The research and partnership activities are framed by and will build a 'research platform' capable of investigating the following propositions: The promotion of sustainable economic development and welfare in rural regions of Brazil depends on local/regional responsibilities relevant to the 'food energy water environment nexus': 1. integrated management of the 'nexus' must be underpinned by sustainable management of water resources, which in turn depends on management of land; 2. many inter-dependencies of environmental processes and human activities occur within catchment boundaries, and create a strong logic for assessment and management of natural resources and rural economy at a catchment (or sub-catchment scale); 3. sustainable management of land, water and energy use depends on the actions of farmers, other land users, businesses and communities as regulated by delegated local/regional authorities; 4. sustainable and integrated management of the 'nexus' thus depends on local/regional responsibilities and requires inclusive deliberation and action at the local/regional level under the frameworks of existing law and multi-level government; 5. catchment management programmes to enhance and sustain multi-functional landscapes must be built from existing agency responsibilities, organisations and partnerships, supported by provisions for inter-locality and inter-sectoral collaboration and coordination; 6. provisions for genuine and effective public participation can create a forum for information sharing and deliberation, essential to integrate national policies with local economic and social goals, whilst using local knowledge, acceptance and 'ownership' to enhance assessments, planning and actions; 7. the complexity, temporal and spatial scales, dynamics and trade-offs of 'nexus' management at catchment scale necessitate an adaptive and 'analytic-deliberative' management cycle. These propositions similarly apply to the challenges in the UK of sustainable intensification of agriculture whilst conserving and enhancing multi-functional landscapes.