The challenge of science for sustainable agriculture: an Italian early career researchers’ perspective

Ensuring sustainable and nutritious food production within planetary boundaries is a defining challenge of the Anthropocene. Within agricultural sciences, this challenge is approached through divergent paradigms, notably Sustainable Intensification (SI) and Agroecology (AE), which are often perceived as oppositional. Early Career Researchers (ECR), despite being at the forefront of scientific innovation, often lack the space to critically reflect on these paradigms or to shape research trajectories beyond established institutional frameworks. In this article, we present the perspective of Italian ECR discussed during a participatory process involving over 120 ECR during the "5th AISSA under 40" conference, held in Florence in June 2024. Through workshops, surveys, and online discussions, participants identified key research frontiers in sustainable agriculture and expressed shared concerns related to structural barriers, including the disconnection between academic research and real-world implementation. Our findings highlight the need to reimagine agricultural research agendas by embracing participatory approaches, transdisciplinarity, and knowledge co-creation. We argue that enabling spaces for collective reflection among ECR is essential for fostering transformative pathways toward sustainable agriculture that are attuned to both ecological realities and socio-political contexts.