Participatory Learning for Sustainable Agriculture 129(DELTA), Diagnóstico Rurale Participativo (DRP), Farmer Participatory Research, Farming Sys-
tems Research, Groupe de Recherche et d’Appui pour l’Auto-Promotion Paysanne (GRAAP),
Méthode Accélérée de Recherche Participative (MARP), Participatory Analysis and Learning
Methods (PALM), Participatory Action Research (PAR), Participatory Research Methodology
(PRM), Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Participatory Rural Appraisal and Planning (PRAP),
Participatory Technology Development (PTD), Participatory Urban Appraisal (PUA), Planning
for Real, Process Documentation, Rapid Appraisal (RA), Rapid Assessment of Agricultural
Knowledge Systems (RAAKS), Rapid Assessment Procedures (RAP), Rapid Assessment Tech-
niques (RAT), Rapid Catchment Analysis (RCA), Rapid Ethnographic Assessment (REA), Rapid
Food Security Assessment (RFSA), Rapid Multi-perspective Appraisal (RMA), Rapid Organisa-
tional Assessment (ROA), Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA), Regenerated Freiréan Literacy through
Empowering Community Techniques (REFLECT), Samuhik Brahman (Joint trek), Soft Systems
Methodology (SSM), Theatre for Development, Training for Transformation, and Visualisation
in Participatory Programmes (VIPP).
4 These terms, ‘tool’, ‘technique’ and ‘instrument’, imply a functionality that does not exist in prac-
tice. A tool, such as a screwdriver, guarantees an output from an input; a technique, such as how
to join together two pieces of wood, is something that can be repeated by skilled practitioners; an
instrument, such as a compass, unerringly measures and indicates. No participatory methods can
guarantee outputs from given inputs as they involve the activities of diverse social actors, whose
interests and concerns cannot be predicted in advance (see Checkland, 1989).
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