The use of Rapid Appraisal for initiating and planning development activities on small water bodies in Southern Africa can be recommended, as the approach is well adapted to such limited systems and communities. ALCOM should therefore consider planning further Rapid Appraisals on small water bodies in other countries of the region and, above all, train counterpart agencies in those countries in the use of Rapid Appraisal.
The training notes and the Rapid Appraisal manual being prepared as part of this consultancy can be used as a basis for these training activities. As Rapid Appraisal is an approach being used with increasing frequency all over the world, ALCOM should try to keep in contact with the various networks in existence to keep up on new developments and integrate them wherever possible into its own work.
In planning future Rapid Appraisals, particular attention should be paid to the preparation of the activity, including the contacting of local authorities, agencies and people so that appraisal findings and recommendations can be immediately put into effect.
When forming teams for carrying out appraisals, particular attention should be paid in future to involving representatives from local-level agencies. In addition, a nutritionist should be included whenever possible as this appears to add an important dimension to the appraisal findings.
The time allocated for future appraisals should allow for more extensive training of the appraisal team, and should also take more account of the extent of the area to be covered. The temptation to plan appraisals to fit into arbitrary periods (such as one week) should be avoided.
Attempts should be made to utilize Rapid Appraisals for purposes other than the identification of development activities (“exploratory” appraisals) and addressing specific topics or critical questions (“topical” appraisals). The particular requirements of appraisals used to monitor and evaluate ongoing development activities need to be assessed.
