The philosophy, principles and practice of PRA

Introduction
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) is a focus on people-centered development (a form of rural reconstruction) that describes a new family of approaches and methods for empowering and learning. Participation was promoted by providing information to generate people’s support to the development programs. Indigenous farming technology and practices were considered as primitive and obstacle to development, and were therefore neutralized with the introduction of modern agricultural technology. Increased agricultural production was seen as the solution to the problem of massive rural poverty. PRA is tools for participatory approaches and community empowerment in the introduction of modern agricultural technology in the rural area.

The philosophy of PRA is humanistic and people centered philosophy of development. It is founded on a set of beliefs about the basic problems of the rural poor and their inherent power to solve those problems. It is also a vision of what the rural poor can do for himself and his family, his community, his nation and the world.
The past decade has witnessed more shifts in the rhetoric of rural development than in its practice. These shifts include reversals from top-down to bottom-up, from centralized standardization to local diversity, and from blueprint to learning process.
A reversal of learning-to learn from rural people, directly, on the site, and face-to-face, gaining from local physical, technical and social knowledge. Poor people are creative and capable, and can should do much of their own investigation, analysis and planning.
To quote Dr. Y.C. James Yen, founder of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Philippines:

“ Go to the peasant people
Live among the peasant people
Learn from the peasant people
Plan with peasant people
Work with the peasant people
Start with what the peasant people how
Build on what the peasant people have
Teach by showing, learn by doing
Not odds and ends but a system
Not piecemeal but integrated approach
Not to conform but to transform
NOT RELIEF BUT RELEASE”

PRA emphasizes on the behaviour and attitudes of outsiders in their interactions with rural people. The manner in which the philosophy and the principles of PRA are put into practice may vary from one another depending on the specific development situation and training and experience of the people involved.