For agriculture and land management to improve natural capital over whole landscapes, social
cooperation has long been required. The political economy of the later twentieth and early
twenty-first centuries prioritized unfettered individual action over the collective, and many
rural institutions were harmed or destroyed. Since then, ...
For agriculture and land management to improve natural capital over whole landscapes, social
cooperation has long been required. The political economy of the later twentieth and early
twenty-first centuries prioritized unfettered individual action over the collective, and many
rural institutions were harmed or destroyed. Since then, a wide range of social movements,
networks and federations have emerged to support transitions towards sustainability and
equity. Here, we focus on social capital manifested as intentionally formed collaborative
groups within specific geographic territories. These groups focus on: (1) integrated pest management; (2) forests; (3) land; (4) water; (5) pastures; (6) support services; (7) innovation platforms; and (8) small-scale systems. We show across 122 initiatives in 55 countries that the
number of groups has grown from 0.50 million (in 2000) to 8.54 million (in 2020). The
area of land transformed by the 170–255 million group members is 300 Mha, mostly in
less-developed countries (98% groups; 94% area). Farmers and land managers working
with scientists and extensionists in these groups have improved both environmental outcomes
and agricultural productivity. In some cases, changes to national or regional policy supported
this growth in groups. Together with other movements, these social groups could now support
further transitions towards policies and behaviours for global sustainability
