The traditional cultivation of wild melon varieties to feed and water animals during the dry season has proven to be economically sound and environmentally sustainable.

The practice is an example of mutual benefit and cooperation between settled agropastoral communities and mobile transhumant pastoralists.

Although the practice of cultivating local melon varieties to feed animals appears to be currently thriving, it might become endangered in the future because of the introduction of mechanization of crop farming as well as the increasing cultivation of hybrid melons that have brought new pests and diseases.

Rapid changes in science require rapid development of solutions. Working with diverse groups of stakeholders is important for developing robust research programs.

Collaborative production (or coproduction) of knowledge can integrate multiple sources of knowledge from stakeholder groups such as farmers and ranchers, service providers, technical ad-visors, and nonprofit representatives.

The nominal group technique (NGT) is one tool in coproduction of knowledge and is a simple and feasible methodology rangeland scientists can adopt in complex decision-making contexts.

The Archbold-University of Florida Long-term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network used NGT with an advisory council of stakeholder representatives to develop priorities for their research program, particularly high-priority treatments and measurements.

Coproduced science identifies potential solutions more quickly than any group working on their own. Researchers can use NGT during collaborative processes to incorporate multiple sources of expert knowledge to create a more complete picture of a given situation.

We created a mentoring and support group for women students, staff, and faculty in our academic unit.

The group met monthly to explore aspects of professional development, academic culture, workplace interactions, and work–life management.

Participants agreed involvement in the group was a positive experience.

We share summaries of the activities and topics the group addressed, and we encourage other agencies and institutions to consider forming women-focused mentoring programs.