There are two approaches to future planning: backcasting and scenario planning. While some studies have attempted to relate and combine these two approaches, a future design (FD) approach has recently been advocated and researched. Given this state of affairs, the paper provides an overview of the FD approach and discusses the potential benefits of linking and incorporating it into backcasting and scenario planning by summarizing the main features of such benefits for future planning for sustainability. A feature of an FD is that it explicitly orients people’s ways of thinking in the current generation to be generative for not only their own future but also generations to come, as well as in designing a plan within a coherent timeframe by demonstrating the characteristics of being prospective and retrospective from the viewpoint of a different generation. Another feature of FD lies in strategy making through some visioning process and in redefining the boundary between what is controllable and what is uncontrollable by considering the perspectives of future generations. We consider this article as a concept paper for the special issue of “Designing Sustainable Future Societies,” building on a literature review and author’s conceptual framework. Thus, our ideas and concepts suggest some potential benefits from incorporating FD into backcasting and scenario planning, further inducing people to be future-oriented and/or sustainable in terms of strategy making. We finally demonstrate some examples of FD practices and illustrative ideas of FD incorporation, remarking on possible avenues for future research.

Global food production predominantly depends on a limited number of cereal crops; however, numerous other crops have the potential to support the nutrition and economy of many local communities in developing countries. The different crop species characterized as having relatively low perceived economic importance or agricultural significance are known as underutilized crops. Millet is one of the underutilized crops with significant potential to address nutrient and hunger-related challenges in many developing countries like Nepal due to its versatility and climate resilience. Little is known about the determinants of adoption, cultural importance, and nutritional benefits of millet. Therefore, this study uses data from 1988 to 2019 and examines trends in millet production and its climate resilience, employing the Dynamic Ordinary Least Square Method. Results indicate that fertilizer use, cultivated area, and rural population significantly impact millet production in Nepal, while mean temperature has a negative but insignificant effect. The findings suggest that climate change does not significantly impact millet production. Millet is well adapted to challenging environments and offers superior nutritional value, suggesting that integration of millet into modern agriculture could be a valuable tool for creating a more sustainable, equitable, resilient, and healthy agrifood system that benefits both people and the planet. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers to enhance underutilized crops such as millet and implement strategies to integrate them into central agrifood systems. It also has a more considerable socio-economic impact on local communities.

We address whether being intergenerationally accountable (IA) is effective at maintaining intergenerational sustainability (IS) through conducting lab-in-the-field experiments of IS dilemma games. In baseline, a sequence of six generations, each composed of three members, is organized, and each generation chooses whether to maintain IS (sustainable option) or to maximize their payoff by imposing costs on future generations (unsustainable option) via deliberation. In IA, each generation is additionally asked to provide reasons and advice to subsequent generations along with the decision. Results indicate that IA induces generations to choose the sustainable option with positive reasons and advice, enhancing IS.

Sustainable agricultural practices have become more crucial than ever as the world grapples with food insecurity and environmental degradation. Soil health, a fundamental attribute of agricultural productivity and ecosystem stability, plays a pivotal role in achieving global sustainability targets. Despite its importance, comprehensive analyses of soil health initiatives remain limited. This systematic review addresses this gap through a dual objective: first, to contextualize the critical role of soil health in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and second, to critically evaluate the implementation, impact, and policy relevance of India’s Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme launched in 2015 to enhance soil fertility through site-specific assessments and tailored fertilizer recommendations. Global research highlights the crucial role of soil health in promoting sustainable agriculture, and the SHC scheme has yielded notable results, including a 5%–6% increase in crop yields and an 8%–10% decrease in chemical fertilizer usage. Grounded in the framework of the SDGs, this paper highlights the SHC scheme’s contributions to enhancing farm productivity, lowering input costs, and advancing environmental objectives. It further explores the policy landscape, identifies institutional gaps, and examines the potential for scaling and adapting these practices in other regions. This review offers evidence-based insights into the interplay between soil health, agricultural sustainability, and policy innovation, aiming to inform future interventions and promote international collaborations in sustainable land management.