Multi-stakeholder sustainability certification schemes have become a favorite instrument for applying good governance, though studies indicate their inefficiency at the producer level. In this study, we used a mixed-method approach to first, map the institutional context of independent oil-palm smallholders in rural Sumatra while, second, reflecting upon the impact of the Smallholder Standard proposed by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil on smallholder management practices. We hold that non-recognition of micro-scale perspectives within governance processes may partially explain noncompliance with certification principles among smallholders. The Smallholder Standard appears unable to mitigate challenges important for smallholders, who in turn cannot properly comply with it, due to problems including weather instability and high management costs. We suggest that certification schemes need to work on some overlooked but essential preconditions of good governance, namely gaining micro-level visibility and acceptance.

We investigated an already existing agri-food network connecting ten regional community-supported agriculture farms with a food hub in the city of Berlin. The overall aim of the study was to conduct an agroecological characterization of the farms by using the Agroecology Criteria Tool and focusing on the role of knowledge (co-)creation and sharing. We conducted walking interviews with ten farmers and applied participatory research techniques. We found that, first, the farmers either have already transformed the farm into an advanced agroecological model (level 3) or are transitioning from organic to agroecological (level 2–3). Second, the interactions between the farms and regional agri-food system actors foster the reconnection between eaters and regional growers (level 4). The actors of this transformation belong, thus, to grassroots self-organized and solidarity-based initiatives, which have built an agroecology-based regional agri-food network. And third, the diversity of activities and formats identified for engaging a broad range of stakeholders provides resources for redefining power relationships and co-creating knowledge. However, there are important barriers that must be addressed to scale this network, such as the lack of structures, platforms and collaborations fostering the knowledge (co-)creation and sharing, access to affordable and secure land, and the lack of governmental support. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Current debates on climate change have led to an increased demand for sustainable commodities. Serving this demand, sustainability certification schemes and eco-friendly labels have become prominent mechanisms of climate governance. Smallholder farmers in Jambi province, Indonesia, producing palm oil and rubber as the two dominant smallholder crops, are impacted by this distal demand. Zimmerer et al. (2018) suggest analyzing the potential sustainability in such a context with the multilevel smallholder telecoupling framework. Applying this framework to case studies from Jambi province, our first case reveals that smallholder certification for so-called sustainable palm oil does not necessarily influence smallholder towards more sustainable management practices. One explanation might be a discrepancy in sustainability perception between sender and receiver systems. The second case is the setup of an allegedly eco-friendly rubber plantation. The establishment of this model plantation is implemented by a transnational corporation in collaboration with a nature conservation organization, impacting the access to land for adjacent smallholders. The struggle over access to land is not only negotiated between smallholders and the corporation producing “eco-friendly” rubber but also between smallholders and big land mammals lacking access to land since the rubber plantation began to be established. We argue that the concept of sustainability as demanded by the receiving system does not mirror management practices in the sending system, even though the products reach the Global North as supposedly socially and climate-friendly. The smallholder telecoupling framework is helpful for assessing potential sustainability but can be expanded towards conflictive spillovers, second order effects, and a mismatch in sustainability perceptions in order to draw a more comprehensive picture.

This paper aims to advance the study of capacities for sustainability transformation in non-core regions, an area that currently remains underexplored. Employing a semi-systematic review of recent literature, the paper in particular examines how spatial perspectives from sustainability transitions research, economic geography, social and solidarity economy studies, and sociological approaches to regional change extend the transformative capacity framework. It then scrutinizes findings related to transformative capacity in non-core regions. Key insights from recent literature include a deeper understanding of the roles of public sector actors, social enterprises, and higher education institutions as agents of change, as well as an emphasis on socially just governance and subjective agency. The review also highlights critical collective processes such as transdisciplinary co-creation, mobilization of extra-regional resources, and the unlearning of outdated narratives. A research agenda to further study transformative capacity of non-core regions is proposed, prioritizing the study of cross-regional linkages for capacity development, the roles of social enterprises in fostering innovation, and strategies for reframing such regions as active contributors to sustainability transformation. Future research should prioritize empirical testing of the transformative capacity framework in a broad range of contexts to refine its applicability and improve its relevance globally.

1. Countries of the Global North are currently being confronted with several crises, such as the climate crisis (IPCC 2023) or the strengthening of anti-democratic right-wing parties (Zick, Küpper,...