FAO FISHERIES TECHNICAL PAPER 358

Rapid rural appraisal, participatory rural appraisal and aquaculture

by
Philip Townsley
Consultant
Viterbo, Italy

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 1996

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

M-44
ISBN 92-5-103871-6

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Information Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

© FAO 1996

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

The Fishery Resources Division of the FAO Fisheries Department regularly publishes technical documentation relevant for the promotion of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development. This document has been prepared in response to increasing interest and enquiries from people working in aquaculture regarding Rapid Rural Appraisal and Participatory Rural Appraisal. The document is intended for both field workers and planners involved in aquaculture development, whether in inland or coastal areas. Comments and suggestions would be appreciated and should be sent to the Fishery Resources Officer (Aquatic Environment), Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service (FIRI), Fisheries Department, FAO, Rome.

This document was prepared by Philip Townsley, under the guidance and suggestions of M. Martinez-Espinosa and U. Barg of the Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service, FAO Fisheries Department, and after discussions with many other FAO staff members, as well as with E. Harrison from the University of Sussex, U.K.

Distribution:

Directors of Fisheries and Aquaculture
FAO Regional Fisheries Commissions and Working Groups
Aquaculture (Marine and Freshwater)
FAO Fisheries Department
FAO Regional Fishery Officers
FAO Sustainable Rural Development Division
FAO Extension Division
FAO Inter-Departmental Working Group on Environment and Sustainable Development
Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia and Pacific Region (NACA)
Aquaculture for Local Community Development Programme (ALCOM)
Inland and coastal aquaculture development projects executed by FAO
Interested international organizations and institutions

Townsley, P.
Rapid rural appraisal, participatory rural appraisal and aquaculture.
FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 358. Rome, FAO. 1996. 109p.

ABSTRACT

This document is intended for aquaculture development specialists, aquaculture project managers, and officials and specialists involved in the planning and management of aquaculture activities. It is intended to provide an introduction to Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) for people working in these fields. The principal components of these two approaches to information collection and planning are described along with the various tools used with a case study to illustrate their use and some of the issues they raise. Possible applications of the approaches for those involved in aquaculture development are given and an outline provided of the sorts of planning and institutional context where they can best be applied. The problems and shortcomings of the approaches are also discussed and guidelines given for the use of alternative approaches to information gathering and planning.

Rapid rural appraisal, participatory rural appraisal and aquaculture

CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF BOXES