Workshop on Participatory Rural Appraisal

A one day workshop on Participatory Rural Appraisal was organized by the Department of Sociology, The IIS University, Jaipur, on October 13, 2014. The Resource Person of the workshop was Mr. RinkuVerma,Consultant, Indira Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sansthan, SIRD, Jaipur. The aim of the workshop was to orient the students of M.A. (Sociology), Master of Social Work (MSW), about the importance of PRA techniques in community mobilization, on the PRA Tools and Techniques for rural development and communication skills required to collect data from rural population for research.The workshop began at 9.00 am with the introduction session wherein the resource person and the participants introduced themselves for further effective communication. After the introduction, the resource person outlined the workshop objectives and learning outcomes and laid down the rules of the workshop. The first session was the interactive session to give clarity to the participants on concepts of community, their typology, urban and rural society, their problems and rural-centric development. The second session after the lunch was centered around the debates on rural development, stakeholders in rural development & planning and importance of community participation. The session focussed on Participatory Rural Appraisal Techniques (PRA), their importance, role, principles, aim, scope and tools through various activities viz. brain storming, presentations, role play and games. It also highlighted the role of a trainer/ facilitator in PRA. The participants were made aware of the various PRA tools employed such as Social Mapping, Resource Mapping, Wealth Ranking, Transnet Walk, Focus Group Discussion, etc. through various role plays, presentations and group discussions.The workshop ended with the feedback of the resource person and participants. The workshop was an enriching experience for the

participants and enabled them to understand how PRA Techniques help in understanding the rural societies and empowering the rural people.

Learning Outcomes:

• Recognize basic notion of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA).
• Understand how to use Participatory Rural Appraisal tools and techniques work in rural communities. Know current situation and potential in a village or community.
• Determine basic problems of the rural community and their causes.
• Understand scope of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and use PRA techniques efficiently.