Basic principles of participatory learning

For a wider range of development programmes, these approaches represent a significant departure from standard practice. Some of the changes being implemented are remarkable. In a growing number of government and non-government institutions, extractive research is being replaced by research and analysis carried out by local people themselves. Methods are being used not only to inform local people externally, but also for people themselves to analyze their own situation.

The interactive involvement of many people in differing institutional contexts has promoted innovation and ownership, with many variations in the way that systems of learning have been put together. There are many different terms, but they have the following important common principles:

• A defined methodology and systemic learning process. The focus is on cumulative learning by all the participants and, given the nature of these approaches as systems of learning and interaction, their use must be participative.
• Multiple perspectives. A central objective is to seek diversity, rather than to characterize complexity in terms of average values. The assumption is that different individuals and groups make different evaluations of situations, which lead to different actions. All views of activity or purpose are heavy with interpretation, bias, and prejudice, and this implies that there are multiple possible descriptions of any real-world activity.
• Group learning processes. All involve the recognition that the complexity of the world will only be revealed through group inquiry and interaction. This implies three possible mixes of investigators, namely, those from different disciplines, from different sectors, and from outsiders (professionals) and insiders (local people).
• Context specific. The approaches are flexible enough to be adapted to suit each new set of conditions and actors, and so there are multiple variants.
• Facilitating experts and stakeholders. The methodology is concerned with the transformation of existing activities to try to bring about changes which people in the situation regard as improvements. The role of the "expert" is best thought of as helping people in their situation carry out their own study and so achieve something. These facilitating experts may be stakeholders themselves.
• Leading to sustained action. The learning process leads to debate about change, and debate changes the perceptions of the actors and their readiness to contemplate action. Action is agreed upon, and implementable changes will therefore represent an accommodation among the different conflicting views. The debate or analysis both defines changes which would bring about improvement and seeks to motivate people to take action to implement the defined changes. This action includes local institution building or strengthening, thus increasing the capacity of people to initiate action on their own.

These alternative systems of learning and action imply a process of learning leading to action. A more sustainable agriculture, with all its uncertainties and complexities, cannot be envisaged without all actors being involved in continuing processes of learning.