PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 4 Learning to use RRA and PRA to improve the activities if two landcare groups in Australia

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 4 Learning to use RRA and PRA to improve the activities if two landcare groups in Australia Tony Dunn Introduction technological innovations from modern agricultural systems to traditional ones. This paper reports on the use of Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) in two Australian rural Diffusion and adoption theories were not communities. Several processes and issues are adequately explaining change in the complex `technology driven' agriculture of developed described which relate to the application of economies (Nitsch, 1982 and Roling, Jiggins RRA in a context other than the Third World and Carrigan, 1987). Fleigel and van Es (1983) by researchers and undergraduate agricultural students with no previous experience in the were more succinct in their criticism saying methodology. The discussion focuses on what that a diffusion-adoption approach could never we learnt about the process of RRA, how to adequately explain or enhance get started with the methodology and its environmentally sensitive agricultural practice. They also suggested that the problems arising applicability in Australia. Also discussed are from technology adoption could not be the institutional barriers to an RRA approach usefully investigated by diffusion-adoption and the need to develop new extension research methods. approaches to complex ...