<p>Participatory Monitoring and Learning (PM&amp;L) is a process of collaborative review and problem solving, through the generation and use of information on a regular basis throughout the project cycle. It is a process that leads to corrective action or improvement within the project, based on the shared decision-making of a number of stakeholders.<br /> Action for Social Advancement (ASA) launched a pilot initiative that experimented with the Participatory Monitoring and Learning (PM&amp;L) approach, within three World Bank assisted rural development projects in Madhya Pradesh, India—the District Poverty Initiative Project (MP-DPIP), Rural Women’s Empowerment Project (Swashakti) and MP Forestry Project.</p> <p><br /> The goal of the two-year World Bank-funded pilot was to field-test and fine-tune PM&amp;L approaches that would improve participation of primary and secondary stakeholders within the project cycle. The pilot’s overriding hypothesis was that PM&amp;L can contribute to improved learning, participatory decision-making and better governance at all levels within a project, primarily at the community level. Ultimately, it enables a project to become innovative, bottom-up and demand-driven.</p> <p><br /> The ASA PM&amp;L initiative adapted a number of existing PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) tools to undertake monitoring and learning ‘at the community level’, within the three World Bank assisted projects in Madhya Pradesh. This Handbook presents a number of these tools, together with others synthesised from experiences of other organisations. It offers an overview of the kind of tools that are proving to be effective in PM&amp;L processes.</p> <p><br /> The Handbook provides facilitators with practical information on how to apply the tools. It is hoped that use of these tools in the field will further fine-tune them and also lead to the development of new tools</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>The Handbook is structured as follows:</strong><br /> Chapter 1: Introduction<br /> Chapter 2: Preparation<br /> Chapter 3: Tips on Using Common PRA Tools within PM&amp;L<br /> Chapter 4: PM&amp;L Tools<br /> Chapter 5: How to Present the Results</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>