Participatory techniques

Encouraging participation

Communities that participate in their own development gain a sense of ownership of their future.

Participants in a training programme map information in the sand. Mapping is one of a number of participatory tools used by TerraCircle trainers. The techniques TerraCircle uses to design and implement project work are chosen to encourage the participation of members of the community. They can be described as Participatory Action and Learning. TerraCircle encourages the attitude among project partners that development requires a commitment by the community, that aid is not something that is simply ‘given’ by organisations in developing countries – that is, aid is not charity but is a cooperative endeavour that shapes the future of communities.

TerraCircle trainers use a number of proven approaches to development that:

foster self-help
involve the community in making decisions, assessing trials and putting development strategies into action.

Participatory Rural Appraisal – PRA

PRA offers a selection of techniques that encourage the participation of community members, clans and families in their own development.

PRA creates a sense of ownership of a project through direct involvement in:

project planning and implementation
information identification and assessment
project monitoring and evaluation
decision making.

Participatory Technology Development – PTD

PTD involves village farmers in the trialing and assessment of new techniques and technologies.

Used by innovative development agencies worldwide, PTD includes:

the training of farmers in new approaches
the trialing of new ideas
farmer trials and their participatory assessment
decision-making by farmers as to whether or not they want to adopt new ideas; the decision is based on their experience during field trials.

Community Food Security Assessment

Community food security assessment is a participatory approach to assessing the capability of a community to continue to provide its own food needs.

Trained and assisted by TerraCircle field operatives, community members survey:

the condition of their agricultural soils
their supply of planting materials such as seeds
access to land
their knowledge and information needs
their degree of reliance on food from outside sources
global, regional and local influences affecting food security
the trend in food security
other pertinent factors.

Using this information, a program of training and agricultural improvement is developed.

Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture – LEISA

The experience of TerraCircle trainers has led to the adoption of the LEISA approach to small-scale agricultural development.

LEISA encourages:

increased regional and local self-reliance in food production
the encouragement of local innovation in the production of farming inputs
the development of local and regional economies
reduced reliance on imported agricultural inputs
reduced need for poor farmers to raise cash or credit to purchase farming inputs, freeing money for other uses
sale of surplus farm production
increased food security in case of natural disaster or conflict.

LEISA is an approach under constant improvement. It is adaptable to regional and local circumstances and is used worldwide by development professionals.