Everybody knows something. That knowledge has a logic, a history and a value.
Knowledge begins with people
Barefoot Research and Evaluation begins by listening to people who know a place, a service or a problem through living with it. Their knowledge can reveal barriers that formal measures miss, explain why a well-intentioned programme is not working, and point towards changes that make sense in everyday life.
Where our approach began
Our approach grew out of participatory research and development in Africa. In the 1990s, Barefoot’s founder, Christopher, worked with rural communities on agroforestry and natural resource management. The work challenged the idea that useful expertise sat only with outside professionals. Farmers knew their land, households knew what they needed from trees, and communities had ways of managing resources that deserved to be understood before anyone proposed a new method.
That experience continues to shape how we work. We bring research skills, but we do not assume that we arrive with all the answers. We ask who has been left out of the conversation, whose account carries weight, and whether the people most affected can influence what happens next.
Ideas that guide our work
Ideas from Paulo Freire, E. F. Schumacher and Amartya Sen have helped us develop this approach. Freire’s idea of critical consciousness connects understanding with the ability to act. Schumacher asks us to pay attention to human scale, local resources and the consequences of decisions for people and the environment. Sen’s work on capabilities asks what people are actually able to do and be, beyond what a service says it provides.
Looking beneath headline outcomes
These ideas matter in practical research. A service may be available on paper yet difficult to use. A training programme may increase awareness without changing behaviour. An employment initiative may help someone secure a job while leaving the workplace barriers they face untouched. We look beneath headline outcomes to understand people’s choices, constraints and experiences.
Disability and the social model
Christopher brought this approach to research on poverty, disadvantage and public services in the North East of England. His later experience of disability, and his introduction to the social model of disability, deepened the focus on barriers created by organisations and society. It also informed the development of Difference North East as a membership organisation led by disabled people.
Participation with a purpose
Today, Barefoot works across research, evaluation and training. We combine careful evidence with participation that gives people a meaningful say: in the questions asked, the interpretation of findings and the changes that follow. We adapt the method to the people and the task, whether that means interviews, accessible group discussions, collaborative analysis or support for an organisation to put its findings into practice.
We believe that people create knowledge, build landscapes and try as hard as they can to make sure their livelihoods endure.