1. Actor Dynamics and Sustainable Development: Emerging Roles of Researchers

The challenges facing sustainable development are essentially human-based; human society has mainly created or exacerbated many human problems such as poverty and food security as well as natural environment problems, such as climate change and climate extremes. In addition, the eventual solutions must be elaborated and put into place by various actors. Thus it is essential to have a thorough understanding of actor dynamics … the interests of different actors, interactions between them and the initiatives that they engage in. A framework is presented to help any observer and researcher in any cultural or territorial context to understand the challenges facing the involvement of actors and human society in general in any search for sustainable development, and this is so for the countries of the North and the South. We then explore how a better understanding of actor dynamics support those researchers who wish to make a substantial contribution to resolving these challenges and helping populations move closer towards a sustainable future for their communities and environments. It is argued that one of the most pertinent ways for researchers to do this is through the various research approaches termed action research; it is argued that with patience and playing out the roles of counselor, facilitator, and provider of strategic information, action research, particularly Participatory Action Research (PAR) can achieve significant progress towards a sustainable future.