Among the growing number of books on participatory research, this one stands out. Its originality lies in its presentation of participants’ voices and experience, which are all too often missing in accounts of participatory research. Here they are central to the argument that it is how relationships are established and managed and how participants views are heard that are important in inclusive knowledge production.

The 15 chapters are based on the personal narratives of research scientists and their lay partners on how they have engaged in participatory research, drawing on a number of case studies in agriculture, natural resource development and conservation. The case studies are presented in ‘paired’ chapters; the first in each pair containing researchers’ perspectives and the second, those of participants. This allows for revealing and sometimes critical comparisons between the two.

The accounts do justice to the complexity of the relationships, processes and methods in participatory research, including establishing partnerships and building trust, the role of local knowledge, ensuring credibility of results and managing tensions between research for knowledge production versus action to transform livelihoods. They discuss the challenge of engaging in participatory research in contexts of unequal power relations – between researchers and local people, between the resource poor and local elites and between women and men.

This book will be of great interest to those involved in agricultural and natural resources research, development and teaching, as well as providing an important example of how accounts of participatory research processes can themselves be made more participatory.