This study examines the conditions under which the EU Deforestation Regulation is likely to reduce deforestation and why its impacts are likely to differ across countries and products. We find that the regulation is likely to be most effective where the EU is a major buyer, such as for cocoa and coffee. Where its market influence is smaller, such as for soy and palm oil, benefits may be limited and trade could shift to other markets.

Land use change is reshaping tropical forest frontiers, yet effects on local well-being remain poorly understood. Drawing on 14 workshops and 154 household interviews in Madagascar, Laos, and Myanmar, this study explores how land use shapes well-being directly and via ecosystem services, revealing key trade-off mechanisms and substitution processes that often fail to sustain relational, collective well-being.

Climate risks to food systems can extend beyond national borders through international sourcing networks. We examine Canada’s exposure to such risks by combining provincial food-flow data with climate projections to identify where future agroclimatic changes may affect key fruit and vegetable sources, including increasing heat and dry spells in Mexico and the southwestern US. The analysis assesses exposure under recent sourcing patterns, not future shortages, prices, or production losses.

We are launching "Letters to and from Early Career Scholars", a new section of our journal. Here, we aim to foster two-way dialogue on navigating interdisciplinary Land System Science. Using the blind-men-and-elephant parable, we argue that no single discipline sees the whole land system and that integration is collective, not individual. We urge early-career scholars to know their "part of the elephant," seek collaborators, and embrace the discomfort of partial knowledge.

Hundreds of companies have pledged to end deforestation in their supply chains. Yet little is known about how supply chain structures influence companies’ forest policies. To explore this question, we conducted 173 interviews and focus groups with stakeholders in the Brazilian cattle and soy, Indonesian palm oil, and West African cocoa sectors. Our findings show that to reduce deforestation, companies need to develop stronger relationships with farmers and build their compliance capabilities.

Solar and wind power are vital for clean energy, but projects face rising social and political opposition. These developments form complex "energy-land systems" that impact local communities. In Portugal, we identified 18 distinct system types across different regional contexts. Although large-scale projects incorporate more social and environmental measures, they often occupy marginalized areas. Understanding projects and their contexts can support planners design fairer energy projects.

Studies estimate that global exports drive 13–94 % of land-system impacts like deforestation. This wide variation depends on how responsibility is allocated, though market-share methods consistently show international trade accounts for <25 % of impacts, with domestic markets driving the rest. We review data and methods to model domestic markets and discuss what these analyses reveal about actor responsibility, value chain governance, and resilience in these often-overlooked markets.

Early-career scholars are increasingly asked to work across complex environmental challenges, yet finding where we belong and how we can contribute is not always easy. Drawing on our experience in the IPBES Nexus Assessment, we reflect on what helped us grow. We find that mentorship, peer learning, meaningful participation, and supportive relationships are as important as technical expertise, and call for more spaces where young scholars can learn, contribute, and grow together.

The manuscript highlights the limitations of co-producing visions for sustainable futures and transformative pathways in boom crop contexts, specifically where basic needs of local stakeholders remain constrained. These findings help address existing knowledge gaps and provide a framework for future research on sustainability transitions in similar boom crop contexts.