SEARCA Studies Successes Of PH BAR’s Banner Program In Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR)
Thus inspired, “More C4D 4 More R4D” is the slogan for this new blog of almost-81-year-old FAH, Communication for Development (C4D). Grow old along with me!
Dirk Schubotz says participatory action research (PAR) is “participative and democratic research practice with transformational focus[1]” (2019, “Participatory Action Research,” Sage Research Methods):
At the core of PAR projects is the triad of action, participation, and research. … The ambition of PAR (is) to undertake social research not only in order to find out things but also to change things, and how this ethos of planning and working towards social change, rather than (merely) hoping to trigger change, sets PAR apart from other conventional types of research.
(Above, PAR image[2] from Sage Research Methods); superimposed village photograph by FAH taken 23 October 2018)
PAR is a different type of research. Action, participation, research “to change things.” PAR is not only “hoping for” but more so “triggering” desired change(s). Involve the community where the action is supposed to be, and you have Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CPAR).
CPAR is what we have in the article by Leander C Domingo in The Manila Times of 22 July 2021: “Community-Based Action Breeds Success[3]” – reporting that the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study & Research in Agriculture (Searca) research project “Building Up From The Gains: Lessons From And Improvements For Effective Implementation Of The CPAR Program” has found “good results.” Searca has been commissioned by BAR to conduct the research on the results of CPAR in Luzon; the welcome news has been gathered from farmers & fishers in 3 towns: Lamut in Ifugao, San Fernando in Camarines Sur, and San Luis in Batangas.
Mr Domingo says a forum jointly organized by Searca and BAR has “narrated successful and motivating stories that were outcomes of CPAR projects.” Rico Ancog, Searca Program Leader for “Emerging Innovation for Growth,” says “the motivating stories” are results of three CPAR projects: (1) “Good Agricultural Practices in High Value Crop Production,” (2) “Improved Tilapia Production,” and (3) “Enterprise Development from Ragiwdiw Processing.”
“The Ragiwdiw technology was also commended by participants.” The details of the technology were not explained in the article. Helpful, the Facebook page of BAR says Rynchospora corymbosa, locally called ragiwdiw and bankuan, is “a perennial sedge that grows plentifully in flood-prone areas in Bicol, where the stalks are dried and handcrafted into baskets, bags, shoe wear, and other decors.”
On its website, Searca says CPAR has been one of BAR’s banner programs since 1998. I read that, aside from testing and verifying different agricultural technologies:
CPAR endorses the demonstration of improved farming systems and fishing technologies and practices to fit the needs and requirements of a particular micro-agro-climatic environment within a given municipality or province.
R4D “to fit the needs…” It must always be that the last word comes the client. Isn’t CPAR wonderful?!@517
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