Prajateerpu, power and knowledge. The politics of participatory action research in development Part 1.

Prajateerpu (translation: `people's verdict') has been devised as an exercise for allowing those people most affected by the `Vision 2020' for food and farming in Andhra Pradesh (AP, India) to shape a vision of their own. We explore Prajateerpu as a case study in participatory action research that took place against a background of social, political and scientific controversy in which we were active participants. Having examined different methods in combination, including the citizens' jury, scenario workshop and public hearings involved in the Prajateerpu process, we assess the safeguards that were put in place to ensure a balanced and credible deliberative process.