PREFACE
This report documents the implementation and results of a 6-week consultancy for ALCOM conducted on behalf of the FAO, Rome, to formulate and test a Rapid Appraisal approach which could be used to investigate communities utilising small water bodies in Southern Africa, and involve them in planning improved strategies to utilize and manage fish resources in local water bodies.
The consultant was asked to help prepare, implement and document three Rapid Appraisal exercises in communities living on three dams in different areas of Zimbabwe. This involved training teams for each appraisal made up of ALCOM staff and personnel from various concerned government departments from the national, district and local levels.
This report describes the background to the consultancy, sets out the findings of the three Rapid Appraisals and discusses the principal lessons learnt and their implications for future use of the Rapid Appraisal approach to design development strategies for small water bodies in Southern Africa. A review of previous Rapid Appraisal exercises carried out by ALCOM in Zambia is incorporated into the discussion of Rapid Appraisal in the report proper.
An important part of the consultancy was the preparation of materials to assist ALCOM in future training of teams for Rapid Appraisal activities. These have been produced separately from the present report.
The consultancy was carried out between August 15 and September 30, 1991 in Harare, Zimbabwe and in three different communities living close to small water bodies in the country.
As is the case with any Rapid Appraisal, the documentation of the work in the field and its findings is totally dependent on the contributions of the appraisal team members even if the final write up was done by the consultant. The section on household food security in communities around Mwenje Dam was based on the analysis carried out by Ms. Freda Luhila, Nutritionist with ALCOM, Zambia.
ALCOM is funded by SIDA (Swedish International Development Authority) and executed by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Its first implementation phase began in October 1990 for a duration of five years.
Rapid Appraisal is an approach to planning development activities which achieves a compromise between the planning requirements of development institutions and the participation of the “target group”, or people affected by planning decisions. The flexibility and adaptability of the Rapid Appraisal approach seem to make it particularly suitable for use in small water body development where a large number of very diverse situations and communities need to be taken into account in the planning process. In addition, the fact that small water bodies are relatively limited, well-defined systems makes quick assessment of the communities and resources a practical proposition.
Three Rapid Appraisals were carried out in Zimbabwe with two principal objectives : the design of fisheries development activities for small water bodies in Zimbabwe and the testing and refining of the Rapid Appraisal approach. The findings of these three appraisals illustrated the importance of a flexible approach as the problems and possible development activities in each case were very different. In two cases, the priority issues identified by residents relating to their local water bodies were not directly related to fisheries. The appraisal in one of these locations played an important role in catalysing the community and local agencies to address an important problem of siltation in the dam. In the third appraisal, the need for management of the fisheries on a larger water body was identified and the roles of various institutions, including ALCOM, in developing management mechanisms were defined.
A Rapid Appraisal package was tried out and some of the main features of a suitable approach are outlined. Five main elements make up the Rapid Appraisal approach :
preparation, including the formation of an appraisal team, contacts with local authorities and the review of secondary data sources.
intensive discussions and interviews with local people, using semi-structured interviewing techniques focusing on a range of topics decided upon by the appraisal team.
the use of communication tools, during both discussions with local people and analysis and presentation of results.
repeated workshops by the appraisal team, during the preparation, implementation and analysis of the appraisal.
participatory discussions and planning sessions in order to review findings with the community, analyze them together and plan future action where relevant.
From the appraisals in Zimbabwe, it is clear that particular care has to be paid to proper planning and preparation of appraisals if they are to be effective and “rapid”. The contacting of local agencies and concerned parties prepares the ground for the quick follow-up of appraisal findings and ensures local level understanding and support for recommendations which might come out of the appraisal. Identifying a team which is both multi-disciplinary and represents different levels involved in development work is also shown to be crucial.
The intensive meetings with local people proved to be important both for gathering information and for encouraging discussion within the local community.
A variety of communication tools were tried out and proved to be useful. The use of nutritional indicators, and thus the inclusion of a nutritionist for one appraisal, was especially valuable.
The discussions held at the end of each appraisal with the community as a whole capitalised on the interest aroused during the course of the appraisals. Local people came to the meetings having already discussed many of the issues among themselves and with individual team members. Local-level agencies were involved in these sessions and this was very important in ensuring that they came up with proposals that were practicable both for the communities and for local administrators.
Rapid Appraisal can be used in various ways in planning fisheries development : as a tool to carry out some of the functions in the “traditional” project cycle, or as a means of creating a very different sort of relationship between the planner and those affected by his or her plans. This latter model allows local people to play an active role in planning their own development within a practical framework which can be fitted into the institutional requirements of a development agency.
