Resource information
The use of participatory tools and methods has increased dramatically in
natural resource management (NRM) over the past decade, largely because of
the recognition that sustainable NRM cannot be achieved without involving the
individuals and communities who make decisions about how resources are
used. Participation of resource users and other stakeholders is important not
only in the management of resources, but also in research oriented toward the
generation of information and innovations that shape how resources are
understood and exploited. Although there is extensive literature on
participatory tools and methods and a growing number of case studies of their
use in NRM (Hinchcliffe et al; IDRC; Pretty), it is difficult to form a coherent
overview of this body of work, much of which is unpublished. Moreover, the
distinction between participatory research and participatory management is
seldom made, either in case studies or in the guides to tools and methods. Yet
participatory management that is not firmly linked to research—understood as
a process of knowledge generation that supports technical and institutional
innovation—is often hindered by a lack of new technical options, information
and institutions.
There has been little systematic analysis of how participatory research (PR)
methods and gender/stakeholder analysis (GSA) are being used in NRM
research. 1 This study begins to fill the gap by providing a comparative analysis
of over 60 participatory NRM research projects compiled by the Systemwide
Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis (PRGA). The paper
looks at who is doing PR research and GSA in NRM, where, how and with what
observed or expected impact. Projects are assessed in terms of the type of
participation they use, how they select participants, and whom they target as
beneficiaries. The costs and benefits associated with incorporating user
participation are also analyzed.
