Introducing RITA: Rapid Intensive Transdisciplinary Analysis

This paper introduces Rapid Intensive Transdisciplinary Analysis (RITA), a research approach that combines key characteristics of transdisciplinary research (TDR) with decades of experience applying Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) to farming systems and rural communities. While many of the principles of transdisciplinary research are commonly found in applications of PRA, such as the involvement of diverse societal actors and the identification of real-world challenges, other TDR principles are not inherent to PRA, such as the inclusion and integration of diverse disciplinary knowledges, the application of systems thinking to analyse complexity and the use of reflexivity to surface assumptions and beliefs. This article describes the key elements of RITA and highlights how they can be operationalised and enhanced through references to several past case studies involving PRA. Limitations are discussed and recommendations are provided for both the application of specific methods and the creation of enabling conditions for RITA.