Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?

Sheona Shackleton; Anna Taylor; Louise Gammage; Lindsey Gillson; Nadia Sitas; Nadine Methner; Shayan Barmand; Jessica Thorn; Alice McClure; Leigh Cobban; Astrid Jarre; Oghenekaro Nelson Odume

doi:10.1080/26395916.2022.2164798

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Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?

Shackleton, Sheona; Taylor, Anna; Gammage, Louise; Gillson, Lindsey; Sitas, Nadia; Methner, Nadine; Barmand, Shayan; Thorn, Jessica; McClure, Alice; Cobban, Leigh; Jarre, Astrid; Odume, Oghenekaro Nelson 2023-12-31 00:00:00 ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 2023, VOL. 19, NO. 1, 2164798 https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2164798 RESEARCH Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed? a a b,c b d Sheona Shackleton , Anna Taylor , Louise Gammage , Lindsey Gillson , Nadia Sitas , a a a,e f a b,c Nadine Methner , Shayan Barmand , Jessica Thorn , Alice McClure , Leigh Cobban , Astrid Jarre and Oghenekaro Nelson Odume a b African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Marine and Antarctic centre for Innovation and Sustainability (MARIS), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Centre for Sustainability Transitions, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South e f Africa; School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK; Climate Systems Analysis Group, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Received 6 July 2022 The transformations required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across the African Accepted 11 November 2022 continent demand new ways of mobilising, weaving together, and applying knowledge. Research, policymaking, planning, and action must be effectively inter-linked to address complex sustain- EDITED BY ability challenges and the different needs and interests of societal actors. Transdisciplinarity (TD) – Matthew Weaver the co-production of knowledge across disciplines and with non-academic actors – offers KEYWORDS a promising, holistic approach to foster such transformations. Yet, despite increased application of Sustainability; TD over the past two decades, disciplinary and sectoral silos persist. TD is not well embedded in transformation; African academic institutions and, consequently, much SDG-related research is too narrowly framed transdisciplinarity; and divorced from the action space to be effective. There is an urgent need to work collectively Sustainable Development across disciplines and society for transformation towards more sustainable and equitable develop- Goals; Africa; equity ment pathways. Capacities to undertake collaborative, impactful research must be strengthened, and changes in research culture are needed to support relationship building. We explore these issues by drawing on two recent online social learning processes with researchers and practitioners working on sustainability issues and TD. In each process, we built on actors’ own experiences of TD by investigating institutional, practical, and theoretical challenges and enablers of TD. Here, we synthesise our learnings, alongside key literature, and explore avenues to better: a) promote and support TD within academic institutions across Africa; b) resource TD for sustainable partnerships, and c) strengthen TD practices and impacts to support transformation to sustainability across diverse places and contexts. 1. Introduction fundamental life-support system upon which humanity Humanity is currently facing unprecedented sustainabil- relies (Steffen et al. 2018; Lenton et al. 2019; Rockström ity challenges that are multifaceted, interconnected, and et al. 2021; Armstrong McKay et al. 2022). dynamic (Liu et al. 2015; Brondízio et al. 2019; Risopoulos-Pichler et al. 2020; Folke et al. 2021). The In response to these challenges, governments glob- evidence for human-nature connectedness is mounting ally have agreed on a collective set of aspirations as climate change, biodiversity loss, and zoonotic diseases articulated as the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of high levels of inequality and unsustain- (SDGs). The 17 SDGs represent an ambitious effort able economic growth precipitate considerable hardships, to achieve sustainability through an evidence-based deaths, displacement, and costly economic and infra- framework for development planning until 2030 structural losses (Steffen et al. 2015a; Future Earth 2020; (United Nations General Assembly 2015; Thorn et al. 2020; Lawler et al. 2021). In Africa, major Wackernagel et al. 2017). These goals recognise that demographic transitions, notably rapid urbanisation, are human development and well-being rely on the compounding persistent historical inequalities and healthy functioning of the earth’s ecological and geo- exploitation, resulting in critical development challenges physical systems and the collective prosperity of all such as malnutrition, high levels of unemployment, and peoples (Griggs et al. 2013, 2014; Barnosky et al. limited access to education, public infrastructure, and 2014; Steffen et al. 2018). The SDGs provide social services (Juju et al. 2020; Thorn et al. 2021). a normative framework aimed at addressing complex Without sustainability and equity, development becomes development challenges within recognised planetary self-destructive as it threatens to undermine the boundaries and transforming society in ways that put CONTACT Sheona Shackleton Sheona.shackleton@uct.ac.za Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2164798 © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 2 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. an end to poverty, conserve ecosystems and improve academia – operating in civil society organisations, health and well-being for all (Steffen et al. 2015b; government, business, and industry – in processes of UNDP 2018). While the SDGs put forward global reflection, formulating questions, selecting methods, sustainability ambitions, concerns have been raised collecting and analysing data, sharing, learning and about their coordinated implementation across producing new knowledge (Darbellay 2015; Fam Africa (Juju et al. 2020). While achieving the SDGs et al. 2018). Experiential and practice-based knowledge seems a daunting task, it is critical for securing the is considered of equal value to scientific knowledge in future of African people and nature. Africa consists of framing questions, collecting data, sense-making, and young and dynamic populations with rich cultural developing and testing potential responses to complex and ecological diversity that can contribute to this problems. TD is thereby a social process of collabora- imperative. tive problem-solving and mutual learning. TD is The SDGs have been critiqued for their lack of designed to characterise and tackle problems of shared integration and for reinforcing siloed approaches, concern and co-produce solution-oriented, socially pointing to a need for understanding sustainability robust, and scientifically defensible knowledge in challenges and ecosystem management in more inte- ways that build the legitimacy, ownership and opera- grated ways. Thus, realising the SDGs requires new tionalisation or enactment of that knowledge (Popa ways of generating and implementing knowledge et al. 2015; Scholz and Steiner 2015). TD and knowl- linked to actions that work with the complex, inter- edge co-production processes are framed by and connected nature of social-ecological systems and the respond to real-world challenges and are increasingly diverse perspectives, needs and interests of different recognised as essential for achieving the SDGs societal actors (Hadorn et al. 2006; Seidl et al. 2013; (McGowan et al. 2019; Schneider et al. 2019; OECD 2020; Yamazumi 2020). Disciplinary Thondhlana et al. 2021). The diversity of perspectives approaches to knowledge production have yielded and heterogeneity of people involved is a key feature of considerable advances and benefits that underpin TD (Steger et al. 2021), while the superiority of aca- societal progress, especially in medical science and demic knowledge is challenged (Lutz and Neis 2008; computing, for example. Yet, this disciplinary specia- Lotz-Sisitka et al. 2015). By emphasising the relational lisation can also silo knowledge, creating blind spots nature of sustainability knowledge, TD facilitates new regarding the interconnections between nature, peo- cross-cutting networks to respond to emergent chal- ple, and their knowledge systems and culture (Kinzig lenges (Bergmann et al. 2012). TD, when mindfully 2001). This contributes to maintaining and creating applied, can also provide a route towards transforma- power imbalances that fuel the extreme economic tive change at multiple scales from local to national by inequities that undermine key life-support systems enabling learning, altering power dynamics and build- (Brondízio et al. 2019). SDG-related research needs ing collective and individual agency to tackle complex to be more broadly framed and directly engaged with sustainability problems (Marshall et al. 2018). action arenas to address interconnected challenges Despite increasing recognition of the value of TD, (McGowan et al. 2019). Consequently, there is disciplinary, organisational and sector silos and frag- a growing need for transformative, inclusive, and mentation persist, making more inclusive and trans- decolonised forms of knowledge production, tied to formative ways of producing actionable knowledge learning and shifting values and behaviours, to shape difficult (Lawrence et al. 2022). Few universities nur- new, more sustainable policies, processes, and prac- ture the critical skills and mindsets that enable the tices across Africa (Vogel and O’Brien 2022). relational capacities, reflexivity, communication skills Transdisciplinarity (TD), including knowledge co- and empathy required for TD work (Fam et al. 2018; production and co-design, offers a promising Salgado et al. 2018). There is, thus, an urgent need to approach to facilitate the type of knowledge produc- further understand how to work across disciplines tion needed to support more equitable and sustainable and other ways of knowing to build more inclusive development pathways in Africa, as well as a way to and just development pathways. Building such devel- apply the interconnected, nexus framings so necessary opment pathways entails the intentional and collec- for solving complex sustainability challenges (Steger tive sequencing of evidence-based actions and et al. 2021). We understand TD to encompass ways innovations, implemented progressively depending of undertaking research that intentionally transcends on emerging future dynamics (Aguiar et al. 2020). It the boundaries within science and between science and also requires surfacing and challenging existing other social and economic spheres, to connect knowl- power asymmetries in how knowledge is mobilised, edge with action (Klein 2013; Knapp et al. 2019). TD produced, and applied, and who benefits or is bur- entails tackling complex and contextually contingent dened by the application (Lotz-Sisitka et al. 2015). problems, valuing epistemological plurality, and Given the escalated impacts from extreme climate actively involving knowledge holders from outside of events and compounded poverty and inequality, ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 3 there is an urgency to strengthen capacities to under- Breede community of practice (COP) - involved take this type of collaborative research. online reflections with actors working within Recognising this need for change in how research of a catchment area in the Western Cape of South and for sustainability is undertaken and in strengthening Africa, thus delivering a deeper understanding and the capacities to undertake collaborative and impactful more context-specific insights on TD, with strong research, this paper advances an understanding of TD representation from practitioners. Despite the differ- that recognises the diversity of local contexts across the ences, both processes ultimately aimed to explore African continent. We lay out a set of institutional, ways to improve TD practice for more impactful resourcing, and praxis priorities to promote and support and transformative outcomes that help progress the excellent TD research in African universities. Such SDGs. Both surfaced common issues and priorities. change is essential to foster the institutional culture, sup- The first learning process involved co-developing port structures, and trusting partnerships within and out- a ‘positioning paper’ and two sessions for a Summit side the academy that are needed to address complex on the SDGs in Africa hosted by the University of sustainability problems. We draw on six case studies Cape Town in September 2021. We hosted three pre- and the conversations, observations, and insights from Summit workshops to prepare for the paper and the two independent social learning processes held in 2020 Summit sessions (Figure 1). In the first two work- and 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic). Each pro- shops (21–22 June) presenters shared six case studies cess involved a series of online workshops with a range of (see supplementary material), focusing on the chal- actors directly concerned with sustainability issues to lenges and enablers of TD research for achieving the explore how to achieve transdisciplinary research that SDGs in Africa. A template was provided for these tackles sustainability concerns and builds trusting, colla- presentations, so each covered the theoretical, prac- borative partnership for transformative change. We built tice, and institutional challenges and enablers identi- on participants’ own experiences of engaging in TD by fied in the cases. This facilitated the discussion of the exploring institutional, funding, and theoretical and cases in breakout groups and the ready extraction of praxis challenges and enablers of TD, as well as potential key learnings later captured in the positioning paper. options for improving practice, recognising that these We also drew on in-depth conversations with expert categories are highly interconnected. discussants (African and international) in a third This paper proceeds by describing the two collabora- workshop. This workshop focussed on TD scholar- tive learning processes. In the sections that follow, we ship, theory, and praxis and the institutional and synthesise insights and reflections surfaced from the funding environments for TD. We invited two speak- learning processes, alongside key literature, in ers linked to international funding organisations to a narrative in which we explore avenues to better explore the views of funders alongside those of embed TD in African academic institutions and support researchers in a panel discussion. Thirty-three parti- more transformative practice. Specifically, we offer sug- cipants representing senior academics, early career gestions on how to better: a) promote and support TD researchers, research managers and some practi- within academic institutions across Africa; b) resource tioners and research funders all of whom work in TD for sustainable partnerships, and c) strengthen TD the broad area of sustainability participated. We also practice and impacts to support transformation to sus- gained further insights from the Summit workshops tainability across diverse places and contexts. We con- where we explored and imagined the TD space we clude the paper with a set of summarised wanted and suggested specific actions that could be recommendations on how to support TD practice and taken to support this vision (see http://www.sdgsafri multi-scalar partnerships across Africa and beyond. casummit.uct.ac.za for more information on the Summit; and https://sites.google.com/view/sdgsum mit-tt4 for details on Thematic Track 4 on 2. Description of the social learning Transdisciplinary and Engaged Research). For these, processes all the participants (70) were from African institutions. The two multi-actor engagement and collective The second learning process, which we call the (social) learning processes that provide the insights Berg-Breede community of practice ran throughout and learnings for this paper were designed for differ- 2021. It involved a series of seven workshops ent purposes and operated at different scales. The (Figure 1) aimed at improving our understanding first process described below – the SDG summit of how best to conduct useful, meaningful, and workshops – included presentation of six case studies equitable long-term transdisciplinary research, from across Southern and Eastern Africa and African while engaging in a landscape with multiple compet- and international discussants and participants. It thus ing social-ecological interests, over-pressured provided a macro-level perspective on TD practice in resources, and high levels of inequity. There are Africa and beyond. The second process – the Berg- 4 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. Figure 1. Summary of the SDG Summit and Berg-Breede catchment multi-actor social learning processes. multiple projects that use TD approaches to address 3. Learning insights and outcomes sustainability and equity issues in this catchment, 3.1. Reconfiguring academic institutions to but coordination is poor and impacts fuzzy. The foster TD workshop series was, therefore, seen as an opportu- nity for collective reflection and learning from pre- Despite TD being promoted for the last 20 years as an vious and current landscape-related research, in approach to undertaking societally relevant research terms of a) the capacity to implement transdisciplin- that addresses sustainability, researchers adopting ary research, and b) the ways of working with multi- this research practice continue to face multiple hur- ple stakeholders to create lasting partnerships and dles (Care et al. 2021). Institutional, epistemological, maximise research uptake and impact. The first and methodological barriers of the ‘old academy’ three workshops targeted TD researchers from undermine the imperative to change, sometimes Western Cape academic institutions with research despite TD being advocated by university leadership experience in the Berg-Breede catchment. The next (Pollet and Huyse 2019). In this section, we highlight two workshops involved practitioners working in institutional considerations, priorities and enablers the catchment, and the third educators who train identified from our workshops under three main sustainability scientists in tertiary institutions. These sections and offer suggestions to pave the way for- interactive workshops provided each actor group ward for successful support of TD research that con- with a safe space for sharing their experiences with tributes towards African universities being better TD research and to surface practical short- and equipped to address the SDGs and facilitate transfor- long-term options for addressing identified chal- mative change. lenges. Numbers varied across workshops but alto- gether, some 30 people participated. All groups were 3.1.1. Institutional culture: towards a more brought together in a final workshop to synthesise mutually respectful and caring environment and validate the knowledge and understanding from Working across disciplines is not yet the norm within the workshop series. many academic institutions in Africa, and ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 5 collaboration with partners outside of academia 2022). This idea of a pluralistic way of undertaking remains rare. Researchers who are leading the charge research is exemplified in a statement by Nicolescu in this regard are often stretched to balance their TD (2002, 44–45): ‘Transdisciplinarity is nourished by aspirations with those of the ‘old academy’ (Pollet disciplinarity. In turn, disciplinarity is clarified by and Huyse 2019; Fam et al. 2020; Risopoulos-Pichler transdisciplinary knowledge in a new and fertile et al. 2020). In this context, a challenge mentioned by way’. In one workshop discussion, it was raised that many participants at our workshops was opposition when we advocate for TD, we must ensure that it does from disciplinary-focussed colleagues, who buy into not become exclusionary and hegemonic, falling into the common misconception that TD research lacks the disciplinary trap. As one participant put it: ‘we rigour, is anecdotal and unscientific, or that a TD (TD researchers) seek to enrich not annihilate knowl- framing could become the dominant research para- edge’. TD should be seen as a way to ‘empower uni- digm in the university and secure more resources versities to act as change agents and respond to societal than traditional, discipline-focused approaches. In challenges’ more directly than other research some cases, it was reported that such scepticism approaches (https://www.uu.nl/en/research/transdis may be backed up within the power hierarchies, for ciplinary-field-guide) and as complementary to example by heads of departments and deans, who other ways of generating knowledge. Without pro- prioritise disciplinary specialisation over interdisci- motion of engaged scholarship, universities are unli- plinary and TD research. As one of our participants kely to move beyond ‘the well-honed academic habit noted ‘our institutions tend to be locked in hierarchies of studying problems without emphasising solutions’ and a hegemonic understanding of disciplines and which ‘is ever more troubling in today’s world’ (Hart power. For example, rewarding competition and grit et al. 2016, p. 2). To move forward, universities need in academia and science can discourage vulnerable to promote TD work more actively, and in non- and open relationships. Finding ways to humanise threatening ways, through annual sharing forums, institutions by breaking down those hierarchies and news articles and awards: ‘we need case studies from focusing on relationship building with all its inherent within our universities to demonstrate/illustrate what vulnerabilities and biases can help to overcome hurdles can be done’; ‘a prize for the best TD research project in implementing TD’. Furthermore, TD practice is could raise awareness in the university for this type of often seen as an ‘add-on’ process for peripheral research and its possibilities’. impact work which is not central to academic In addition, physical spaces for scholarly exchange, research, and that seeking solutions to complex soci- peer-to-peer informal mentoring programmes, train- etal and social-ecological problems lies outside the ing workshops, discussion and learning platforms, realm of university work. The consensus in our work- summer schools, and co-supervision across disci- shops was that many of our academic colleagues are plines, all mentioned by participants, could build still distrustful of TD in terms of its value, quality and community and confidence among postgraduate stu- advocacy role. A culture of assumed superiority of dents, early career, mid-career, and senior research- theoretical research over applied research is still ers. To improve collaboration and knowledge co- strong in many academic institutions. This can production, cross-institutional ‘communities of prac- permeate widely to undermine collaboration, isolate tice’ (COPs) or working groups (often called ‘third TD researchers, and erode confidence in their chosen spaces’) can bring together researchers, practitioners approach. and other communities into learning spaces that are Given this situation, there is an urgent need to welcoming to all (Cundill et al. 2015; see Roux et al. promote a culture and ethics of respect, apprecia- 2020 for an example). This range of assemblages can tion, collegiality, relationality, and care for TD support relationships and ways of working at the work at all levels of the institution as well as nur- intersection of practices and disciplines, which are ture respect for interdisciplinary and TD research agile and critical, instead of siloing TD (Hart et al. as valid and valuable knowledge production pro- 2016; Hart and Silka 2020; Chambers et al. 2022). cesses (Care et al. 2021; Sellberg et al. 2021). One Mentorship and peer support are highly sought by of our participants highlighted that: ‘if we want TD those currently engaging in TD work; as one partici- to be effective we need to look at the culture of pant said: ‘as a young researcher, it’s very important to institutions in a deeper way and change that cul- be in a space where you are comfortable because when ture’. A culture change to address concerns related to you are so overwhelmed it’s easy to pause and seek TD could be engendered through better communica- support . . . that comfortable space should be created by tion around the role and place of TD in the academy. your seniors’. Most existing forms of academic super- For example, the principles of TD recognise that vision and line management do not provide the car- there is space for multiple forms of knowledge and ing support TD requires. We need to mentor scholars research within academic institutions (Lawrence et al. through the practical and emotional challenges that 6 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. result from working with complex, often conflictual relational in order to enable research that is not fully problems, multiple perspectives and views, difficult protectable; that responds, or has to respond, to conditions power dynamics, and often high levels of injustice. that are not controlled, both socially and epistemically by A quote from one of our participants highlights the scientists solely’. ‘need to invest in sustaining the courage, vision, reflex- Addressing these structural challenges could include ivity and (methodological) agility required to do this clearer roadmaps for TD students related to where to work’. To make this type of mentorship effective, we register, thesis requirements, training opportunities, and need a set of flexible structures that incentivise, legit- ethical clearance; ‘we need to change how we support and imise and reward mentorship for those engaging in assess students – there are rigid ideas of what students have TD, including acknowledging the time required to to do’. Some workshop participants suggested higher- undertake this work. Establishing, growing, and sus- level structures to coordinate TD work, including taining communities of practice/working groups for a postgraduate school of TD. Others were wary about those involved in TD across the academy would assist creating formal structures that separate out TD in its own with this. For senior staff in African universities who potentially siloed space and recommended, rather, the are burdened with multiple roles and responsibilities, informal spaces mentioned in the previous section: “I can including heavy teaching loads, engaging in TD work see already (and I’m not being critical now, I’m just obser- requires building well-capacitated teams and support ving) ‘you’ have started creating a discipline around TD”. networks. This entails finding new and creative ways Others argued that TD requires new, distributed, collec- to include students in research, curriculum design tive leadership forms as described by Fam et al. (2020) and teaching to share the burden and at the same and Care et al. (2021) which can drive the changes time grow their capacity. To support TD, we need needed. The latter authors mention how they had insti- more diverse, distributed leadership and co- tuted a ‘Careoperative’ as a living experiment to provide supervision arrangements (e.g. advisory panels, a forum to change the work environment and to offer potentially including people from multiple faculties collegiate support. This model recognises that unblocking and beyond the academy) to bring different perspec- deeply embedded systemic challenges in academic struc- tives, skills, and personalities into the research and tures (Fam et al. 2020) needs to happen simultaneously mentorship process (Fam et al. 2020). with the cultural transformations mentioned in the pre- vious section to have the desired impact (Sellberg et al. 2021). Hart et al. (2016), drawing together experiences 3.1.2. Creating enabling structural and from six United States of America academic institutions administrative systems with transdisciplinary sustainability science initiatives, The current structure of most African universities caters provide evidence that some academic institutions are primarily for disciplinary focused departments situated slowly learning how to support more collaborative within distinctive faculties that tend to operate autono- work, and while difficult, it is possible with patience and mously with limited interdepartmental and faculty com- well-targeted resources and support. There are a growing munication (Armitage et al. 2019). A cluster of challenges number of initiatives to learn from. generated by this ‘siloed’ structure, and associated admin- istrative systems, were identified in our workshops, both for individuals and groupings within departments 3.1.3. Recognition, promotion, and career wishing to undertake TD as well as research institutes development that work across departments, faculties, and even univer- The longer timelines required for impactful TD, sities. The most mentioned challenges related to how the including the extended time needed before peer- current structure promotes competition for resources, review publications can be produced, are generally creates resistance to collaboration and co-authorship, not fully appreciated within universities. As a result, makes administration complex and slow, heightens TD research is often poorly rewarded and incenti- power hierarchies, and complicates student registration vised. This can deter early career researchers from and examination. For example, faculty specific funding pursuing TD approaches and impede career progres- flows and distribution, ethics approval, and thesis styles sion of established researchers who practise deep TD. and timeframes often act as disincentives for collabora- Changes to promotion criteria should, at the very tion. Other structural and administrative challenges least, include more comprehensive, qualitative and related to TD include intellectual property policies pre- fewer data-dependent measures in alignment with venting data sharing, funding constraints, ethics require- the Leiden Manifesto (www.leiden manifesto.org) ments that do not cater for emergent TD research and the and the San Francisco Declaration on Research traditional academic reward system which is discussed Assessment (DORA, https://sfdora.org/). One of our further below (section 3.1.3). Regarding current struc- participants commented that ‘we need more creative tural inflexibilities, one participant mentioned: ‘we need approaches to assessment that consider levels of to transform institutions to be sufficiently dynamic and engagement and collaboration’. Co-development of ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 7 more holistic assessment indicators that capture both many funding cycles, continues to be a limitation that scholarly outputs and levels of inclusivity in research, can stifle the kind of iterative, responsive research deep societal engagement, transformative impacts, required to achieve the SDGs. ‘You get three years popular knowledge products and the new type of funding to work on a specific area but if you work with leadership critical for effective TD research could communities, there are a lot of things involved – it’s provide a way forward (Keeler and Locke 2022). In difficult to do everything in the time available’. the words of one of our participants ‘TD research has Sufficient and sustained resource flows in terms of to be evaluated differently from disciplinary research, financing, and human capital, is critical for the slow and the onus is now on us . . . . to begin to develop an process of TD research (OECD 2020). However, evaluation rubric that takes account of process (as an many current resourcing mechanisms remain important step for the quality of TD). . . we need to untransformed (Decade of Global Sustainability start developing indicators that integrate elements of Science Action (2020–2030)). This is, in part, because social, economic, and ecological’. Teamwork and researchers and practitioners, especially from the multi-authored papers, book chapters and books Global South, are seldom engaged in the conceptua- need to be valued as much as single-authored papers. lisation of high-level funding strategies, and so the Non-academic knowledge outputs (e.g. films, videos, realities of this type of work are not always fully co-written policy or business briefs, manuals, news appreciated. One of the primary outputs from the articles, reports, comics and animations) also need Berg-Breede learning process was a policy brief direc- more recognition, including greater interaction with ted at funders that outlines researcher and practi- the arts as a means of including a diversity of per- tioner concerns and the options that can engender spectives (Steelman et al. 2019). Greater appreciation the systems-level change needed (https://sites.google. of the risk-taking, creative thinking and tenacity attri- com/view/berg-breede/project-resources). butes of TD researchers that are so important in Transforming funding models to better support creating the spaces and approaches that can reshape TD requires action at multiple levels. International, universities to meet sustainability demands is needed national, and university funding mechanisms need to (Hart et al. 2016). Moreover, we saw a strongly gen- reconfigure how funding is structured; who deter- dered and career stage bias in TD work, with women mines the scope of the funding calls and the length and early to mid-career researchers often promoting of the funding period; who is involved in funding and holding the TD space (also reflected in the applications; and how researchers and their institu- authorship of this paper), along with the additional tions (e.g. grants offices) are supported within and responsibilities and emotional burdens such work across institutions and communities of practice. brings. Reorienting what is recognised and awarded Funders interested in supporting TD should work as excellence in universities could help in acknowl- together to devise integrated mechanisms for sup- edging this important pioneering role and the extra porting transformative research, such as blended work and dedication required to build collaboration funding approaches, partnerships between research across disciplines and with societal actors. While and development funders, and dialogues with aca- there is some progress towards this – e.g. several of demic institutions to find ways to resource the the African participants’ universities recognise the changes needed. Adequate resources also are needed DORA principles – rollout is slow, and the necessary to capture and make visible the value and impacts of widening of the criteria for promotion is still distant. projects for local partners and national or interna- Implementing university-level systems that support tional efforts like the SDGs, well beyond the scope TD are thus urgently needed to incentivise estab- and lifespan of a project. This involves allocating lished researchers, keep early career researchers in resources for regular and strategic communication, the academic realm, and create the conditions for capacity building, reflection and horizon scanning thought-leadership on complex sustainability pro- for all participants and key knowledge users. blems (Keeler and Locke 2022). 3.2.1. Towards flexible, reflexive, and sustained funding for TD 3.2. Funding TD for sustaining knowledge Flexibility of funding models, as well as institutional co-production partnerships flexibility to administer projects, are critical in terms of One of the most frequently expressed challenges enabling project co-design and co-implementation raised in both learning processes was the need for (Lawrence et al. 2022). Workshop participants high- appropriate and longer-term funding to facilitate TD lighted how crucial flexibility is. For example one men- research that builds the trusting relationships needed tioned that ‘funders demand a lot of certainty, which if you to effect transformative change. Funding, both in work with complex problem situations you can’t always terms of limited amounts and the short duration of give them’ while another said ‘the funder determines the 8 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. trajectory of particular research areas . . . And in so doing, improve the ability of TD researchers to co-design, there are normally project-tight guidelines which even- implement, evaluate, and improve research; build tually leaves very little room, not only into spaces where sustainable and trusting relationships with key actors; you can learn about work which has been done before and and promote impactful outcomes. Salaried positions which is ongoing, but also kind of limits your ability to also enable soft-funded researchers to invest more collaborate’. Locking project teams into log frames and time in developing robust project pre-proposals, to timelines prevents them from building trust and effec- bring their knowledge and expertise to a wider range tively co-designing strategies for transformative out- of projects (including minimally funded projects), comes. Extending inception phases can provide project and to inform and support changes to policy and partners with adequate space and time to consult with practice within their institutions and externally. The each other, and develop deeper relationships. A slower importance of moving beyond short-term contracts start also provides the opportunity to understand end- to more sustained ways to support TD work has also user needs more fully, develop shared visions and objec- been highlighted by Fam et al. (2020). tives, and refine project activities, outcomes, and evalua- In addition to working with funders, TD research- tion techniques. Given that much TD work for the SDGs ers need to be strategic about co-funding and pooling in Africa takes place in soft-funded institutes, which resources between different partners and projects. operate differently to departments, funders need to con- Working collectively to crowd in resources to sustain sider different modes of funding that are flexible enough the work beyond the initial funding can help to to accommodate context-specific institutional needs (e.g. ensure continuity in places and partnerships. This funding mechanisms that can assist with supporting core requires time for project staff to wrap up effectively institutional costs and salaries to build continuity when the funding ends, while sowing the seeds for between projects). future collaborative work. Often projects have little Funders that a) support reflexivity and flexibility funding and space for a considered wind-down, even through the co-design of their funding arrangements though this is essential. (e.g. through the constructive use of Theory of Funding that spans long-term (>3 years) time hor- Change methodologies (Global Environment Facility izons helps solidify TD partnerships; improves the 2019)); b) give room for experimentation, learning depth of project information; enables project findings and adaptation; and c) recognise non-academic part- to be properly synthesised, communicated, and acted ners as project investigators were noted as being key on; and bridges gaps between shorter projects (OECD enablers of TD. Some funders specifically look for 2020; Biggs et al. 2022; Lawrence et al. 2022). Longer- ‘coalitions of actors’ in project proposals and grant term so-called ‘Research Chairs’ with salary, post- flexibility in the redistribution of budget between graduate and project funding provide an encouraging categories while the project is running. Developing funding model for TD, for example, the South and iteratively revisiting a Theory of Change can help African Research Chairs Initiative and the interna- articulate a shared framing and set of objectives, tional AXA Research Chairs. These Chairs (which manage expectations, and help guide and evaluate can be extended up to 15 years) have made it possible the work. This requires resources to bring project for Chair-holders to sustain TD research, often place- team members together face-to-face for both formal based, over the time spans required to build trust and and informal interactions. effect impact. Longer-term funding should also apply Within the university, a key bureaucratic hurdle to fellowships that, if extended to be between 3–5 once funding is secured is the structure of faculty years, can incentivise early-career researchers to financing which can make the transfer of finance engage in this kind of research across faculties problematic. Cross-faculty research required university-wide financial and administrative 3.2.2. Promoting equitable distribution of funding support. However, university-level research funding In the Berg-Breede learning process, particularly, the offices tend to view national research funding as the issue of equitable distribution of research funding only funding instrument that requires their support. was raised both by researchers who had been part Other financial hurdles include difficulties with pay- of large international projects and by practitioners ing non-academic actors and for events in commu- who often felt ‘used’ without compensation in TD nity contexts. More flexibility is needed in payment research processes. To overcome such inequities in systems and in the turnaround time for paying local funding agendas and remuneration processes, all participants, and external entities need to be better voices need to be adequately represented in funding recognised as legitimate service providers, though for discussions, particularly those most embedded in example, establishing Memorandums of local contexts. Creating equivalent pay scales and Understanding. In soft-funded research entities, project co-leadership across Global North-South investment in salaries and bridging funding can divides can counter narratives that researchers in ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 9 the Global South need capacities built, enhance 3.3.1. Context specificity and recognising multiple southern intellectual leadership, and reduce ‘helicop- knowledge and value systems ter research’ (Haelewaters et al. 2021). A hallmark of TD research is that it is context- sensitive and responsive to grounded and lived reali- 3.2.3. Financing bridging roles ties (de Vos et al. 2019). Part of this context sensitiv- Workshop participants spoke about the crucial ity is that TD involves recognising, valuing, and enabling role of intermediaries or brokers working drawing from embodied knowledge systems, includ- to bridge divides between multiple actors, the acad- ing indigenous knowledge systems. When engaging emy and civil society organisations; within and across in TD for sustainability in Africa, workshop partici- soft-funded research entities; and between research- pants emphasised that it is important to understand ers from different disciplines. Such brokers operating the cultural context and historical injustices perpetu- at the research-policy-practice interface are not con- ating the inequalities experienced today. Research sistently recognised as playing legitimate roles in collaborations therefore need to build on and respect projects. Universities and funders should consider existing knowledge frameworks and processes while financing formal and informal knowledge brokers to being mindful that the legacy of past power structures serve as central contact points for TD researchers may have influenced how research is framed and within and beyond universities and practitioner positioned (i.e. the research may have been framed groups (Roux et al. 2017; Biggs et al. 2022). These for rather than by or with non-academic actors). TD brokers serve vital functions as they connect foregrounds the notion of epistemic parity (Heath researchers for new projects, support engaged scho- and Mormina 2022), i.e. the fair and equitable con- larship, capture and act on researcher feedback, and sideration of African- and Western-derived ways of provide administrative support for TD projects. knowing in co-designing research, selecting methods of enquiry, tools, and analytical frames (Konadu-Osei et al. 2022). Thus, instead of relying only on, or 3.3. Strengthening TD practice for adapting methods based in western science, TD transformative change towards achieving the researchers should consider context-congruent philo- SDGs sophies rooted in Africa to guide their thinking about lines and methods of inquiry, critique their epistemo- In practice, TD is about impacting and facilitating logical assumptions and advance theoretical develop- change through knowledge co-development that is ments from the Global South (Nabudere 2012; inclusive, authentic, and empowering (Schneider Chillisa 2017; Konadu-Osei et al. 2022). One of our et al. 2019; Manuel-Navarrete et al. 2021). This is participants remarked ‘studying in Africa should con- more difficult than it sounds and generally requires tribute to humanity’s thinking’. working with the messiness and diversity of reality That said, the underlying assumptions that frame and often with irresolvable complexity, uncertainty one’s understanding of Africa – the language and and dissensus (Montuori 2013; Rogers et al. 2013). methodology used – are important to unpack before It is thus necessary to ‘foreground the “who and why” undertaking TD research. A key message from our of the TD research before diving into the what and the workshops was that research in and on Africa is often how’. Researchers and partners need to find based on a conceptualisation of Africa that originates a common focus, concepts and theories, terminology from the Global North and hinders the continent and language that brings together different knowl- from taking up a central role in global scholarship. edge streams and perspectives (e.g. practical, There is a need to increase and improve engagement Indigenous, scientific, African philosophy). One of with history, identity politics, gender sensitivities, our participants explained ‘unless we find different ethics, patriarchal, or other power dynamics, and vocabularies to begin to make sense of our own experi- explore and potentially shift the various motivations ences, we are actually reproducing the same thing we and incentives for participating in knowledge co- are actually trying to critique . . . ’. The fundamentals production work. ‘What we want to do is have of how we frame and theorise TD in the African Africa contribute to thinking in the world, not just be context thus impact the ability of this approach to a place where ideas and concepts from the Global help facilitate the implementation of the SDGs. We North are implemented. In order to do that, we need discussed these issues in our workshops and hosted to adopt a pluriversal approach which allows us to a panel discussion during the final workshop of the theorise through Africa instead of theorising only for SDG Summit learning process on what it means to do Africa’. Since TD research necessarily involves actors TD research in Africa, bringing in ideas of decoloni- outside of academia, a reflexive TD researcher should sation and African philosophy. Below, we discuss seek to understand better the ontologies (what is four broad categories of praxis considerations from reality, ways of being) of the research context our workshops. 10 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. (Wolff et al. 2019). Recognising the need for trans- Authenticity and honesty are critical in TD research. forming how we think about knowledge and research These can only be achieved when all actors find in non-western contexts, one of our participants a shared language and common set of concepts that highlighted that ‘what really makes quality transdisci- they all care about and understand, and when the plinary work is transformative knowledge that leads to meaning of certain commonly used terms or words transformative action’. is carefully questioned. This is far from trivial as highlighted by one participant: ‘we need to question the origin of the language we use when we think about 3.3.2. Scaling from local to global and global to TD’. Different disciplines use specific terminology or local underlying theoretical or conceptual frameworks, As mentioned above, TD research is essentially place- which may be impenetrable to non-specialists. Such based and context cognisant (Daudin et al. 2021). challenges are exacerbated when working with actors However, workshop participants emphasised that to from outside academia, who may use narratives, progress the SDGs and transformation, it is essential descriptions and concepts embedded within local to take the findings to a larger scale and into the cultures. When working with actors who may not higher-level scientific, policy and financing agenda, be familiar with academic concepts, the use of bound- but that this can be difficult: ‘I think that’s the one ary objects (e.g. frameworks, concepts, models, field point I’m getting very strongly, is the difficulty when notes, dramas, songs, and maps) can help focus atten- it’s framed at one scale, but is of relevance to another, tion, centre cooperation, and enable mutual learning, but that relevance is hard to translate’. Programmes communication and negotiation across groups (Star that foster TD can embed or link to people or institu- and Griesemer 1989; Lundgren 2021; Steger et al. tions across the region, nationally and internationally 2022). to translate the learnings rooted in local contexts into Many researchers feel poorly equipped to navigate the global agenda. We need to address issues of scal- the complex, often hidden power dynamics that char- ing and application to draw more global or generally acterise multi-actor spaces (Knapp et al. 2019). These applicable lessons from studies that are – necessarily power relations often dominate the problem-framing and appropriately – place-based and embedded in process and prioritising activities and outputs. a local context (Riddell and Moore 2015; Odume Creating novel and safe spaces for collaboration et al. 2021; Thiam et al. 2021). with external actors is critical to fostering TD work. In the same vein, translating knowledge and Embedding these spaces in the context of the understanding of complex social-ecological systems addressed problems is particularly productive (e.g. into concrete recommendations and policy applica- examples shared included creating a floating work- tions remains challenging. TD is focused on wicked shop to discuss issues related to joint water security problems and grand challenges and is required to or holding ‘workshops’ that involve walking through contribute solutions (Knapp et al. 2019). This can landscapes to see challenges first-hand). The use of bring to the fore issues of power relations regarding creative, imaginative, and engaging methods (e.g. who gets to make recommendations and who can and theatre, drawing, acting, participatory mapping or should apply them (Marshall et al. 2018). Again, murals) helps to create a sense of openness and safety communities of practice might derive focus and to share or raise contentious issues or imaginaries momentum from engagement with local, national, (Brown et al. 2017; Galafassi et al. 2018; Pereira and international priorities through nested learning et al. 2019; Thorn et al. 2020). Art-based methods and governance networks (Cundill et al. 2015; and games (e.g. musical theatre, animations, dance, Vincent et al. 2018). The SDGs are a prime example and exploring soundscapes) remain essential commu- of priorities that allow engagement at various scales, nication tools that can prompt transformational from local communities to global concerns. change. Some examples that were shared included the use of theatre and soundscapes: we partnered 3.3.3. Common framing, language, and with an NPO who developed the stories [from fishers] authenticity by focusing on mutually identified into a musical theatre production that was done with concerns the community and discussed; one facilitator who was There is a need to be deliberate in how we approach very energetic did this amazing rain soundscape after our research practice – this is especially necessary which she went on to ask ‘what does it mean to you’ of when considering how to close the ‘academic- each individual. And how amazing it was that we had practitioner’ gap (Knapp et al. 2019). For TD such varied responses”. Such methods have been researchers and participants from multiple back- shown to help work through linguistic and cultural grounds to work together effectively, conceptual fra- differences and conceptual or discursive barriers meworks that cut across disciplinary silos can (Steelman et al. 2019; Ball et al. 2021). facilitate integration (Schneider et al. 2019). ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 11 3.3.4. Inclusiveness, creativity, and reflexivity institutions, b) resource TD for sustainable partner- TD processes need to be inclusive. It is important to ships and, c) improve practices and impacts to sup- cultivate long-term collaborative partnerships across port the transformation, into 12 recommendations various organisational levels and spatial scales (Prell which we discuss below (Figure 2; Appendix 3 in et al. 2021). Having a set of pre-existing relationships the supplementary materials). helps to ‘hit the ground running’ and to bring in To foster TD in African academic institutions, additional collaborators as the project evolves. innovative structures and processes are needed to Enrolling and supporting a range of influential cham- address the required institutional and cultural change. pions (e.g. traditional leaders, teachers, and city A new culture of care, relationality, respect, mentor- councillors) in the TD process is thus an important ship and distributed leadership will provide the envir- enabler. It will assist to cope with the turnover of staff onment for boundary pushing research, collaboration and leaders which can cause difficulties and disconti- and reflexivity, and embed project co-design and nuities. Open and frequent communication is key to knowledge co-production. This means equipping uni- building and the sustaining momentum needed to versity research offices to champion a range of TD keep partners engaged. initiatives including, for example, cross-faculty com- An essential feature of collaborative research is that munities of practice, sharing and awareness raising openness to new knowledge and reflexivity is built into events, and proposal development as well as drive the the research process (Knaggård et al. 2018). This facil- structural changes needed to support TD research (e.g. itates adaptation in the research agenda and process in in financial systems, ethics procedures). More creative response to emerging knowledge, new perspectives, and assessment of researchers and innovative, collabora- changing environmental and social conditions (de Vos tive supervision and mentorship will help grow TD et al. 2021). Such agility requires long timeframes that research and capacity, while investment is required in allow the relationships underpinning scholarly research training the next generation of TD researchers who to develop and for research trajectories to iterate and can engage in advocacy and relationship building to adapt. It also requires a fluidity of roles, especially con- drive the changes needed. Universities also need to sidering the need for methodological agility and diver- reach beyond the academy to guide their research sity of skills and techniques (Knaggård et al. 2018; de agenda and partner with influential champions who Vos et al. 2021). Different people and partners will be can also promote collaborative partnerships and engaged and involved to varying depths throughout the research in their own spaces: ‘I think it’s collaboration (Prell et al. 2021). There is, thus, a need to a fundamentally critical thing that we have societal constantly adapt terms and concepts, objectives (for the partners working with us at the outset because they’re project) and methodologies in an ever-changing project heard differently in the university space than how we landscape, as one participant summed up: ‘we need to are heard’. These changes are core to progressing take the onus of being more creative’ in all stages of transformative TD work, and so we have positioned a project. In collaborative adaptive management, for them at the heart of the aloe in Figure 2 (lessons 1–6). example, multi-actor groups (e.g. scientists, managers, Innovative TD work cannot happen without the and communities) engage in multiple cycles of problem underpinning resources that universities and funding framing, interventions, learning and adaptation (Jack agencies need to provide if they are serious about et al. 2020). The funding constraints to achieving such promoting relational knowledge building and contri- inclusiveness have been highlighted in the previous buting to sustainable development and transforma- section. tive change (Figure 2, lessons 7–9). This means modifying current funding processes and structures to a) support the required institutional change and 4. Conclusion capacity development; b) enable meaningful engage- ment with non-academic actors and their concerns in To realise the ambitions of the SDGs and associated an on-going way through longer-term funding and transformative change, new research and learning resourcing knowledge brokers; c) create the flexibility approaches are required that can address complex and time in projects to pursue new directions as they sustainability challenges at different scales and link emerge as well as co-develop actions that are plura- to policy and action (McGowan et al. 2019). Our listic, negotiated, equitable and practical; and d) allo- work with multiple actors prior to and at the SDG cate finances to provide greater continuity for Summit and in the Berg-Breede catchment helped us researchers in soft-funded institutes who are often imagine the ‘TD space we want’ and brought us leading this work. To achieve this requires more closer to possible pathways by which change can be engagement and dialogue between funders, academic enacted. We have synthesised and condensed our leadership, researchers, community champions and learnings according to our three thematic areas, practitioners. There is a need to move beyond the namely a) promote and support TD within academic 12 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. Figure 2. Twelve recommendations emerging from our learning processes for creating the ‘TD space we want’. Numbers 1–6 in the green font represent recommendations related to “Reconfiguring academic institutions to foster TD” (which we visualise as the core or stem of the aloe); numbers 7–9 in brown font represent recommendations related to “Funding TD for sustaining knowledge co-production partnerships” (which we visualise as the aloe roots which feed the plant); and numbers 10–12 in red font relate to ways to strengthen TD practice for transformative (the flowers of the aloe). situation in which ‘the funder says “here’s what we can space – with knowledge-holders and users, commu- fund” and every year or whatever they say “fill in this nities, and policy makers – through networks and evaluation form or report in this template”’ towards ‘a innovative third spaces that are accessible and non- two-way street built on trust and agility’. threatening and that allow for expression of different The complex and reflexive nature of TD means actors’ perspectives, knowledge systems, needs, and that researchers and collaborators should be con- interests. Such safe spaces also provide the opportu- stantly reflecting on how they can improve their nity to work through identity politics, gender issues practice. Critical areas emerging from our learning and power dynamics all of which can act as hin- processes are presented in Figure 2 (lessons 10–12). drances to transformative change. An important mes- TD not only presents an opportunity to work beyond sage from our workshops was that these spaces and the academy, it is also an important entry point for issues can be opened up further through the use of decolonising research, policies and practice by generative arts-based methods that create a sense of including African philosophies, worldviews, and safety and depersonalisation to raise contentious ways of knowing; an area that was recognised as issues and work through linguistic, cultural or con- requiring further research and theorising. Epistemic ceptual differences. pluralism and methodological agility need to be Together the above themes will be increasingly a part of research practice to support collaborative critical for African researchers, funders, policy work within and between diverse contexts and actors. makers, society, practitioners, and other actors to This requires building relationships within the TD reflect on and action in order to progress ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 13 Leeuw S. 2020. Co-designing global target-seeking sce- transformative solutions to emerging sustainability narios: a cross-scale participatory process for capturing challenges across the African continent in years to multiple perspectives on pathways to sustainability. come. As articulated by one of our participants Global Environ Change. 65:102198. doi:10.1016/j.gloenv ‘together, we need to build solidarity and connectivity cha.2020.102198. to disrupt, and we need to be bold. The moment is now Armitage D, Arends J, Barlow NL, Closs A, Cloutis GA, to be bold’. Cowley M, Davis C, Dunlop SD, Ganowski S, Hings C, et al. 2019. Applying a “theory of change” process to facilitate transdisciplinary sustainability education. Ecol Soc. 24(3): doi:10.5751/ES-11121-240320. Acknowledgements Armstrong McKay DI, Staal A, Abrams JF, Winkelmann R, We would like to thank all participants in the two social Sakschewski B, Loriani S, Fetzer I, Cornell SE, learning processes whose time and input led to rich and Rockström J, Lenton TM. 2022. Exceeding 1.5° engaging discussions and informed the body of insights C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping provided in this positioning paper. For the SDG Summit points. Science. 377(6611):7950. doi:10.1126/science. pre-workshops we were fortunate to field contributions abn7950. from a wide range of perspectives, including academics, Ball S, Leach B, Bousfield J, Smith P, Marjanovic S. 2021. practitioners, funders, and government, spanning nine Arts-based approaches to public engagement with countries across Africa, North America, and Europe. We research. Lessons from a rapid review. Santa Monica, would like to give special thanks to our case study presen- Calif., and Cambridge, UK: THIS Institute and RAND ters and discussants, who provided additional time and Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_ input to share their wealth of knowledge and experience. reports/RRA194-1.html Thanks also to our excellent facilitator, Lucy O’Keeffe. We Barnosky AD, Brown JH, Daily GC, Dirzo R, Ehrlich AH, acknowledge the research office of University of Cape Ehrlich PR, Eronen JT, Fortelius M, Hadly EA, Town for support. Similarly, we would like to thank all Leopold EB, et al. 2014. Introducing the scientific con- the participants who attended the series of Berg-Breede sensus on maintaining humanity’s life support systems workshops over 2021. Special thanks to Tali Hoffman for st in the 21 century: information for policy makers. transforming the learning insights into information briefs Anthropocene Rev. 1(1):78–109. doi:10.1177/ targeted at Funders as well as Researchers & Practitioners. The Berg-Breede workshops were funded through an NRF Bergmann M, Jahn T, Knobloch T, Krohn W, Pohl C, (National Research Foundation of South Africa) Schramm E. 2012. Methods for transdisciplinary Community of Practice partnership for advancing trans- research: a primer for practice. Frankfurt, Germany: formative social learning and transdisciplinary sustainable Campus Verlag GmbH. development actions hosted by the Environmental Beyond the Academy. 2022. Guidebook for the Engaged Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University. The University: best Practices for Reforming Systems of views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of Reward, Fostering Engaged Leadership, and Promoting the authors and do not represent those of the NRF. The ActionOriented Scholarship Keeler BL, Locke C, editors. lists in Appendix 2 provide the names of workshop con- http://beyondtheacademynetwork.org/guidebook/. tributors separated by social learning processes. Biggs R, Clements HS, Cumming GS, Cundill G, de Vos A, Hamann M, Luvuno L, Roux DJ, Selomane O, Blanchard R, et al. 2022. Social-ecological change: Disclosure statement insights from the Southern African program on ecosys- tem change and society. Ecosyst People. 18(1):447–468. Nadia Sitas is an Editorial Board Member for Ecosystems doi:10.1080/26395916.2022.2097478. and People but was blinded from the peer-review process for this paper. Brown K, Eernstman N, Huke AR, Reding N. 2017. 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Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?

Shackleton, Sheona; Taylor, Anna; Gammage, Louise; Gillson, Lindsey; Sitas, Nadia;

Ecosystems and People , Volume 19 (1): 1 – Dec 31, 2023

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Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?

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The transformations required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across the African continent demand new ways of mobilising, weaving together, and applying knowledge. Research, policymaking, planning, and action must be effectively inter-linked to address complex sustainability challenges and the different needs and interests of societal actors. Transdisciplinarity (TD) – the co-production of knowledge across disciplines and with non-academic actors – offers a promising,...

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ISSN: 2639-5916
DOI: 10.1080/26395916.2022.2164798
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ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 2023, VOL. 19, NO. 1, 2164798 https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2164798 RESEARCH Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed? a a b,c b d Sheona Shackleton , Anna Taylor , Louise Gammage , Lindsey Gillson , Nadia Sitas , a a a,e f a b,c Nadine Methner , Shayan Barmand , Jessica Thorn , Alice McClure , Leigh Cobban , Astrid Jarre and Oghenekaro Nelson Odume a b African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Marine and Antarctic centre for Innovation and Sustainability (MARIS), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Centre for Sustainability Transitions, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South e f Africa; School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK; Climate Systems Analysis Group, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Received 6 July 2022 The transformations required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across the African Accepted 11 November 2022 continent demand new ways of mobilising, weaving together, and applying knowledge. Research, policymaking, planning, and action must be effectively inter-linked to address complex sustain- EDITED BY ability challenges and the different needs and interests of societal actors. Transdisciplinarity (TD) – Matthew Weaver the co-production of knowledge across disciplines and with non-academic actors – offers KEYWORDS a promising, holistic approach to foster such transformations. Yet, despite increased application of Sustainability; TD over the past two decades, disciplinary and sectoral silos persist. TD is not well embedded in transformation; African academic institutions and, consequently, much SDG-related research is too narrowly framed transdisciplinarity; and divorced from the action space to be effective. There is an urgent need to work collectively Sustainable Development across disciplines and society for transformation towards more sustainable and equitable develop- Goals; Africa; equity ment pathways. Capacities to undertake collaborative, impactful research must be strengthened, and changes in research culture are needed to support relationship building. We explore these issues by drawing on two recent online social learning processes with researchers and practitioners working on sustainability issues and TD. In each process, we built on actors’ own experiences of TD by investigating institutional, practical, and theoretical challenges and enablers of TD. Here, we synthesise our learnings, alongside key literature, and explore avenues to better: a) promote and support TD within academic institutions across Africa; b) resource TD for sustainable partnerships, and c) strengthen TD practices and impacts to support transformation to sustainability across diverse places and contexts. 1. Introduction fundamental life-support system upon which humanity Humanity is currently facing unprecedented sustainabil- relies (Steffen et al. 2018; Lenton et al. 2019; Rockström ity challenges that are multifaceted, interconnected, and et al. 2021; Armstrong McKay et al. 2022). dynamic (Liu et al. 2015; Brondízio et al. 2019; Risopoulos-Pichler et al. 2020; Folke et al. 2021). The In response to these challenges, governments glob- evidence for human-nature connectedness is mounting ally have agreed on a collective set of aspirations as climate change, biodiversity loss, and zoonotic diseases articulated as the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of high levels of inequality and unsustain- (SDGs). The 17 SDGs represent an ambitious effort able economic growth precipitate considerable hardships, to achieve sustainability through an evidence-based deaths, displacement, and costly economic and infra- framework for development planning until 2030 structural losses (Steffen et al. 2015a; Future Earth 2020; (United Nations General Assembly 2015; Thorn et al. 2020; Lawler et al. 2021). In Africa, major Wackernagel et al. 2017). These goals recognise that demographic transitions, notably rapid urbanisation, are human development and well-being rely on the compounding persistent historical inequalities and healthy functioning of the earth’s ecological and geo- exploitation, resulting in critical development challenges physical systems and the collective prosperity of all such as malnutrition, high levels of unemployment, and peoples (Griggs et al. 2013, 2014; Barnosky et al. limited access to education, public infrastructure, and 2014; Steffen et al. 2018). The SDGs provide social services (Juju et al. 2020; Thorn et al. 2021). a normative framework aimed at addressing complex Without sustainability and equity, development becomes development challenges within recognised planetary self-destructive as it threatens to undermine the boundaries and transforming society in ways that put CONTACT Sheona Shackleton Sheona.shackleton@uct.ac.za Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2164798 © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 2 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. an end to poverty, conserve ecosystems and improve academia – operating in civil society organisations, health and well-being for all (Steffen et al. 2015b; government, business, and industry – in processes of UNDP 2018). While the SDGs put forward global reflection, formulating questions, selecting methods, sustainability ambitions, concerns have been raised collecting and analysing data, sharing, learning and about their coordinated implementation across producing new knowledge (Darbellay 2015; Fam Africa (Juju et al. 2020). While achieving the SDGs et al. 2018). Experiential and practice-based knowledge seems a daunting task, it is critical for securing the is considered of equal value to scientific knowledge in future of African people and nature. Africa consists of framing questions, collecting data, sense-making, and young and dynamic populations with rich cultural developing and testing potential responses to complex and ecological diversity that can contribute to this problems. TD is thereby a social process of collabora- imperative. tive problem-solving and mutual learning. TD is The SDGs have been critiqued for their lack of designed to characterise and tackle problems of shared integration and for reinforcing siloed approaches, concern and co-produce solution-oriented, socially pointing to a need for understanding sustainability robust, and scientifically defensible knowledge in challenges and ecosystem management in more inte- ways that build the legitimacy, ownership and opera- grated ways. Thus, realising the SDGs requires new tionalisation or enactment of that knowledge (Popa ways of generating and implementing knowledge et al. 2015; Scholz and Steiner 2015). TD and knowl- linked to actions that work with the complex, inter- edge co-production processes are framed by and connected nature of social-ecological systems and the respond to real-world challenges and are increasingly diverse perspectives, needs and interests of different recognised as essential for achieving the SDGs societal actors (Hadorn et al. 2006; Seidl et al. 2013; (McGowan et al. 2019; Schneider et al. 2019; OECD 2020; Yamazumi 2020). Disciplinary Thondhlana et al. 2021). The diversity of perspectives approaches to knowledge production have yielded and heterogeneity of people involved is a key feature of considerable advances and benefits that underpin TD (Steger et al. 2021), while the superiority of aca- societal progress, especially in medical science and demic knowledge is challenged (Lutz and Neis 2008; computing, for example. Yet, this disciplinary specia- Lotz-Sisitka et al. 2015). By emphasising the relational lisation can also silo knowledge, creating blind spots nature of sustainability knowledge, TD facilitates new regarding the interconnections between nature, peo- cross-cutting networks to respond to emergent chal- ple, and their knowledge systems and culture (Kinzig lenges (Bergmann et al. 2012). TD, when mindfully 2001). This contributes to maintaining and creating applied, can also provide a route towards transforma- power imbalances that fuel the extreme economic tive change at multiple scales from local to national by inequities that undermine key life-support systems enabling learning, altering power dynamics and build- (Brondízio et al. 2019). SDG-related research needs ing collective and individual agency to tackle complex to be more broadly framed and directly engaged with sustainability problems (Marshall et al. 2018). action arenas to address interconnected challenges Despite increasing recognition of the value of TD, (McGowan et al. 2019). Consequently, there is disciplinary, organisational and sector silos and frag- a growing need for transformative, inclusive, and mentation persist, making more inclusive and trans- decolonised forms of knowledge production, tied to formative ways of producing actionable knowledge learning and shifting values and behaviours, to shape difficult (Lawrence et al. 2022). Few universities nur- new, more sustainable policies, processes, and prac- ture the critical skills and mindsets that enable the tices across Africa (Vogel and O’Brien 2022). relational capacities, reflexivity, communication skills Transdisciplinarity (TD), including knowledge co- and empathy required for TD work (Fam et al. 2018; production and co-design, offers a promising Salgado et al. 2018). There is, thus, an urgent need to approach to facilitate the type of knowledge produc- further understand how to work across disciplines tion needed to support more equitable and sustainable and other ways of knowing to build more inclusive development pathways in Africa, as well as a way to and just development pathways. Building such devel- apply the interconnected, nexus framings so necessary opment pathways entails the intentional and collec- for solving complex sustainability challenges (Steger tive sequencing of evidence-based actions and et al. 2021). We understand TD to encompass ways innovations, implemented progressively depending of undertaking research that intentionally transcends on emerging future dynamics (Aguiar et al. 2020). It the boundaries within science and between science and also requires surfacing and challenging existing other social and economic spheres, to connect knowl- power asymmetries in how knowledge is mobilised, edge with action (Klein 2013; Knapp et al. 2019). TD produced, and applied, and who benefits or is bur- entails tackling complex and contextually contingent dened by the application (Lotz-Sisitka et al. 2015). problems, valuing epistemological plurality, and Given the escalated impacts from extreme climate actively involving knowledge holders from outside of events and compounded poverty and inequality, ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 3 there is an urgency to strengthen capacities to under- Breede community of practice (COP) - involved take this type of collaborative research. online reflections with actors working within Recognising this need for change in how research of a catchment area in the Western Cape of South and for sustainability is undertaken and in strengthening Africa, thus delivering a deeper understanding and the capacities to undertake collaborative and impactful more context-specific insights on TD, with strong research, this paper advances an understanding of TD representation from practitioners. Despite the differ- that recognises the diversity of local contexts across the ences, both processes ultimately aimed to explore African continent. We lay out a set of institutional, ways to improve TD practice for more impactful resourcing, and praxis priorities to promote and support and transformative outcomes that help progress the excellent TD research in African universities. Such SDGs. Both surfaced common issues and priorities. change is essential to foster the institutional culture, sup- The first learning process involved co-developing port structures, and trusting partnerships within and out- a ‘positioning paper’ and two sessions for a Summit side the academy that are needed to address complex on the SDGs in Africa hosted by the University of sustainability problems. We draw on six case studies Cape Town in September 2021. We hosted three pre- and the conversations, observations, and insights from Summit workshops to prepare for the paper and the two independent social learning processes held in 2020 Summit sessions (Figure 1). In the first two work- and 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic). Each pro- shops (21–22 June) presenters shared six case studies cess involved a series of online workshops with a range of (see supplementary material), focusing on the chal- actors directly concerned with sustainability issues to lenges and enablers of TD research for achieving the explore how to achieve transdisciplinary research that SDGs in Africa. A template was provided for these tackles sustainability concerns and builds trusting, colla- presentations, so each covered the theoretical, prac- borative partnership for transformative change. We built tice, and institutional challenges and enablers identi- on participants’ own experiences of engaging in TD by fied in the cases. This facilitated the discussion of the exploring institutional, funding, and theoretical and cases in breakout groups and the ready extraction of praxis challenges and enablers of TD, as well as potential key learnings later captured in the positioning paper. options for improving practice, recognising that these We also drew on in-depth conversations with expert categories are highly interconnected. discussants (African and international) in a third This paper proceeds by describing the two collabora- workshop. This workshop focussed on TD scholar- tive learning processes. In the sections that follow, we ship, theory, and praxis and the institutional and synthesise insights and reflections surfaced from the funding environments for TD. We invited two speak- learning processes, alongside key literature, in ers linked to international funding organisations to a narrative in which we explore avenues to better explore the views of funders alongside those of embed TD in African academic institutions and support researchers in a panel discussion. Thirty-three parti- more transformative practice. Specifically, we offer sug- cipants representing senior academics, early career gestions on how to better: a) promote and support TD researchers, research managers and some practi- within academic institutions across Africa; b) resource tioners and research funders all of whom work in TD for sustainable partnerships, and c) strengthen TD the broad area of sustainability participated. We also practice and impacts to support transformation to sus- gained further insights from the Summit workshops tainability across diverse places and contexts. We con- where we explored and imagined the TD space we clude the paper with a set of summarised wanted and suggested specific actions that could be recommendations on how to support TD practice and taken to support this vision (see http://www.sdgsafri multi-scalar partnerships across Africa and beyond. casummit.uct.ac.za for more information on the Summit; and https://sites.google.com/view/sdgsum mit-tt4 for details on Thematic Track 4 on 2. Description of the social learning Transdisciplinary and Engaged Research). For these, processes all the participants (70) were from African institutions. The two multi-actor engagement and collective The second learning process, which we call the (social) learning processes that provide the insights Berg-Breede community of practice ran throughout and learnings for this paper were designed for differ- 2021. It involved a series of seven workshops ent purposes and operated at different scales. The (Figure 1) aimed at improving our understanding first process described below – the SDG summit of how best to conduct useful, meaningful, and workshops – included presentation of six case studies equitable long-term transdisciplinary research, from across Southern and Eastern Africa and African while engaging in a landscape with multiple compet- and international discussants and participants. It thus ing social-ecological interests, over-pressured provided a macro-level perspective on TD practice in resources, and high levels of inequity. There are Africa and beyond. The second process – the Berg- 4 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. Figure 1. Summary of the SDG Summit and Berg-Breede catchment multi-actor social learning processes. multiple projects that use TD approaches to address 3. Learning insights and outcomes sustainability and equity issues in this catchment, 3.1. Reconfiguring academic institutions to but coordination is poor and impacts fuzzy. The foster TD workshop series was, therefore, seen as an opportu- nity for collective reflection and learning from pre- Despite TD being promoted for the last 20 years as an vious and current landscape-related research, in approach to undertaking societally relevant research terms of a) the capacity to implement transdisciplin- that addresses sustainability, researchers adopting ary research, and b) the ways of working with multi- this research practice continue to face multiple hur- ple stakeholders to create lasting partnerships and dles (Care et al. 2021). Institutional, epistemological, maximise research uptake and impact. The first and methodological barriers of the ‘old academy’ three workshops targeted TD researchers from undermine the imperative to change, sometimes Western Cape academic institutions with research despite TD being advocated by university leadership experience in the Berg-Breede catchment. The next (Pollet and Huyse 2019). In this section, we highlight two workshops involved practitioners working in institutional considerations, priorities and enablers the catchment, and the third educators who train identified from our workshops under three main sustainability scientists in tertiary institutions. These sections and offer suggestions to pave the way for- interactive workshops provided each actor group ward for successful support of TD research that con- with a safe space for sharing their experiences with tributes towards African universities being better TD research and to surface practical short- and equipped to address the SDGs and facilitate transfor- long-term options for addressing identified chal- mative change. lenges. Numbers varied across workshops but alto- gether, some 30 people participated. All groups were 3.1.1. Institutional culture: towards a more brought together in a final workshop to synthesise mutually respectful and caring environment and validate the knowledge and understanding from Working across disciplines is not yet the norm within the workshop series. many academic institutions in Africa, and ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 5 collaboration with partners outside of academia 2022). This idea of a pluralistic way of undertaking remains rare. Researchers who are leading the charge research is exemplified in a statement by Nicolescu in this regard are often stretched to balance their TD (2002, 44–45): ‘Transdisciplinarity is nourished by aspirations with those of the ‘old academy’ (Pollet disciplinarity. In turn, disciplinarity is clarified by and Huyse 2019; Fam et al. 2020; Risopoulos-Pichler transdisciplinary knowledge in a new and fertile et al. 2020). In this context, a challenge mentioned by way’. In one workshop discussion, it was raised that many participants at our workshops was opposition when we advocate for TD, we must ensure that it does from disciplinary-focussed colleagues, who buy into not become exclusionary and hegemonic, falling into the common misconception that TD research lacks the disciplinary trap. As one participant put it: ‘we rigour, is anecdotal and unscientific, or that a TD (TD researchers) seek to enrich not annihilate knowl- framing could become the dominant research para- edge’. TD should be seen as a way to ‘empower uni- digm in the university and secure more resources versities to act as change agents and respond to societal than traditional, discipline-focused approaches. In challenges’ more directly than other research some cases, it was reported that such scepticism approaches (https://www.uu.nl/en/research/transdis may be backed up within the power hierarchies, for ciplinary-field-guide) and as complementary to example by heads of departments and deans, who other ways of generating knowledge. Without pro- prioritise disciplinary specialisation over interdisci- motion of engaged scholarship, universities are unli- plinary and TD research. As one of our participants kely to move beyond ‘the well-honed academic habit noted ‘our institutions tend to be locked in hierarchies of studying problems without emphasising solutions’ and a hegemonic understanding of disciplines and which ‘is ever more troubling in today’s world’ (Hart power. For example, rewarding competition and grit et al. 2016, p. 2). To move forward, universities need in academia and science can discourage vulnerable to promote TD work more actively, and in non- and open relationships. Finding ways to humanise threatening ways, through annual sharing forums, institutions by breaking down those hierarchies and news articles and awards: ‘we need case studies from focusing on relationship building with all its inherent within our universities to demonstrate/illustrate what vulnerabilities and biases can help to overcome hurdles can be done’; ‘a prize for the best TD research project in implementing TD’. Furthermore, TD practice is could raise awareness in the university for this type of often seen as an ‘add-on’ process for peripheral research and its possibilities’. impact work which is not central to academic In addition, physical spaces for scholarly exchange, research, and that seeking solutions to complex soci- peer-to-peer informal mentoring programmes, train- etal and social-ecological problems lies outside the ing workshops, discussion and learning platforms, realm of university work. The consensus in our work- summer schools, and co-supervision across disci- shops was that many of our academic colleagues are plines, all mentioned by participants, could build still distrustful of TD in terms of its value, quality and community and confidence among postgraduate stu- advocacy role. A culture of assumed superiority of dents, early career, mid-career, and senior research- theoretical research over applied research is still ers. To improve collaboration and knowledge co- strong in many academic institutions. This can production, cross-institutional ‘communities of prac- permeate widely to undermine collaboration, isolate tice’ (COPs) or working groups (often called ‘third TD researchers, and erode confidence in their chosen spaces’) can bring together researchers, practitioners approach. and other communities into learning spaces that are Given this situation, there is an urgent need to welcoming to all (Cundill et al. 2015; see Roux et al. promote a culture and ethics of respect, apprecia- 2020 for an example). This range of assemblages can tion, collegiality, relationality, and care for TD support relationships and ways of working at the work at all levels of the institution as well as nur- intersection of practices and disciplines, which are ture respect for interdisciplinary and TD research agile and critical, instead of siloing TD (Hart et al. as valid and valuable knowledge production pro- 2016; Hart and Silka 2020; Chambers et al. 2022). cesses (Care et al. 2021; Sellberg et al. 2021). One Mentorship and peer support are highly sought by of our participants highlighted that: ‘if we want TD those currently engaging in TD work; as one partici- to be effective we need to look at the culture of pant said: ‘as a young researcher, it’s very important to institutions in a deeper way and change that cul- be in a space where you are comfortable because when ture’. A culture change to address concerns related to you are so overwhelmed it’s easy to pause and seek TD could be engendered through better communica- support . . . that comfortable space should be created by tion around the role and place of TD in the academy. your seniors’. Most existing forms of academic super- For example, the principles of TD recognise that vision and line management do not provide the car- there is space for multiple forms of knowledge and ing support TD requires. We need to mentor scholars research within academic institutions (Lawrence et al. through the practical and emotional challenges that 6 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. result from working with complex, often conflictual relational in order to enable research that is not fully problems, multiple perspectives and views, difficult protectable; that responds, or has to respond, to conditions power dynamics, and often high levels of injustice. that are not controlled, both socially and epistemically by A quote from one of our participants highlights the scientists solely’. ‘need to invest in sustaining the courage, vision, reflex- Addressing these structural challenges could include ivity and (methodological) agility required to do this clearer roadmaps for TD students related to where to work’. To make this type of mentorship effective, we register, thesis requirements, training opportunities, and need a set of flexible structures that incentivise, legit- ethical clearance; ‘we need to change how we support and imise and reward mentorship for those engaging in assess students – there are rigid ideas of what students have TD, including acknowledging the time required to to do’. Some workshop participants suggested higher- undertake this work. Establishing, growing, and sus- level structures to coordinate TD work, including taining communities of practice/working groups for a postgraduate school of TD. Others were wary about those involved in TD across the academy would assist creating formal structures that separate out TD in its own with this. For senior staff in African universities who potentially siloed space and recommended, rather, the are burdened with multiple roles and responsibilities, informal spaces mentioned in the previous section: “I can including heavy teaching loads, engaging in TD work see already (and I’m not being critical now, I’m just obser- requires building well-capacitated teams and support ving) ‘you’ have started creating a discipline around TD”. networks. This entails finding new and creative ways Others argued that TD requires new, distributed, collec- to include students in research, curriculum design tive leadership forms as described by Fam et al. (2020) and teaching to share the burden and at the same and Care et al. (2021) which can drive the changes time grow their capacity. To support TD, we need needed. The latter authors mention how they had insti- more diverse, distributed leadership and co- tuted a ‘Careoperative’ as a living experiment to provide supervision arrangements (e.g. advisory panels, a forum to change the work environment and to offer potentially including people from multiple faculties collegiate support. This model recognises that unblocking and beyond the academy) to bring different perspec- deeply embedded systemic challenges in academic struc- tives, skills, and personalities into the research and tures (Fam et al. 2020) needs to happen simultaneously mentorship process (Fam et al. 2020). with the cultural transformations mentioned in the pre- vious section to have the desired impact (Sellberg et al. 2021). Hart et al. (2016), drawing together experiences 3.1.2. Creating enabling structural and from six United States of America academic institutions administrative systems with transdisciplinary sustainability science initiatives, The current structure of most African universities caters provide evidence that some academic institutions are primarily for disciplinary focused departments situated slowly learning how to support more collaborative within distinctive faculties that tend to operate autono- work, and while difficult, it is possible with patience and mously with limited interdepartmental and faculty com- well-targeted resources and support. There are a growing munication (Armitage et al. 2019). A cluster of challenges number of initiatives to learn from. generated by this ‘siloed’ structure, and associated admin- istrative systems, were identified in our workshops, both for individuals and groupings within departments 3.1.3. Recognition, promotion, and career wishing to undertake TD as well as research institutes development that work across departments, faculties, and even univer- The longer timelines required for impactful TD, sities. The most mentioned challenges related to how the including the extended time needed before peer- current structure promotes competition for resources, review publications can be produced, are generally creates resistance to collaboration and co-authorship, not fully appreciated within universities. As a result, makes administration complex and slow, heightens TD research is often poorly rewarded and incenti- power hierarchies, and complicates student registration vised. This can deter early career researchers from and examination. For example, faculty specific funding pursuing TD approaches and impede career progres- flows and distribution, ethics approval, and thesis styles sion of established researchers who practise deep TD. and timeframes often act as disincentives for collabora- Changes to promotion criteria should, at the very tion. Other structural and administrative challenges least, include more comprehensive, qualitative and related to TD include intellectual property policies pre- fewer data-dependent measures in alignment with venting data sharing, funding constraints, ethics require- the Leiden Manifesto (www.leiden manifesto.org) ments that do not cater for emergent TD research and the and the San Francisco Declaration on Research traditional academic reward system which is discussed Assessment (DORA, https://sfdora.org/). One of our further below (section 3.1.3). Regarding current struc- participants commented that ‘we need more creative tural inflexibilities, one participant mentioned: ‘we need approaches to assessment that consider levels of to transform institutions to be sufficiently dynamic and engagement and collaboration’. Co-development of ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 7 more holistic assessment indicators that capture both many funding cycles, continues to be a limitation that scholarly outputs and levels of inclusivity in research, can stifle the kind of iterative, responsive research deep societal engagement, transformative impacts, required to achieve the SDGs. ‘You get three years popular knowledge products and the new type of funding to work on a specific area but if you work with leadership critical for effective TD research could communities, there are a lot of things involved – it’s provide a way forward (Keeler and Locke 2022). In difficult to do everything in the time available’. the words of one of our participants ‘TD research has Sufficient and sustained resource flows in terms of to be evaluated differently from disciplinary research, financing, and human capital, is critical for the slow and the onus is now on us . . . . to begin to develop an process of TD research (OECD 2020). However, evaluation rubric that takes account of process (as an many current resourcing mechanisms remain important step for the quality of TD). . . we need to untransformed (Decade of Global Sustainability start developing indicators that integrate elements of Science Action (2020–2030)). This is, in part, because social, economic, and ecological’. Teamwork and researchers and practitioners, especially from the multi-authored papers, book chapters and books Global South, are seldom engaged in the conceptua- need to be valued as much as single-authored papers. lisation of high-level funding strategies, and so the Non-academic knowledge outputs (e.g. films, videos, realities of this type of work are not always fully co-written policy or business briefs, manuals, news appreciated. One of the primary outputs from the articles, reports, comics and animations) also need Berg-Breede learning process was a policy brief direc- more recognition, including greater interaction with ted at funders that outlines researcher and practi- the arts as a means of including a diversity of per- tioner concerns and the options that can engender spectives (Steelman et al. 2019). Greater appreciation the systems-level change needed (https://sites.google. of the risk-taking, creative thinking and tenacity attri- com/view/berg-breede/project-resources). butes of TD researchers that are so important in Transforming funding models to better support creating the spaces and approaches that can reshape TD requires action at multiple levels. International, universities to meet sustainability demands is needed national, and university funding mechanisms need to (Hart et al. 2016). Moreover, we saw a strongly gen- reconfigure how funding is structured; who deter- dered and career stage bias in TD work, with women mines the scope of the funding calls and the length and early to mid-career researchers often promoting of the funding period; who is involved in funding and holding the TD space (also reflected in the applications; and how researchers and their institu- authorship of this paper), along with the additional tions (e.g. grants offices) are supported within and responsibilities and emotional burdens such work across institutions and communities of practice. brings. Reorienting what is recognised and awarded Funders interested in supporting TD should work as excellence in universities could help in acknowl- together to devise integrated mechanisms for sup- edging this important pioneering role and the extra porting transformative research, such as blended work and dedication required to build collaboration funding approaches, partnerships between research across disciplines and with societal actors. While and development funders, and dialogues with aca- there is some progress towards this – e.g. several of demic institutions to find ways to resource the the African participants’ universities recognise the changes needed. Adequate resources also are needed DORA principles – rollout is slow, and the necessary to capture and make visible the value and impacts of widening of the criteria for promotion is still distant. projects for local partners and national or interna- Implementing university-level systems that support tional efforts like the SDGs, well beyond the scope TD are thus urgently needed to incentivise estab- and lifespan of a project. This involves allocating lished researchers, keep early career researchers in resources for regular and strategic communication, the academic realm, and create the conditions for capacity building, reflection and horizon scanning thought-leadership on complex sustainability pro- for all participants and key knowledge users. blems (Keeler and Locke 2022). 3.2.1. Towards flexible, reflexive, and sustained funding for TD 3.2. Funding TD for sustaining knowledge Flexibility of funding models, as well as institutional co-production partnerships flexibility to administer projects, are critical in terms of One of the most frequently expressed challenges enabling project co-design and co-implementation raised in both learning processes was the need for (Lawrence et al. 2022). Workshop participants high- appropriate and longer-term funding to facilitate TD lighted how crucial flexibility is. For example one men- research that builds the trusting relationships needed tioned that ‘funders demand a lot of certainty, which if you to effect transformative change. Funding, both in work with complex problem situations you can’t always terms of limited amounts and the short duration of give them’ while another said ‘the funder determines the 8 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. trajectory of particular research areas . . . And in so doing, improve the ability of TD researchers to co-design, there are normally project-tight guidelines which even- implement, evaluate, and improve research; build tually leaves very little room, not only into spaces where sustainable and trusting relationships with key actors; you can learn about work which has been done before and and promote impactful outcomes. Salaried positions which is ongoing, but also kind of limits your ability to also enable soft-funded researchers to invest more collaborate’. Locking project teams into log frames and time in developing robust project pre-proposals, to timelines prevents them from building trust and effec- bring their knowledge and expertise to a wider range tively co-designing strategies for transformative out- of projects (including minimally funded projects), comes. Extending inception phases can provide project and to inform and support changes to policy and partners with adequate space and time to consult with practice within their institutions and externally. The each other, and develop deeper relationships. A slower importance of moving beyond short-term contracts start also provides the opportunity to understand end- to more sustained ways to support TD work has also user needs more fully, develop shared visions and objec- been highlighted by Fam et al. (2020). tives, and refine project activities, outcomes, and evalua- In addition to working with funders, TD research- tion techniques. Given that much TD work for the SDGs ers need to be strategic about co-funding and pooling in Africa takes place in soft-funded institutes, which resources between different partners and projects. operate differently to departments, funders need to con- Working collectively to crowd in resources to sustain sider different modes of funding that are flexible enough the work beyond the initial funding can help to to accommodate context-specific institutional needs (e.g. ensure continuity in places and partnerships. This funding mechanisms that can assist with supporting core requires time for project staff to wrap up effectively institutional costs and salaries to build continuity when the funding ends, while sowing the seeds for between projects). future collaborative work. Often projects have little Funders that a) support reflexivity and flexibility funding and space for a considered wind-down, even through the co-design of their funding arrangements though this is essential. (e.g. through the constructive use of Theory of Funding that spans long-term (>3 years) time hor- Change methodologies (Global Environment Facility izons helps solidify TD partnerships; improves the 2019)); b) give room for experimentation, learning depth of project information; enables project findings and adaptation; and c) recognise non-academic part- to be properly synthesised, communicated, and acted ners as project investigators were noted as being key on; and bridges gaps between shorter projects (OECD enablers of TD. Some funders specifically look for 2020; Biggs et al. 2022; Lawrence et al. 2022). Longer- ‘coalitions of actors’ in project proposals and grant term so-called ‘Research Chairs’ with salary, post- flexibility in the redistribution of budget between graduate and project funding provide an encouraging categories while the project is running. Developing funding model for TD, for example, the South and iteratively revisiting a Theory of Change can help African Research Chairs Initiative and the interna- articulate a shared framing and set of objectives, tional AXA Research Chairs. These Chairs (which manage expectations, and help guide and evaluate can be extended up to 15 years) have made it possible the work. This requires resources to bring project for Chair-holders to sustain TD research, often place- team members together face-to-face for both formal based, over the time spans required to build trust and and informal interactions. effect impact. Longer-term funding should also apply Within the university, a key bureaucratic hurdle to fellowships that, if extended to be between 3–5 once funding is secured is the structure of faculty years, can incentivise early-career researchers to financing which can make the transfer of finance engage in this kind of research across faculties problematic. Cross-faculty research required university-wide financial and administrative 3.2.2. Promoting equitable distribution of funding support. However, university-level research funding In the Berg-Breede learning process, particularly, the offices tend to view national research funding as the issue of equitable distribution of research funding only funding instrument that requires their support. was raised both by researchers who had been part Other financial hurdles include difficulties with pay- of large international projects and by practitioners ing non-academic actors and for events in commu- who often felt ‘used’ without compensation in TD nity contexts. More flexibility is needed in payment research processes. To overcome such inequities in systems and in the turnaround time for paying local funding agendas and remuneration processes, all participants, and external entities need to be better voices need to be adequately represented in funding recognised as legitimate service providers, though for discussions, particularly those most embedded in example, establishing Memorandums of local contexts. Creating equivalent pay scales and Understanding. In soft-funded research entities, project co-leadership across Global North-South investment in salaries and bridging funding can divides can counter narratives that researchers in ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 9 the Global South need capacities built, enhance 3.3.1. Context specificity and recognising multiple southern intellectual leadership, and reduce ‘helicop- knowledge and value systems ter research’ (Haelewaters et al. 2021). A hallmark of TD research is that it is context- sensitive and responsive to grounded and lived reali- 3.2.3. Financing bridging roles ties (de Vos et al. 2019). Part of this context sensitiv- Workshop participants spoke about the crucial ity is that TD involves recognising, valuing, and enabling role of intermediaries or brokers working drawing from embodied knowledge systems, includ- to bridge divides between multiple actors, the acad- ing indigenous knowledge systems. When engaging emy and civil society organisations; within and across in TD for sustainability in Africa, workshop partici- soft-funded research entities; and between research- pants emphasised that it is important to understand ers from different disciplines. Such brokers operating the cultural context and historical injustices perpetu- at the research-policy-practice interface are not con- ating the inequalities experienced today. Research sistently recognised as playing legitimate roles in collaborations therefore need to build on and respect projects. Universities and funders should consider existing knowledge frameworks and processes while financing formal and informal knowledge brokers to being mindful that the legacy of past power structures serve as central contact points for TD researchers may have influenced how research is framed and within and beyond universities and practitioner positioned (i.e. the research may have been framed groups (Roux et al. 2017; Biggs et al. 2022). These for rather than by or with non-academic actors). TD brokers serve vital functions as they connect foregrounds the notion of epistemic parity (Heath researchers for new projects, support engaged scho- and Mormina 2022), i.e. the fair and equitable con- larship, capture and act on researcher feedback, and sideration of African- and Western-derived ways of provide administrative support for TD projects. knowing in co-designing research, selecting methods of enquiry, tools, and analytical frames (Konadu-Osei et al. 2022). Thus, instead of relying only on, or 3.3. Strengthening TD practice for adapting methods based in western science, TD transformative change towards achieving the researchers should consider context-congruent philo- SDGs sophies rooted in Africa to guide their thinking about lines and methods of inquiry, critique their epistemo- In practice, TD is about impacting and facilitating logical assumptions and advance theoretical develop- change through knowledge co-development that is ments from the Global South (Nabudere 2012; inclusive, authentic, and empowering (Schneider Chillisa 2017; Konadu-Osei et al. 2022). One of our et al. 2019; Manuel-Navarrete et al. 2021). This is participants remarked ‘studying in Africa should con- more difficult than it sounds and generally requires tribute to humanity’s thinking’. working with the messiness and diversity of reality That said, the underlying assumptions that frame and often with irresolvable complexity, uncertainty one’s understanding of Africa – the language and and dissensus (Montuori 2013; Rogers et al. 2013). methodology used – are important to unpack before It is thus necessary to ‘foreground the “who and why” undertaking TD research. A key message from our of the TD research before diving into the what and the workshops was that research in and on Africa is often how’. Researchers and partners need to find based on a conceptualisation of Africa that originates a common focus, concepts and theories, terminology from the Global North and hinders the continent and language that brings together different knowl- from taking up a central role in global scholarship. edge streams and perspectives (e.g. practical, There is a need to increase and improve engagement Indigenous, scientific, African philosophy). One of with history, identity politics, gender sensitivities, our participants explained ‘unless we find different ethics, patriarchal, or other power dynamics, and vocabularies to begin to make sense of our own experi- explore and potentially shift the various motivations ences, we are actually reproducing the same thing we and incentives for participating in knowledge co- are actually trying to critique . . . ’. The fundamentals production work. ‘What we want to do is have of how we frame and theorise TD in the African Africa contribute to thinking in the world, not just be context thus impact the ability of this approach to a place where ideas and concepts from the Global help facilitate the implementation of the SDGs. We North are implemented. In order to do that, we need discussed these issues in our workshops and hosted to adopt a pluriversal approach which allows us to a panel discussion during the final workshop of the theorise through Africa instead of theorising only for SDG Summit learning process on what it means to do Africa’. Since TD research necessarily involves actors TD research in Africa, bringing in ideas of decoloni- outside of academia, a reflexive TD researcher should sation and African philosophy. Below, we discuss seek to understand better the ontologies (what is four broad categories of praxis considerations from reality, ways of being) of the research context our workshops. 10 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. (Wolff et al. 2019). Recognising the need for trans- Authenticity and honesty are critical in TD research. forming how we think about knowledge and research These can only be achieved when all actors find in non-western contexts, one of our participants a shared language and common set of concepts that highlighted that ‘what really makes quality transdisci- they all care about and understand, and when the plinary work is transformative knowledge that leads to meaning of certain commonly used terms or words transformative action’. is carefully questioned. This is far from trivial as highlighted by one participant: ‘we need to question the origin of the language we use when we think about 3.3.2. Scaling from local to global and global to TD’. Different disciplines use specific terminology or local underlying theoretical or conceptual frameworks, As mentioned above, TD research is essentially place- which may be impenetrable to non-specialists. Such based and context cognisant (Daudin et al. 2021). challenges are exacerbated when working with actors However, workshop participants emphasised that to from outside academia, who may use narratives, progress the SDGs and transformation, it is essential descriptions and concepts embedded within local to take the findings to a larger scale and into the cultures. When working with actors who may not higher-level scientific, policy and financing agenda, be familiar with academic concepts, the use of bound- but that this can be difficult: ‘I think that’s the one ary objects (e.g. frameworks, concepts, models, field point I’m getting very strongly, is the difficulty when notes, dramas, songs, and maps) can help focus atten- it’s framed at one scale, but is of relevance to another, tion, centre cooperation, and enable mutual learning, but that relevance is hard to translate’. Programmes communication and negotiation across groups (Star that foster TD can embed or link to people or institu- and Griesemer 1989; Lundgren 2021; Steger et al. tions across the region, nationally and internationally 2022). to translate the learnings rooted in local contexts into Many researchers feel poorly equipped to navigate the global agenda. We need to address issues of scal- the complex, often hidden power dynamics that char- ing and application to draw more global or generally acterise multi-actor spaces (Knapp et al. 2019). These applicable lessons from studies that are – necessarily power relations often dominate the problem-framing and appropriately – place-based and embedded in process and prioritising activities and outputs. a local context (Riddell and Moore 2015; Odume Creating novel and safe spaces for collaboration et al. 2021; Thiam et al. 2021). with external actors is critical to fostering TD work. In the same vein, translating knowledge and Embedding these spaces in the context of the understanding of complex social-ecological systems addressed problems is particularly productive (e.g. into concrete recommendations and policy applica- examples shared included creating a floating work- tions remains challenging. TD is focused on wicked shop to discuss issues related to joint water security problems and grand challenges and is required to or holding ‘workshops’ that involve walking through contribute solutions (Knapp et al. 2019). This can landscapes to see challenges first-hand). The use of bring to the fore issues of power relations regarding creative, imaginative, and engaging methods (e.g. who gets to make recommendations and who can and theatre, drawing, acting, participatory mapping or should apply them (Marshall et al. 2018). Again, murals) helps to create a sense of openness and safety communities of practice might derive focus and to share or raise contentious issues or imaginaries momentum from engagement with local, national, (Brown et al. 2017; Galafassi et al. 2018; Pereira and international priorities through nested learning et al. 2019; Thorn et al. 2020). Art-based methods and governance networks (Cundill et al. 2015; and games (e.g. musical theatre, animations, dance, Vincent et al. 2018). The SDGs are a prime example and exploring soundscapes) remain essential commu- of priorities that allow engagement at various scales, nication tools that can prompt transformational from local communities to global concerns. change. Some examples that were shared included the use of theatre and soundscapes: we partnered 3.3.3. Common framing, language, and with an NPO who developed the stories [from fishers] authenticity by focusing on mutually identified into a musical theatre production that was done with concerns the community and discussed; one facilitator who was There is a need to be deliberate in how we approach very energetic did this amazing rain soundscape after our research practice – this is especially necessary which she went on to ask ‘what does it mean to you’ of when considering how to close the ‘academic- each individual. And how amazing it was that we had practitioner’ gap (Knapp et al. 2019). For TD such varied responses”. Such methods have been researchers and participants from multiple back- shown to help work through linguistic and cultural grounds to work together effectively, conceptual fra- differences and conceptual or discursive barriers meworks that cut across disciplinary silos can (Steelman et al. 2019; Ball et al. 2021). facilitate integration (Schneider et al. 2019). ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 11 3.3.4. Inclusiveness, creativity, and reflexivity institutions, b) resource TD for sustainable partner- TD processes need to be inclusive. It is important to ships and, c) improve practices and impacts to sup- cultivate long-term collaborative partnerships across port the transformation, into 12 recommendations various organisational levels and spatial scales (Prell which we discuss below (Figure 2; Appendix 3 in et al. 2021). Having a set of pre-existing relationships the supplementary materials). helps to ‘hit the ground running’ and to bring in To foster TD in African academic institutions, additional collaborators as the project evolves. innovative structures and processes are needed to Enrolling and supporting a range of influential cham- address the required institutional and cultural change. pions (e.g. traditional leaders, teachers, and city A new culture of care, relationality, respect, mentor- councillors) in the TD process is thus an important ship and distributed leadership will provide the envir- enabler. It will assist to cope with the turnover of staff onment for boundary pushing research, collaboration and leaders which can cause difficulties and disconti- and reflexivity, and embed project co-design and nuities. Open and frequent communication is key to knowledge co-production. This means equipping uni- building and the sustaining momentum needed to versity research offices to champion a range of TD keep partners engaged. initiatives including, for example, cross-faculty com- An essential feature of collaborative research is that munities of practice, sharing and awareness raising openness to new knowledge and reflexivity is built into events, and proposal development as well as drive the the research process (Knaggård et al. 2018). This facil- structural changes needed to support TD research (e.g. itates adaptation in the research agenda and process in in financial systems, ethics procedures). More creative response to emerging knowledge, new perspectives, and assessment of researchers and innovative, collabora- changing environmental and social conditions (de Vos tive supervision and mentorship will help grow TD et al. 2021). Such agility requires long timeframes that research and capacity, while investment is required in allow the relationships underpinning scholarly research training the next generation of TD researchers who to develop and for research trajectories to iterate and can engage in advocacy and relationship building to adapt. It also requires a fluidity of roles, especially con- drive the changes needed. Universities also need to sidering the need for methodological agility and diver- reach beyond the academy to guide their research sity of skills and techniques (Knaggård et al. 2018; de agenda and partner with influential champions who Vos et al. 2021). Different people and partners will be can also promote collaborative partnerships and engaged and involved to varying depths throughout the research in their own spaces: ‘I think it’s collaboration (Prell et al. 2021). There is, thus, a need to a fundamentally critical thing that we have societal constantly adapt terms and concepts, objectives (for the partners working with us at the outset because they’re project) and methodologies in an ever-changing project heard differently in the university space than how we landscape, as one participant summed up: ‘we need to are heard’. These changes are core to progressing take the onus of being more creative’ in all stages of transformative TD work, and so we have positioned a project. In collaborative adaptive management, for them at the heart of the aloe in Figure 2 (lessons 1–6). example, multi-actor groups (e.g. scientists, managers, Innovative TD work cannot happen without the and communities) engage in multiple cycles of problem underpinning resources that universities and funding framing, interventions, learning and adaptation (Jack agencies need to provide if they are serious about et al. 2020). The funding constraints to achieving such promoting relational knowledge building and contri- inclusiveness have been highlighted in the previous buting to sustainable development and transforma- section. tive change (Figure 2, lessons 7–9). This means modifying current funding processes and structures to a) support the required institutional change and 4. Conclusion capacity development; b) enable meaningful engage- ment with non-academic actors and their concerns in To realise the ambitions of the SDGs and associated an on-going way through longer-term funding and transformative change, new research and learning resourcing knowledge brokers; c) create the flexibility approaches are required that can address complex and time in projects to pursue new directions as they sustainability challenges at different scales and link emerge as well as co-develop actions that are plura- to policy and action (McGowan et al. 2019). Our listic, negotiated, equitable and practical; and d) allo- work with multiple actors prior to and at the SDG cate finances to provide greater continuity for Summit and in the Berg-Breede catchment helped us researchers in soft-funded institutes who are often imagine the ‘TD space we want’ and brought us leading this work. To achieve this requires more closer to possible pathways by which change can be engagement and dialogue between funders, academic enacted. We have synthesised and condensed our leadership, researchers, community champions and learnings according to our three thematic areas, practitioners. There is a need to move beyond the namely a) promote and support TD within academic 12 S. SHACKLETON ET AL. Figure 2. Twelve recommendations emerging from our learning processes for creating the ‘TD space we want’. Numbers 1–6 in the green font represent recommendations related to “Reconfiguring academic institutions to foster TD” (which we visualise as the core or stem of the aloe); numbers 7–9 in brown font represent recommendations related to “Funding TD for sustaining knowledge co-production partnerships” (which we visualise as the aloe roots which feed the plant); and numbers 10–12 in red font relate to ways to strengthen TD practice for transformative (the flowers of the aloe). situation in which ‘the funder says “here’s what we can space – with knowledge-holders and users, commu- fund” and every year or whatever they say “fill in this nities, and policy makers – through networks and evaluation form or report in this template”’ towards ‘a innovative third spaces that are accessible and non- two-way street built on trust and agility’. threatening and that allow for expression of different The complex and reflexive nature of TD means actors’ perspectives, knowledge systems, needs, and that researchers and collaborators should be con- interests. Such safe spaces also provide the opportu- stantly reflecting on how they can improve their nity to work through identity politics, gender issues practice. Critical areas emerging from our learning and power dynamics all of which can act as hin- processes are presented in Figure 2 (lessons 10–12). drances to transformative change. An important mes- TD not only presents an opportunity to work beyond sage from our workshops was that these spaces and the academy, it is also an important entry point for issues can be opened up further through the use of decolonising research, policies and practice by generative arts-based methods that create a sense of including African philosophies, worldviews, and safety and depersonalisation to raise contentious ways of knowing; an area that was recognised as issues and work through linguistic, cultural or con- requiring further research and theorising. Epistemic ceptual differences. pluralism and methodological agility need to be Together the above themes will be increasingly a part of research practice to support collaborative critical for African researchers, funders, policy work within and between diverse contexts and actors. makers, society, practitioners, and other actors to This requires building relationships within the TD reflect on and action in order to progress ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE 13 Leeuw S. 2020. Co-designing global target-seeking sce- transformative solutions to emerging sustainability narios: a cross-scale participatory process for capturing challenges across the African continent in years to multiple perspectives on pathways to sustainability. come. As articulated by one of our participants Global Environ Change. 65:102198. doi:10.1016/j.gloenv ‘together, we need to build solidarity and connectivity cha.2020.102198. to disrupt, and we need to be bold. The moment is now Armitage D, Arends J, Barlow NL, Closs A, Cloutis GA, to be bold’. Cowley M, Davis C, Dunlop SD, Ganowski S, Hings C, et al. 2019. Applying a “theory of change” process to facilitate transdisciplinary sustainability education. Ecol Soc. 24(3): doi:10.5751/ES-11121-240320. Acknowledgements Armstrong McKay DI, Staal A, Abrams JF, Winkelmann R, We would like to thank all participants in the two social Sakschewski B, Loriani S, Fetzer I, Cornell SE, learning processes whose time and input led to rich and Rockström J, Lenton TM. 2022. Exceeding 1.5° engaging discussions and informed the body of insights C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping provided in this positioning paper. For the SDG Summit points. Science. 377(6611):7950. doi:10.1126/science. pre-workshops we were fortunate to field contributions abn7950. from a wide range of perspectives, including academics, Ball S, Leach B, Bousfield J, Smith P, Marjanovic S. 2021. practitioners, funders, and government, spanning nine Arts-based approaches to public engagement with countries across Africa, North America, and Europe. We research. Lessons from a rapid review. Santa Monica, would like to give special thanks to our case study presen- Calif., and Cambridge, UK: THIS Institute and RAND ters and discussants, who provided additional time and Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_ input to share their wealth of knowledge and experience. reports/RRA194-1.html Thanks also to our excellent facilitator, Lucy O’Keeffe. We Barnosky AD, Brown JH, Daily GC, Dirzo R, Ehrlich AH, acknowledge the research office of University of Cape Ehrlich PR, Eronen JT, Fortelius M, Hadly EA, Town for support. 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Analysing the contribu- Wolff M, Cockburn J, De Wet C, Bezerra JC, Weaver MJT, tions of transdisciplinary research to the global sustain- Finca A, De Vos A, Ralekhetla MM, Libala N, ability agenda in African cities. Sustainability Sci. 16 Mkabile QB, et al. 2019. Exploring and expanding trans- (6):1923–1944. doi:10.1007/s11625-021-01042-6. disciplinary research for sustainable and just natural resource management. Ecol Soc. 24(4):14. doi:10.5751/ Thondhlana G, Mubaya CP, McClure A, Amaka-Otchere ES-11077-240414. ABK, Ruwanza S. 2021. Facilitating urban sustainability through transdisciplinary (TD) research: lessons from Yamazumi K. 2020. Education as a collaborative intervention: Ghana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Sustainability. 13 engaging learners and building a community of agency in (11):6205. doi:10.3390/su13116205. disaster prevention learning. Actio. 4:17–36.

Journal

Ecosystems and People – Taylor & Francis

Published: Dec 31, 2023

Keywords: Matthew Weaver; Sustainability; transformation; transdisciplinarity; Sustainable Development Goals; Africa; equity

References

Co-designing global target-seeking scenarios: a cross-scale participatory process for capturing multiple perspectives on pathways to sustainability
Applying a “theory of change” process to facilitate transdisciplinary sustainability education
Exceeding 1.5° C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping points
Arts-based approaches to public engagement with research. Lessons from a rapid review
Introducing the scientific consensus on maintaining humanity’s life support systems in the 21st century: information for policy makers
Social-ecological change: insights from the Southern African program on ecosystem change and society
The drama of resilience: learning, doing, and sharing for sustainability
Creating leadership collectives for sustainability transformations
Co-productive agility and four collaborative pathways to sustainability transformations
Decolonising transdisciplinary research approaches: an African perspective for enhancing knowledge integration in sustainability science
Nurturing communities of practice for transdisciplinary research
Rethinking inter-and transdisciplinarity: undisciplined knowledge and the emergence of a new thought style
The collaborative process in environmental projects, a place-based coevolution perspective
Methods for understanding social-ecological systems: a review of place-based studies
Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and practice: balancing expectations of the ‘old’ academy with the future model of universities as ‘problem solvers’
Our future in the anthropocene biosphere
‘Raising the temperature’: the arts on a warming planet
Theory of Change Primer (GEF/STAP/C.57/inf.04)
Sustainable development goals for people and planet
An integrated framework for sustainable development goals
Implications of transdisciplinarity for sustainability research
Ten Simple rules for Global North researchers to stop perpetuating helicopter research in the Global South
Mobilizing the power of higher education to tackle the grand challenge of sustainability: lessons from novel initiatives
Moving from collaboration to co-production in international research
Climate risk narratives: an iterative reflective process for co-producing and integrating climate knowledge
Bridging disciplinary divides to address environmental and intellectual challenges
The transdisciplinary moment(um)
Finding an academic space: reflexivity among sustainability researchers
Placing transdisciplinarity in context: a review of approaches to connect scholars, society and action
Methodological decolonisation and local epistemologies in business ethics research
The COVID-19 pandemic is intricately linked to biodiversity loss and ecosystem health
Characteristics, potentials, and challenges of transdisciplinary research
Climate tipping points—too risky to bet against
Systems integration for global sustainability
Transformative, transgressive social learning: rethinking higher education pedagogy in times of systemic global dysfunction
The grand concepts of environmental studies boundary objects between disciplines and policymakers
Fostering horizontal knowledge co-production with indigenous people by leveraging researchers’ transdisciplinary intentions
Transdisciplinary research as transformative space making for sustainability
An imperfect vision of indivisibility in the sustainable development goals
Complexity and transdisciplinarity: reflections on theory and practice
Pathways, contextual and cross-scale dynamics of science-policy-society interactions in transdisciplinary research in African cities
Addressing societal challenges using transdisciplinary research
Building capacities for transformative change towards sustainability: imagination in intergovernmental science-policy scenario processes
A pragmatist approach to transdisciplinarity in sustainability research: from complex systems theory to reflexive science
Transdisciplinarity and shifting network boundaries: the challenges of studying an evolving stakeholder network in participatory settings
Scaling out, scaling up, scaling deep: advancing systemic social innovation and the learning processes to support it
Competences for solving complex problems: a cross-sectional survey on higher education for sustainability learning and transdisciplinarity
Identifying a safe and just corridor for people and the planet
Fostering complexity thinking in action research for change in social–ecological systems
The GRIN meeting: a ‘third place’ for managers and scholars of social-ecological systems
Transdisciplinary research for systemic change: who to learn with, what to learn about and how to learn
Dimensions of professional competences for interventions towards sustainability
Transdisciplinary co-production of knowledge and sustainability transformations: three generic mechanisms of impact generation
The real type and ideal type of transdisciplinary processes: part I—theoretical foundations
Science with society in the anthropocene
Towards a caring transdisciplinary research practice: navigating science, society and self
Institutional ecology, ‘translations’ and boundary objects: amateurs and professionals in Berkeley’s Museum of vertebrate zoology, 1907-39
Identifying transformational space for transdisciplinarity: using art to access the hidden third
The trajectory of the anthropocene: the great acceleration
Planetary boundaries: guiding human development on a changing planet
Trajectories of the earth system in the anthropocene
Collaborative agent-based modelling for managing shrub encroachment in an Afroalpine grassland
Science with society: evidence-based guidance for best practices in environmental transdisciplinary work
Analysing the contributions of transdisciplinary research to the global sustainability agenda in African cities
Facilitating urban sustainability through transdisciplinary (TD) research: lessons from Ghana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe
Mainstreaming nature-based solutions for climate resilient infrastructure in peri-urban sub-Saharan Africa
A systematic review of participatory scenario planning to envision mountain social-ecological systems futures
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018
Communities of practice: one size does not fit all
Getting to the heart of transformation
Making the sustainable development goals consistent with sustainability
Exploring and expanding transdisciplinary research for sustainable and just natural resource management
Education as a collaborative intervention: engaging learners and building a community of agency in disaster prevention learning

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APA
Shackleton, S., Taylor, A., Gammage, L., Gillson, L., Sitas, N., Methner, N., Barmand, S., Thorn, J., McClure, A., Cobban, L., Jarre, A., & Odume, O. (2023). Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?. Ecosystems and People, 19(1), 1
MLA
Shackleton, Sheona, Anna Taylor, Louise Gammage, Lindsey Gillson, Nadia Sitas, Nadine Methner, Shayan Barmand, Jessica Thorn, Alice McClure, Leigh Cobban, Astrid Jarre, and Oghenekaro Nelson Odume. "Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?." Ecosystems and People 19.1 (2023)1.

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Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?

Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?

Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed?

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