Agriculture provides food and nutrition for all people and raw materials for industry. It is the source of employment and livelihoods for the majority of people in developing countries - including much of Sub-Saharan Africa. But agriculture faces sustainability and viability challenges, notably declining production and productivity, food and nutrition insecurity, and conflicting research and development approaches. Solutions to the challenges require innovation that involves transdisciplinary effort and multiple stakeholders. The Developmental Work Research (DWR) methodology enables practitioners, content and process specialists to work together and develop solutions that overcome complex agriculture challenges. DWR provides conceptual tools that utilise the distributed cognition and volition of agricultural stakeholders to produce lasting solutions. This book discusses the DWR methodology and how it can and has been used to facilitate collective innovation, transform agricultural practices, improve the livelihoods of farming communities and the land. It draws on DWR-inspired case studies in southern Africa, Finland and New Zealand. "Mutizwa Mukute has written a much-needed introduction to developmental work research. The book is theoretically and methodologically sophisticated, yet solidly grounded in practice. It provides an excellent basis for conducting research and formative interventions in the domain of agricultural innovations, and beyond." Yrjö Engeström, Professor and Director of CRADLE, University of Helsinki

This book proves, through empirical research, that indigenous and traditional agricultural communities have experienced severe climate change impacts, and have developed corresponding livelihood strategies to strengthen their resilience in a variable climate. With a focus on indigenous minority farming communities in the developing region of South-Western Zimbabwe, the study presents both qualitative and quantitative approaches of data analysis to assess sustainability problems amid climate change and climate variability challenges, and proposes potential solutions. In eight chapters, the book expands on the scarce availability of community-based research on climate change and variability in Zimbabwe. The book is meant for college and university students and stakeholders involved in development work in rural minority farmer communities, especially in climate change prone regions of Africa and other developing countries who have very few options of adaptation and mitigation.

Soils are critical to agriculture and, in turn, to food supply and livelihoods. Sustainable management of soils is crucial for a large proportion of the population of Africa. Contrary to many claims, soil fertility is improved and managed successfully by small-scale farmers there. Careful studies from widely different areas reveal how closely bound up soil management is with complex social, cultural and ecological factors - requiring a far more subtly tuned approach to development policy and practice. This work is a study of how the context of livelihood systems has to inform development policy and practice.