The authors focus on how social actors engage in processes of learning and doing, how they are
knowing their way into the future. People are seen as cognitive beings who make sense of their
environment. Yet, their environment also directs and pushes their knowing in a particular
direction. This assumes a direct link between social knowing and governance. A case from rural
Cameroon shows how well-intentioned but isolated attempts to strengthen local learning may
backfire. The question is raised as to whether one can speak of good governance of knowing.
Three decades of knowledge systems research are reviewed in order to trace its evolution,
identifying some of its contributions to the understanding and management of agricultural and
rural development, and to natural resource management. Hard systems thinking, taking
knowledge as a commodity to be disseminated and utilised, paved the way to success of the
Training and Visit System in commercial agriculture. Hard systems failure to deal with diverse
complex farming systems moved research from technology to people. The human dimension of
innovation was explored further. Different approaches and methodologies were developed for
facilitating social inquiry, individual and collective sense making, and joint learning. Röling¿s
platforms couple actors with their environment, tying the knot between knowing systems and
natural systems. A case study from South Africa demonstrates how explicit attention for issues of
governance when facilitating social knowing for development, may help create adequate
conditions for successful social learning and conflict resolution with respect to natural resource
management.