PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 Editorial

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 Editorial Critical reflections on the practice of PRA Irene Guijt and Andrea Cornwall Introduction farmers are able to design, conduct, and evaluate their own experiments. PRA is now widely used in development · Encourage organisational changes, with a research and planning, training is taking place reorientation of government and in all corners of the globe and PRA is university staff, CBO and NGO workers, becoming a routine demand in consultancy and trainers towards a culture of open work. But whose interests does it serve and learning, moving away from top-down what has the impact been? What kind of local standardisation of procedures. participation actually occurs in practice? And · Assist with policy review, both within what is at stake for those involved? Does PRA organisations and governments, through lead to sufficient understanding of local new, timely, and more accurate insights contexts to advocate for action? Has PRA from field-level discussions and planning. become a `flag of necessity' (Richards, this issue) with which to seek funding? Or does its Despite these and other positive changes, there growing use represent a genuine willingness in remain many questions about the use of PRA. organisations to seek reorientation ...