Resources

A detailed account of a five day training course in PRA for NGO staff working on a project in West Bengal. After a day's introduction to PRA techniques, the field work in Kharamdanga village began: descriptions of each day's activities are given, with methodology used and findings. Time line, social map, transect and resource map are illustrated visually. The report concludes with a list of PRA methods found useful to the NGOs involved.

An ActionAid programme in the Sanaag region of Somaliland provides basic animal health care to the pastoral communities living in the area. Participatory methods have been used by the project staff to build up a more detailed picture of the herders' lifestyle, particulary management of communal resources, animal husbandry practices and methods of managing disease. This article describes mapping exercises which were carried out to chart the seasonal migration patterns followed by different groups of pastoralists in the region. Information about seasonal migration patterns confirmed that herders are likely to be in a certain area during a particular season of the year. This knowledge assisted with the planning of drug distribution, making it compatible with the herders' needs and seasonal location.

This paper traces the development the Village Animal Health Worker (VAHW) training programme in Nepal developed by the United Mission to Nepal (UMN). After twenty years the VAHWs had no official recognition or legal registration. Discussion led to the following criteria to be established in order to gain certification, and the equivalent of a 'level one' post in the civil service: VAHWs to complete a two-week training course; a six-month post-training review by trainers; eligibility for the skills test examination after one year's experience.|Overall, government certification and recognition has been an important step in the development of VAHWs. It allows them to play a critical role in national animal health programmes, and extends the reach of veterinary services to those who would otherwise have no services. Yet this process has tended to devalue those who have not been able to achieve certification, such as those who lack formal education standards.

This sourcebook forms part of a wider initiative to promote easy access to systematized information on field-tested participatory research and development concepts and practices. The sourcebook aims to identify and consolidate tested practices and concepts relevant to managing natural resources for agriculture and rural livelihood. The primary audience for the sourcebook are field-based research practitioners in developing countries. The sourcebook is divided into 3 volumes: Understanding, enabling and doing participatory research and development. Volume 1, understanding participatory research and development, looks at typologies and concepts (such as indigenous knowledge, property rights, monitoring and evaluation), approaches, participatory technology development and natural resource management. Volume 2, enabling participatory research and development, looks at capacity building, networking and partnerships, scaling up and institutionalisation. Volume 3, doing participatory research and development, looks at technology development, strengthening local organisations and multi-stakeholder based natural resource management.

This is a workbook designed for people concerned about the local economy and who want to measure how different parts of the economy are working. This workbook describes LM3 measuring tool that has been tried and tested in various sectors across the UK. This workbook is a manual of how to use the tool, and is structured around four key sections: the money trail; a how-to-guide for using LM3; troubleshooting and finally taking action. The workbook concludes with some appendixes about flowcharts, surveys and data management.

This handbook is aimed at practitioners who seek examples of how the V2R framework can be used in practice, based on examples from Nepal. It offers a step process, workbooks and tools.  It includes guidance on how to include long-term trends in programming with a focus on climate change. 

It is essential that organisations working on poverty reduction take into account the impact of climate change on the communities and sectors where they are working. In so doing, they will be better able to support community members and government officials to adapt to the adverse effects and take advantage of any opportunities presented. This requires a detailed analysis of the impacts of climate change at the local level in order to build adaptive capacity to withstand both sudden shocks and incremental changes in the climate. Participatory tools have been updated for use of uncovering community perceptions of changes, alongside identifying historical climate data.

This book reviews the key successes and challenges in achieving a truly participatory process of policy making. It is a handbook of participatory tools used to prepare IndiaÆs National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan under the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Bringing in multiple perspectives, especially those that usually remain invisible, is a universal challenge to policy processes today. Based on diverse opinions and perspectives, this book moves beyond the general principles of participation to identify precise approaches that work (as well as risks and pitfalls) in including diverse local opinions. A range of successful tools are explained step-by-step to help practitioners adapt and design appropriate approaches for their own contexts. The handbook is structured geographically, looking at Karnataka, Maharashtra, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh, concluding with a more general look at the national media campaign.