ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with a reflection on how the participatory techniques from the opening story used creativity to connect the participants to each other and to the content of the training, blazing a trail towards a deeper, more meaningful participation. It follows this with a reflection on how the colleagues, through the process of learning participatory techniques, cultivated the art of questioning and improved their training practice. This leads into a discussion of participatory learning and action (PLA): a conceptual framework that helps me make sense of the process the colleagues. Participatory techniques, particularly those with a creative element, change the pattern of participation by captivating and connecting with people in ways that abstract discussions and dot points cannot. The project trains farmers in agricultural techniques and helps farmers to form farmer associations a type of legally recognised community-based organisation in which members save money, take out low interest loans and discuss shared concerns.
