Pathways to sustainable land systems: Insights from the Global Land Programme’s 5th Open Science Meeting

Daniel Aja, Visiting Researcher at the Alliance, pictured center-back row, was one of the recipients of GLP’s Global Scholar Award. (Photo: GLP OSM5)

By Janelle Marie Sylvester and Daniel Aja

How can we create sustainable land systems that are just, equitable, and resilient to global challenges? This question took center stage at the 5th Open Science Meeting (OSM5) of the Global Land Programme (GLP), held in November 2024 in the culturally vibrant city of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Under the theme “Pathways to Sustainable and Just Land Systems,” the conference convened around 800 participants, including scientists, practitioners, and community leaders, to address the complexities of land systems, their interlinkages with food and water systems, and their pivotal role in achieving global sustainability goals.

The CGIAR was represented by researchers from the Alliance Bioversity International & CIAT, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), as well as experts from the Environmental Health and Biodiversity Impact Area Platform (EHBIAP). For the CGIAR, the event offered a unique opportunity to contribute to and learn from the forefront of land system science.

Why GLP matters to the CGIAR

GLP, a Future Earth global research network with over 2,800 members, has a long history of advancing transdisciplinary science to address the challenges of land use, land cover change, and socio-ecological systems. GLP has evolved into a dynamic community of researchers, synthesizing knowledge and promoting collaborative solutions.

GLP’s ability to bring together cutting-edge research with community-driven solutions makes it a critical partner for CGIAR’s efforts to transform food, land, and water systems under the global climate and biodiversity agendas. GLP’s focus on co-production of knowledge, participatory approaches, and interdisciplinary collaboration provides valuable frameworks for CGIAR’s work at farm, landscape, regional and national scales.

The event kicked off with a festive welcoming night with traditional Oaxacan foods and beverages. (Photo CIAT/Janelle Sylvester)

Key themes shaping the future of land systems

Across three days, several emerging themes and key messages resonated with CGIAR’s priorities:

• Transformative governance for just land systems: The intersection of justice, equity, and governance emerged as a critical area of focus. Discussions highlighted the need for inclusive, adaptive governance models that prioritize the rights of marginalized groups, including Indigenous Peoples and smallholder farmers.
• Advancing land system science with technology: Innovations in GeoAI, Big Data, and data integration through machine and deep learning and sensor fusion are revolutionizing how land use changes are monitored and understood. The integration of Big Data with local knowledge was highlighted as a powerful approach to address both global trends and place-based challenges.
• Economic incentives and market-based solutions: Markets for carbon and biodiversity credits present new opportunities and challenges, requiring frameworks to monitor and verify impacts and avoid unintended consequences. The challenges of implementing deforestation-free commitments in agricultural supply chains were highlighted. Insights into traceability systems, such as Brazil’s CAR platform, can inform CGIAR’s work on biodiversity-supportive value chains.
• Participatory approaches to land management: Co-production of knowledge and participatory planning emerged as essential methodologies for designing effective land use strategies. Engaging local communities in decision-making processes to ensure that interventions are contextually relevant and socially accepted is critical.
• Conflict, peacebuilding, and land systems: Land systems are often at the center of conflicts, whether due to resource competition, land grabbing, or political instability. Sessions explored the role of land system science in post-conflict recovery and environmental peacebuilding, particularly in regions like Colombia.

Key contributions from CGIAR researchers

CGIAR had a strong presence at OSM5, highlighting its research through engaging presentations and discussions:

• Janelle Sylvester, visiting researcher and land expert, represented the Alliance, CGIAR’s EHBIAP, and the University of Copenhagen, presenting findings from a recent publication in Scientific Reports on global and regional food system drivers of deforestation.
• Daniel Aja, a visiting researcher at the Alliance, presented a poster sharing insights on the impact of sustainable land use system adoption on landscape forest cover. Daniel was also honored with a Global Scholar Award travel grant that facilitated his participation in the event.
• Researchers from IFPRI presented work on participatory tools for social learning and sustainable natural resources management:
  • Thomas Falk, research fellow: Games for Social Learning: Triggering Collective Changes in Land Management
  • Hagar ElDidi, senior research analyst: Game Adaptations to Fit Context: Groundwater Salinity in Ghana’s Coastal Keta Basin
  • Liangzhi You, senior research fellow: Fourth generation of global crop mapping and first use cases in sustainable food systems investigations. Liangzhi also organized a session on Farmland infrastructure and its impact on agricultural land systems.
  • Zhe Guo, senior GIS coordinator: Global Cropping System Mapping: Spatial Production Allocation Model 2020.
• Researchers from CIMMYT presented multifaceted work within the session Realizing agrobiodiversity with smallholders for sustainable land use, organized by Sieg Snapp.
  • Mariel Guera, research coordinator, and Simon Fonteyne, scientist: Insights from long-term experimental research platforms for sustainable agrifood systems
    
  • Katharina Schiller, scaling and sustainability transitions scientist: Agroecological transitions: Roles of crop and practice diversity for male and female farmers
  • Jelle Van Loon, Interim Associate Program Director, SAS Latin America: Multiple pathways promoting public-private-civil society partnerships in Mexico

Key messages from the conference

• The need for integrated and holistic approaches: Land systems cannot be addressed in silos. Solutions must integrate ecological, social, and economic dimensions to achieve sustainable outcomes.
• Equity and justice as central principles: Justice is not just an outcome but a pathway. Inclusive governance and equitable resource distribution are prerequisites for sustainable land systems.
• The urgency of actionable science: Land system science must evolve from understanding patterns to driving actionable, real-world solutions. Policymakers require clear, evidence-based recommendations that consider local realities.
• The power of incremental changes: While transformative shifts are the ultimate goal, small, incremental changes at local levels can catalyze broader systemic transformations over time.
• Leveraging technology while centering people: Advanced tools like GeoAI and remote sensing offer unprecedented insights, but their application must be guided by the needs and knowledge of local communities.
• Recognizing the role of economic systems: The misalignment of market forces with sustainability goals is a major barrier. Economic systems must be reoriented to reward sustainable land use practices and support vulnerable populations.

Community Restoration Fund

As a tangible outcome, GLP announced the creation of a Community Restoration Fund, directing proceeds from registration fees to three Oaxacan organizations:

1. Sociedad Cooperativa Ecoturística la Ventanilla
2. Integradora de Comunidades Indígenas y Campesinas de Oaxaca (ICICO)
3. Escuela Itinerante de Agua y Artes

Looking ahead: opportunities for CGIAR

GLP OSM5 reinforced the critical role of land system science in tackling global challenges. CGIAR’s continued engagement in the GLP community and its events will further strengthen collaborations and advance impactful research for sustainable food, land, and water systems.