Convened by Lily Salloum Lindegaard, Danish Institute for International Studies, and Le Thi Hoa Sen, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Vietnam

Agricultural systems in many developing countries are undergoing profound changes driven by global dynamics—climate change, market shifts, and technological innovation—as well as specific regional, national, and local conditions. Agriculture remains the primary source of income and employment for up to 70% of the population in some low-income countries, yet these systems are under increasing and interlinked environmental and development pressures. Meanwhile, major global dynamics including digitalization and value chain restructuring are reshaping production models, often without inclusive governance mechanisms to guide transitions.

This panel invites empirical, analytical, and theoretical contributions that explore the transformation of agricultural and rural production systems, including both planned efforts and emergent outcomes. We are particularly interested in work that examines governance arrangements across scales—local, national, and global—and how they mediate sustainability, inclusion, and resilience in major system transitions and transformations.

Relevant themes may include, among others:

• (Comparative) Analyses of Transformations in Rural Production Systems: Including the complexities of transformation aims, strategies, processes and differentiated outcomes

• Cross-scalar Interactions and Governance: Between local and traditional approaches, national/subnational systems and international governance or policies (e.g., SDGs, trade agreements, climate goals, etc.)

• Inclusion and Equity: In agricultural transitions/ transformations processes and outcomes (gender, ethnicity, class), including inclusive governance in transformation processes; and differentiated impacts of production system change in different actors’ access to resources, decision-making, and benefits

• Sustainability and Resilience: Considering the implications of transformation efforts for agricultural systems’ ability to manage environmental and socioeconomic pressures - including climate variability, mitigation needs, resource degradation, shifting market demands and development needs 

We welcome submissions from diverse disciplinary and geographic perspectives and from early career researchers. Authors interested in contributing to a joint special issue are encouraged to submit, with the ambition of submission in fall 2026.