Agricultural research should be equally driven by society's interests and researcher's opportunity-creating capabilities, because economic, social, political, cultural, and environmental needs, especially in poor rural areas, should be addressed by the ingenuity of scientists orientated within integrated, problemfocused interdisciplinary research initiatives. Problem-solving research requires inputs from different parties across the entire value-chain that brings their perspectives, and maybe changes their views during a participatory consultative process in which stakeholders (including scientists) engage in practices of joint inquiry, collaborative and active learning, and adaptive management. Stakeholders of a research agenda are drawn from government (national, regional, and local), civil society (including farmers' organizations, nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], and public concern groups), and the private sector (particularly small to medium sized enterprises). Collectively they should own the process for establishing the complex and evolving research agendas required for today's agriculture. Transparency for priority setting and accountability through monitoring and evaluation are required to ensure an effective research undertaking whether international, regional, national, or local. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.