Dave has spent more than 40 years working to improve the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers in developing countries, initially for DFID in India, Botswana and Saint Lucia (1982-1995), then at Bangor University, UK, as co-manager of the DFID-funded Plant Sciences Research Programme (1996-2010) and most recently for ICRISAT in Kenya (2011-2013 and 2017-2021) and the World Agroforestry Centre (2014-2016). He is currently an Honorary Senior Fellow at Bangor University and a Senior Research Associate with CIFOR-ICRAF. Originally a developer of user-friendly improved farming technologies such as ‘on-farm’ seed priming, since 2012 Dave has been trying to understand better the limitations on making a decent living from a small farm, and the drivers of rural smallholder households’ attempts to increase their incomes and wellbeing. Recent work has highlighted the complex ways in which society interacts with individuals and groups to form aspirations and expectations. This interaction has important consequences for sustainable development as smallholder rural households juggle on-farm and off-farm opportunities.