This manual has many parents. The commitment, creativity, and innovative work of many people working for nearly thirty years to develop participatory methods has made it possible. The approach described here was originally developed to help agriculture extension and other rural development service agencies better respond to the needs and demands of local people. Over the past fifteen years, African countries have significantly improved management and organization of agricultural extension services. Extension staff at all levels now better understand their roles and responsibilities, benefit from extensive training, and, most importantly, have more systematic and thorough contact with farmers. Work organization has also improved. Nonetheless challenges remain. Local farmers must be given greater control over the types of services and technical information they receive from extension agents, and be given greater voice in the management of agricultural extension services. These are best achieved by using participatory approaches. Further, due to the democratization and decentralization that is underway in many African countries, gradual privatization of rural services,1 empowerment of rural people and changing attitudes of staff, it is now possible to use participatory approaches on a large scale (including on a national scale).