Development dialogue is a twofold process involving (i) the development of skills of pastoralist and other communities to represent themselves through the development and application of livelihoods analysis tools, and (ii) the creation of appropriate forums through which to demonstrate and enact new representation skills. The tool helps to:~• Explain livelihood problems faced by marginalised rural communities.~• Develop common understanding and ownership of solutions and actions. ~• Empower communities to represent themselves in development dialogue and action.
Guest-editor: Sonja Vermeulen. This special issue of PLA comes from the Power Tools initiative which aimed to develop, test and circulate existing and new tools to bridge key gaps in policy processes and content. These policy tools – tips, tactics and approaches – provide practical help to people working to improve the policies and institutions that govern access to and use of natural resources.
Participatory Learning and Action (PLA, formerly PLA Notes) is the world's leading series on participatory learning and action approaches and methods. PLA publishes articles on participation aimed at practitioners, researchers, academics and activists. All articles are peer-reviewed by an international editorial board.