Participatory appraisal (often known as PRA because its origins were in rural appraisal) is a process of gathering information in which people are involved in the collection of information about their own communities. This allows them to become actively involved in the analytical process concerning actual or proposed interventions, mobilising stakeholders and collectively identifying and prioritising, problems and actions to resolve them. Typically the method relies on verbal communication and often incorporates techniques such as structured interviews, focus groups, and mapping. (See Chapter 13 for a description of methodologies.)