Participatory appraisal approaches versus sample survey data collection: acase of smallholder farmers well-being ranking in Njombe District, Tanzania

Social scientists and rural development interventionists in Tanzania and in Sub-Saharan Africa depend mainly on conventional sample surveys; in part t his is a legacy of their basic training. Participatory rural appraisal and intervention approaches offer a varied range of methods. We ask ourselves w hether the results from participatory, rapid appraisals are conflicting and different to those from sample surveys? This paper compares results of a R apid Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) with a conventional sample survey. These surveys were conducted at the end of 1995 and mid-1996 respectively, to establish socio-economic wellbeing ranks in Njombe district. A comparis on of results shows that the well-being ranks established using PRA are val id and the approach is reliable. The three qualitatively established well-b eing ranks differed empirically in many socio-economic indicators. These in clude resource endowment, labour force size, agricultural land, livestock o wnership, forest woodlot management, perception of food insecurity, technol ogical advances in agricultural production and natural resource management systems. Results show that the low well-being group and female-headed house holds are disadvantaged. The goal of the Hifadhi Ya Mazingira-Njombe projec t is to develop environmentally sustainable crop and livestock husbandry pr actices in the district. The well-being ranking exercise has strong implica tions for the project's strategy. We discuss the adopted methodology and im plications. The paper recommends that development programmes and workers in Tanzania and Sub-Saharan Africa ought to extend their approaches. It is ti me to include more of the participatory, relatively rapid rural appraisal a nd intervention techniques. Benefits that they may accrue are time saving, lower costs, quality information and stakeholder involvement.