Rapid Appraisal of Agricultural Knowledge Systems (RAAKS)
for Development of Tourism

by Pramod Tandukar (M.Sc Leisure and Environment)

Presented on the occasion of the Bridges-PRTD Rolwaling Roundtable, September 5, 1999, at the offices of the Kathmandu Environmental and Educational Project (KEEP)-- Kathmandu, Nepal.

At the moment, the tourism in Nepal faces a big challenge to balance the commerce of tourism and science of sustainable development. Tourism development should be planned to avoid otherwise minimize environmental damages and social problems, and optimize socio-economic, environmental and socio-cultural benefits.

If a consensus is developed among various actors regarding the type and extent of tourism development, goals of sustainable tourism development can be achieved due to the mutual support and understanding. For this purpose a meaningful dialogue, leading to alternatives and trade-off positions among relevant actors of tourism is required to have knowledge of each actors' perceptions and preferences. However, it needs to consider a wider range of backward linkages within tourism.

An indication of the complexities of tourism can be simplified by the classification of tourism related actors. The list may include various actors related with the development of infrastructure, agriculture, transportation, trade and other service sectors such as recreation and retailing, receptive services, social services (e.g. development, environment and, social organizations), administration and so forth.

It is against these backdrops that RAAKS as a participatory action research can be a useful participatory training and planning instrument for sustainable development of tourism. Participation of various actors might influence the course of tourism development and become a source of relevant knowledge and information. Rather than immediately focusing attention on tangible solutions, RAAKS is intended to help social actors study and suggest improvements in the waythey organize themselves to achieve a sustainable tourism. Central elements of RAAKS include teamwork, the focused collection of information, group discussions, qualitative analysis and strategic decision making. RAAKS study is made up of three phases, each phase containing a set of windows in order to shed light on the emerging practices and structural forms that evolves as a result of social actors' efforts to achieve innovation in their practices. The three pahses are:

In addition to more understanding of the problem situation and social pattern at the local context, RAAKS is intended to lead to an increased awareness among stakeholders with respect to what each can actually do to enhance their collective performace.