This book is a story of a region in the early stages of transition to sustainability. It provides ample evidence that moving towards sustainability requires the successful identification, assessment and management of risk and uncertainty. It is knowledge-intensive and requires changes in technologies, policies and incentives, and new partnerships and alliances. It requires knowledge to be translated into action and better links between researchers and policy makers.

The book describes the results and findings from 17 years of interdisciplinary research in the Yaqui Valley in Mexico against a background of social, political and environmental changes and financial crises. It charts the transition from increasing use of higher yielding wheat varieties, inputs and water, through eight years of drought, to systems using conservation agricultural practices and making more efficient use of inputs and water.

The research programme evolved under the influence of its partners and events. The chapters on the management of nitrogen inputs and water resources are particularly well documented. Areas are identified where further research is needed.

The authors acknowledge that their research is inevitably location-specific, but argue that the approaches and metrics used, tools developed and models constructed have much wider relevance and have been highly influential on their teaching and research students.