The ‘Pathways’ transformative knowledge network

Abstract

Transformations to sustainability are increasingly the focus of research and policydiscussions around the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the differentroles played by transdisciplinary research in contributing to social transformations across diverse settings have been neglected in the literature. TransformativePathways to Sustainability responds to this gap by presenting a set of coherent, theoretically informed and methodologically innovative experiments from aroundthe world that offer important insights for this growing field.The book draws on content and cases from across the ‘Pathways’ Transformative Knowledge Network, an international group of six regional hubs workingon sustainability challenges in their own local or national contexts. Each of thesehubs reports on their experiences of ‘transformation laboratory’ processes in thefollowing areas: sustainable agricultural and food systems for healthy livelihoods,with a focus on sustainable agri-food systems in the UK and open-source seedsin Argentina; low carbon energy and industrial transformations, focussing onmobile-enabled solar home systems in Kenya and social aspects of the greentransformation in China; and water and waste for sustainable cities, looking atXochimilco wetland in Mexico and Gurgaon in India. The book combines newempirical data from these processes with a novel analysis that represents boththeoretical and methodological contributions. It is especially international in itsscope, drawing inputs from North and South, mirroring the universality of theSustainable Development Goals.The book is of vital interest to academics, action researchers and funders, policymakers and civil-society organisations working on transformations to sustainability.