Resource mapping and wealth/poverty ranking

Resource mapping is a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tool in which community members draw a map of their village showing the location and condition of their resources. It is done by the people themselves, guided by a facilitator.

Resource mapping

• What is shown: forests, rivers, springs, ponds, farmland (irrigated/rain-fed), pasture, settlements, roads, trails, bridges, schools, health posts, temples, markets, landslide and flood zones.
• Procedure:
  1. Gather a mixed group (men, women, elders, youth, different castes).
  2. Explain the purpose and choose a place (ground or chart paper).
  3. People first draw boundaries and main landmarks, then add resources using sticks, stones, colours or symbols.
  4. The facilitator asks questions: who uses this, is it enough, what are the problems.
  5. The map is copied on paper and checked by a transect walk.
• Uses: shows availability, access and control of resources, identifies problems and potential, and helps plan projects such as irrigation or drinking water.

   [Forest]      ~~ River ~~
      |            |
  [Pasture]   [Irrigated land]
      |            |
  (Temple)--[Village]--(School)
              |
          [Road]--(Health post)

Wealth (well-being) ranking

Wealth ranking groups households of a community by their economic condition, using criteria chosen by the people themselves.

Steps:

1. Prepare a list of all households (from a social map), writing each name on a card.
2. Select 3–4 knowledgeable local people (key informants) who know every household.
3. Ask them to decide local criteria of wealth and poverty, e.g. land owned, food sufficiency months, house type, livestock, job/remittance, education of children, debt.
4. Each informant sorts the cards into piles, e.g. rich, medium, poor, very poor.
5. Repeat with other informants separately; compare and average the results (score).
6. Discuss differences and finalise the ranking in a group.

Uses: targeting the poor for benefits, fixing cost sharing in users' committees, monitoring poverty change and ensuring inclusion. Since criteria come from the community, the ranking is accepted locally; but it must be done carefully because it can be sensitive.