Participatory research is ultimately about relationships and power. The key relationships are between the researcher and the researched, and between local people and those actors they see as powerful and who affect their lives. Participatory researchers act as facilitators and work towards attaining equality in these two relationships.
Local people involved in participatory research processes are often subordinate in their own social context, while outside researchers are often perceived as experts who impose their views.
Embracing these human centered methods of research means believing that all problems, even the seemingly impossible ones like; food insecurity, poverty, garbage disposal, gender equality, access to clean water are all solvable and by the community members that experience them first hand. It is believing that the people who face these problems everyday hold the key to their answers and therefore making sure that they are a part of the process from the beginning.
Photovoice is a participatory method of research that uses images as a tool to deconstruct problems by posing meaningful questions in a community to find actionable solutions.
The aim of using photovoice as a research method is to make sure that the community that we are researching on is the one that provides the voice that we are looking for. We are essentially turning community members into researchers for the day. What is this important?
For a long time, there has been a great disconnect between research/researchers and community members or the people whom the research is based on. This makes it hard for the results generated from research to be accepted by the people who need it. For example, we talk about urban farming being a solution to food insecurity among the urban poor, however, not a single urban poor person was involved in coming up with this conclusion, this makes it hard for them to take it up.that
Community members from various slums were engaged in discussions and explorations of their food security situation and the right to food. This took various forms, including the fish bowl approach, consultative plenary, the soup kitchen, Vikao Vya Jamii, and photo elicitation. In some, pictures showing lived experiences, skits and narratives were presented, highlighting various issues that sparked conversations around food security and right to food.
Digital storytelling is an arts-based research method with potential to elucidate complex narratives in a compelling manner, increase participant engagement, and enhance the meaning of research findings. This method involves the creation of a 3- to 5-min video that integrates multimedia materials including photos, participant voices, drawings, and music. Given the significant potential of digital storytelling to meaningfully capture and share participants’ lived experiences, a systematic review of its use in healthcare research is crucial to develop an in-depth understanding of how researchers have used this method, with an aim to refine and further inform future iterations of its use.
Participatory geographic information system (PGIS) also known as participatory mapping, involves identifying and mapping out food zones with the goal of locating where food is found and people’s perception of community members on the quality of food. A prompt is shared, by asking people on the streets about what they eat, where they eat, whether the food is healthy, and how accessible it is. This was a street activity where the crowd was entertained with music and contemporary dances. Participants were given sticker notes that they posted onto a map.
This is a visual expression of feelings, experiences and messages through artistic drawings and writing, usually using spray paints in public spaces. These forms of creative arts are increasingly gaining recognition amongst scientists and other professionals as legitimate public participatory art forms and as a medium for communities to voice their opinions.
The wall is strategically located along a busy road that traverses the community and provided community members with an opportunity to interact with the artwork. This activity helped spark conversations on the specific messages conveyed, thereby enhancing the dialogue on lived experiences with food insecurity
This involved use of staged plays and skits to communicate food security and the right to food messages, in a creative and comical way that attracted a large audience. The approach can be used to engage participants of all ages. This approach was used to create awareness but also a way to engage community members in coming up with various possible solutions to their food security challenges. This was done through an interactive session after every staged item, in which the facilitator sought the views of the audience in solving the food security challenges highlighted by the skit or narrative.
