Based on ethnographic research in two municipalities of southern Minas Gerais, this article explores how young adults working in Brazil’s coffee sector navigate difficult socio-environmental conditions in plantation labour by moving into emerging professions such as coffee grading, sensory evaluation, and barista work. These “caféology” careers allow them to gain autonomy, prestige, and in some cases international recognition within the specialty coffee movement, extending their activities into urban and even Global North settings. Yet, while these paths represent a quiet strategy of emancipation from the constraints of plantation work, they remain shaped by the broader pressures of neoliberal global agri-food systems and do not fully resolve structural vulnerabilities in the rural coffee economy.

This article develops a methodological framework to assess and spatially target agri-environmental schemes (AES) in permanent grasslands so as to optimize multiple ecosystem services at the regional level. By integrating environmental data, biodiversity indicators, and provisioning services, the study compares existing “action-oriented” AES with “hybrid” schemes in a case study from the Swiss canton of Solothurn. Results suggest that many pastures under AES align with hotspots of regulating services (e.g., climate regulation, pollination), while a substantial share of meadows overlap with yield hotspots — revealing trade-offs between biodiversity/ecosystem services and forage production. The proposed three-step framework helps planners reallocate AES to maximize synergies and minimize trade-offs — enabling spatial planning that supports both biodiversity conservation and agricultural productivity.

This study combines survey data and social media analysis to examine how people perceive Swiss agricultural grasslands. Results show a clear preference for colourful, species-rich, extensively managed grasslands over fertilised, grass-dominated swards. Social media imagery similarly centres on flowers, followed by livestock and wildlife, with patterns varying across platforms and user groups. Conservationists and agricultural professionals differed in their aesthetic judgements, as did casual visitors and naturalists in their posting behaviour. Overall, public appreciation is strongly linked to biodiversity and management intensity, suggesting that extensive management and ecological restoration can significantly enhance cultural ecosystem services such as recreation, wellbeing, agrotourism, and landscape heritage.

The World Food System Center’s 2025 Research Symposium brought together researchers, practitioners, and students to discuss cutting-edge work on global food system challenges. The event showcased interdisciplinary research on nutrition, sustainability transitions, resilience, and agricultural innovation, highlighting how diverse perspectives can jointly inform more sustainable and equitable food systems.

What if food were a publicly shared good rather than a commodity? This discussion with Dr. Jose Luis Vivero Pol (Université de Louvain) and Dr. Johanna Herrigel (Biovision) examines “food as a commons” as an alternative to market-driven food systems. The event explores implications for sustainability, democracy, and global equity.