The role of smallholder agriculture in future land systems
“Pathways to Sustainable and Just Land Systems”. This is the core of the
Fifth Open Science Meeting in Oaxaca (Mexico). The Global Land Programme is an interdisciplinary community of science and practice fostering the study of land systems and the co-design of solutions for global sustainability. In their session Maria Backhouse and Katharina Waha will discuss the role of smallholders in future land systems. The session is intended to provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to share insights on the role of smallholder agriculture in future land and agricultural systems. Smallholders today have a critical role in local and global land and food systems, for local livelihoods and agrobiodiversity, and for climate mitigation and adaptation. Nevertheless, they face multiple challenges such as land and water grabs, vulnerability to environmental and socioeconomic shocks, and low capacity to influence national and international policies. We encourage quantitative, qualitative, or integrated approaches and methods, case studies as well as larger-scale studies. We welcome contributions that: