The community's toolbox: The idea, methods and tools for participatory assessment, monitoring and evaluation in community forestry

This field manual provides a practical set of guidelines for many of the different approaches used in community forestry. It reassesses many of the conventional monitoring and evaluation methods and tools by emphasizing participatory techniques.

The manual is organized into three sections. The first section introduces the principles of Participatory Assessment, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PAME). The principles of PAME, where it will work and where it can begin are discussed along with its benefits. This section also offers suggestions for dialogue among field staff members. Section two provides the methods for determining the ways in which data can be analyzed and presented. Each of the chapters introduces the method, defines its benefits, and examines the steps which must be taken using the particular approach. The final chapter in the section looks closely at the importance of presenting results of the collected information. The third section of the manual introduces 23 different tools, ranging from group meetings to a participatory video evaluation, and their uses. Guidelines for choosing the most appropriate tool are given and an overview of the main characteristics is provided. [adapted from FAO]

This manual is number 2 in the FAO Community Forest Field Manual series. The whole collection is available from:

http://www.fao.org/forestry/FON/FONP/cfu/pub/type.stm#field