Is it possible to coordinate the strategies and actions of multiple actors around the common goal of developing and diffusing Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices? How crucial is farmer participation in these efforts? How much of an emphasis should be placed on CA technologies vs. other types of innovations? The initial steps of the ASOSID project provide partial answers to these questions in the context of the Bajio, a semi-arid, subtropical region of Central Mexico dominated by post-green revolution, highly productive irrigated small-scale farming, presently facing decreasing profitability of cereal production, dwindling availability of irrigation water and soil fertility degradation.