The conventional approach to research has been characterized by control by
outside experts, scientists and development specialists who have set project
agendas and carried out research without any or only minor input from local
community members (Chambers, 1994). Not only have local people not
played a part in the planning and implementation of such projects, but their
knowledge of local ecology and the structure of their social, economic and
political systems have also been ignored. The process is relatively static, one in which information is gathered from a community and then processed and
analysed by experts with little or no feedback to the community.
Consequently, many projects have failed due to inappropriate project goals,
community apathy and a lack of understanding of local social and ecological
systems (Landon and Langill, 1998).
In recent years, new approaches to research have been developed which
involve community members in gathering information in a participatory manner
(Box 7.2). Participatory research (PR) represents a family of methodological
approaches increasingly accepted and utilized to involve local people in
research projects taking place in their own communities. PR is characterized by
a cyclical, ongoing process of research, reflection and action, which seeks to
include local people in designing the research, gathering information, analysing
data and taking action. A key objective of PR is to empower community
members by utilizing local knowledge and practices and by giving local people
the opportunity to learn skills about and share in the research process. It is meant
to move away from dependence on scientific information provided by outside
professionals to local knowledge and skills. It is also intended to contribute
directly to positive changes in the specific circumstances of the participants, as
well as increase the chances that the co-management programme will succeed
through local involvement (Landon and Langill, 1998).