Putting the first last.
Chambers describes and analyses major past errors.
These range from structural adjustment policies to integrated rural development projects, from estimates of community-level grain losses and wood fuel forecasts to beliefs about famines and nutrition, and blaming the poor for much environmental degradation. To construct their realities, many professionals seek precise measurements, and rely on questionnaire surveys, mathematical models and single indicators. Creating and working in stable, standardised, simplified and controlled conditions they generate blueprint development packages. When transferred these often misfit the local, complex, diverse, dynamic and uncontrollable realities of the poor and marginalised women, men and children whom they seek to assist. This is a growing family of values, approaches, behaviours and methods.