Governing sustainable agricultural land use in a telecoupled world – the case of Voluntary Sustainability Standards

In a globalized world, flows of materials, goods, people and services between nearby and distant land systems are the norm and not the exception. Scientists and policymakers increasingly call for the explicit consideration of such telecoupled dynamics (incl. potential feedbacks and spillovers) for defining and promoting sustainable agricultural land use. In-depth knowledge thereof is essential, as such processes may lead to critical environmental and social impacts at multiple geographical scales. Yet, there is little understanding of how existing sustainability governance schemes take account of telecoupling dynamics and how related practices can be improved.

Against this background, this PhD research will address the following objectives:

• First, we aim to contribute to a better understanding of the governance of sustainable agricultural land use in a telecoupled world. We thereby focus on the example of voluntary sustainability standards and their potential to address spillovers of agricultural production.
• Secondly, we aim to contribute to a better understanding on how knowledge communication may contribute to transforming existing governance schemes. We thereby place a focus on visualizations as powerful tools to communicate knowledge about telecoupling phenomena.