The name Participatory Communication Assessment (PCA) is derived from the Participatory Rural Communication Appraisal (PRCA) methodology created in the late 1990s. The PCRA was developed in Southern Africa by a joint FAO (Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations)/SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) project based in Harare, Zimbabwe, as a way to enhance
project design and operations (Anyaegbunam et al., 2004). As PCA, the name is partially modified and the concept is similar yet broader for two reasons: 1) to account for its wide range of applications reaching beyond the original rural focus and 2) to indicate the more analytical nature of this approach from the initial concept of appraisal to a more in-depth assessment of the situation, which usually includes options to address change and to seek solutions. PCA can be visualized as a funnel (figure 3.1), starting wide and narrowing down to define the key issues necessary to have a successful and sustainable change.