PARTICIPATORY RURAL APPRAISAL

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PARTICIPATORY RURAL APPRAISAL COMMUNITY
INTERACTION IN DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH IN RURAL
AREAS IN SOUTH AFRICATrevor HillDiscipline of
Geography, UNPWhat the eye does not see, the
heart does not grieve about
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Outline of Presentation

• Rural Development Tourism
• Re-appraising rural development in Africa
• The South African rural scene
• Rural Appraisal Techniques
• Case Study Hertzog, Eastern Cape
• Case Study Ingwavuma, Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal
• Lessons Learnt
• Conclusions

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Rural Development Tourism

• What is perceived depends on the perceiver
• Phenomenon of brief visit - source of most
  information
• Whatever true feelings, people put forward a good
  image and face
• What happens when they go home?
• Leads to the biases as described by Chambers
  (1983)
• Spatial biases
• Project biases
• Person biases
• Seasonal biases
• Diplomatic biases
• Professional biases

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Re-appraising Rural Development in Africa

• Three fundamental re-appraisals regarding Africa
  rural development approaches
• First is recognition that centrally-driven,
  top-down, autocratic, dictatorial approaches have
  not been a great success
• Second is re-assessment of the potential and
  inherent capacity within communities to help
  themselves.
• Thirdly is the recognition of the sustainability
  and appropriateness of indigenous skills and
  expertise - issue of appropriate technology

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The South African Rural Scene

• Complicated by fundamental and economic realities
• Decades of enforced discrimination,
  racially-based inequalities and disparities in
  income, access to land and employment
  opportunities
• Greatest degree of marginalization Homeland
  policy
• Policies of forcing migrant labourers into
  emerging mineral and industrial economy -
  deprived rural areas of potential farmers
• Exacerbated collapse of agricultural base -
  created dependence on urban sourced incomes and
  services.
• Effective functional urbanization of vast
  majority of rural dwellers
• Resulted in legacy of inequality, breakdown of
  family/community structures exceedingly high
  levels of poverty in these areas

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The South African Rural Scene

• 75 of countrys poor live in rural areas.
• 85 of the potential economically active
  workforce are unemployed
• Motivated present govt. to prioritize rural
  development in its Rural Development Strategy
  document
• New political regime clearly requires new
  strategies to help solve the immense rural
  development challenges
• Also better understand the dynamics and needs of
  rural communities
• Experience of other African countries and the
  failure of many rural development strategies
  within them help inform approach
• Great urgency in SA to implement policies leading
  to empowerment, promoting rural development and
  establishing a basis for the sustainable
  utilization of available human and natural
  resources

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Rural Appraisal Techniques

• Quick and dirty method of RRA
• Led to more sensitive PRA - paid lip-service by
  many but practiced by few!
• New techniques of PAR and PIM are coming to the
  fore
• Plethora of literature and case studies on these
  various techniques
• Are of immense value but have limitations and can
  become constrictive
• Common sense is the key!

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Case StudiesHertzog Experience
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Case StudiesHertzog Experience

• Unique example and extremely successful
• From land expropriated by former Homeland system
• Disempowered farm workers left behind, no tenure
  or security
• Formed a co-operative and farmed the land
• Community developed strong leadership, a sense of
  ownership of the process and strong
  entrepreneurial skills
• Not reliant on pension money but created a
  market-driven economy for produce from farming
• However, land not owned by the people - land
  tenure a concern to the community
• Involved with PRA in the region for approx. 10
  years - on-going and still developing process
• Limitations finding markets, sources of funds,
  jealousy, leaders leave and bad years - need
  support

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Case StudiesHertzog Experience
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Case StudiesHertzog Experience
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Case Studies Ingwavuma, Kwa-Zulu Natal

• Very remote region of Kwa-Zulu Natal, bordering
  on Swaziland
• Strong historical and political history
• High rainfall, good fertile soils, well vegetated
  and high biodiversity
• Issues water access and payment, cropping and
  vegetable gardens, job creation projects,
  eco-tourism bandwagon!
• Transport infrastructure and re-opening of
  official border post
• Natural resource management
• Access to medical facilities and education
  (children and adult)
• Perceived as the ignored hinterland

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Case Studies Ingwavuma, Kwa-Zulu Natal
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Case Studies Ingwavuma, Kwa-Zulu Natal
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Case Studies Ingwavuma, Kwa-Zulu Natal
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Lessons Learnt

• Need for sensitivity, but be yourself, enjoy and
  respect all
• Many communities are all researched out
• Use of RRA/PRA/PAR and PIM in South Africa is
  blurred, complex and often confusing
• Advantage is the diversity, complexity and
  changing environment
• Many researchers are still outsiders - result
  of inherited system, biases and prejudices
• Imperative in all environmental studies -
  catchment management, creation of new areas of
  conservation, infrastructure development etc.

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Conclusions

• Need to focus on partnership formation
• Common understanding, perception and problem
  identification
• Raise profile of individuals and communities
• Improve links with key role players in rural
  development
• Improved understanding of how we can support
  players in rural development
• Increase our knowledge base and skills in
  community based natural resource management
• Develop appropriate technologies
• Document, disseminate and share experiences
• Co-construction, co-operation and communication
  (the three Cs)