Transformation Is ‘Experienced, Not Delivered’: Insights from Grounding the Discourse in Practice to Inform Policy and Theory

Calls for transformation, transformative research, and transformational impact are increasingly heard from governments, industry and universities to set a course towards sustainability. This paper contributes to broadening the concept of transformation for Our Land and Water, which has been tasked with transforming the way we use and manage our land and water.

Drawing on perspectives of those involved in working with communities to bring about change in how land and water are managed, the objective of this research was to elicit a range of practice-based encounters of transformation. The paper provides insights on where transformation takes place, what the first step of transformation might look like, and what might be deemed transformational.

In addition to the often-cited ingredients for transformation – catalysts for change, barriers to change and power relations – this research identifies precursors for change and processes for change. In identifying precursors and processes for change, the findings bring into view the often unseen internal and experiential dimensions of transformation.

This project informed Our Land and Water’s strategy for 2019–2024