In Mexico, large-scale adoption of no-tillage has not yet taken place. An innovative approach aimed at facilitating the adoption of no-tillage and other sustainable agricultural practices is being launched in the irrigated part of Guanajuato State in Central Mexico, a region in need of urgent changes if grain production is to remain viable for smallholders. The main features of this approach include giving farmers and their associations a central role in all decision-making, ensuring a tight interaction among farmers, extension agents and researchers in generating and diffusing no-till technologies, using training as a key strategy for creating the willingness and knowledge base necessary to implement changes, and adopting a menu-driven approach to technological change. It also rely on the creation of a large inter-institutional platform to encompass in one single project such diverse activities as applied research, farmers' experimentation, training, technical assistance, and the strengthening of farmers' organizations.