'Resources'). Their address is…

MYRADA, 2 Service Road, Domlur Layout, Bangalore 560 071, India.

How to do a transect

  1. Find local people who are knowledgeable and able and willing to walk and help.
  2. Discuss with them the important things to note (soils, crops, trees, people’s health and source of income etc) and the direction to walk in.
  3. Walk the transect, in as straight a line as possible, showing your interest.
  4. Observe, ask and listen.
  5. Ask about and discuss problems and opportunities, and allow plenty of time.
  6. Note contrasts and changes, and identify zones.
  7. Make a transect diagram.

 

For an example of a completed transect diagram, see 'Participatory training in Tanzania'.

How to do participatory mapping

  1. Decide what sort of a map is needed…
          SOCIAL – of the village houses
          NATURAL RESOURCES – of the surrounding land.
  2. Find local people with a good understanding of the area and who are willing to share their knowledge.
  3. Choose a suitable place and materials that people will feel at ease with…
         THE GROUND – using sticks, stones, leaves etc
         THE FLOOR – using chalks, stones etc
         PAPER – pens and pencils.
  4. Help people get started by letting them do it. Be patient and don’t interfere. It’s their map.
  5. Sit back and watch.
  6. Encourage corrections and additions.
  7. Keep a permanent (paper) record including the mappers’ names to give them credit.
  8. You may like to lead on from the map to other exercises such as wealth ranking, transects etc.

 

This map was drawn by villagers of Ramenahally village to show homes in their village. They were discussing health issues and showed homes where there were widows, malnourished children, cases of TB and asthma and those using family planning.  

How to do ranking (‘matrix ranking’) 

  1. Decide what should be ranked or scored (trees, fodder trees, fruits, income sources etc).
  2. Find some key informants who have local knowledge and are willing to discuss things with you.
  3. With them decide which items to rank or score.
  4. For each in turn, ask what is good about it. What else? Then find out what is bad. What else?
  5. List the criteria that have been identified.
  6. Ask informants to rank or score each item. High scores mean a positive preference – for example, 5 is the best, 4 the next best and so on. You can rank out of 5 or more – up to 10 (where a score of 10 means the best).
  7. Ask other questions, such as which of these criteria is the most important. If you could only use one, which would it be?
  8. Do follow up on points of interest.

 

Mending shoes

Making tamarind paste

Making leaf plates

Selling custard apples

Brick-

making

Selling firewood

Time Taken

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Profits

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Labour needed

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Loan needed

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