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Development projects are often concerned with the management of natural resources. This is because the natural resource base comprises the principal wealth of many rural communities. The more fertile their land and the more productive their trees, the more possibilities these communities have to ensure their livelihoods and improve their well-being.
For projects to be effective in strengthening local communities' efforts to improve management of their resources, project designers need to have good quality information about the area in which they plan to work. They need to understand how resources are already being managed and the often complex tenure systems that govern the ownership and use of land and trees. For this information to be useful, whether designing a project or improving its implementation, it needs to be available without long delays. And for this information to lead to projects that really benefit rural people, it must be not only useable and useful, but used. That is, agencies must be prepared to adapt their programmes and activities in response to what they have learned about local realities.
Rapid Appraisal refers to a family of methodologies designed to encourage the participation of local communities in the collection and use of information to improve their livelihoods. The methods, which have been used in all parts of the world, put a premium on the usefulness of research as well as the rapidity with which results are obtained. They have substantially contributed to improving our knowledge of local conditions and to furthering a partnership between local communities and outsiders for a better management of natural resources.