This briefing series is the product of an on-going social learning process — the Climate Change and Social Learning initiative (CCSL) — between the CCAFS team and its partners, in which knowledge has been co-constructed through many different channels, including workshops, the CCSL ‘Sandbox’ and social media.
Key messages
- For cross-site comparison, it may not be possible to fully standardise participatory studies when the sites have very different social-cultural profiles.
- To allow for more in-depth probing of issues critical to community members, limit the number of topics covered and tools used.
- Practitioners of participatory research should be rigorous in terms of implementation and interpretation, to limit the influence of bias on findings.
- A gender-sensitive approach requires understanding of site-level socially differentiated dynamics, and a strategy for achieving gender-appropriate targets.
