A key challenge of the Anthropocene is to advance human development without undermining critical natural processes. At the heart of this challenge is a better understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between nature, ecosystem services, and human well-being in dynamic and complex social-ecological systems. These relationships have been the focus of much work in the past decades; however, more remains to be done to identify and quantify them at different scales. In this thesis, a social-ecological systems approach to agriculture is adopted to study and better understand the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural processes aiming to inform management strategies and decision-making for agricultural climate mitigation policies at a farm and policy level. The thesis studies the potential of the agricultural sector to climate change mitigation and the need and challenges to scale up sustainable practices. This is realised by considering different agricultural systems with a focus on crop, livestock, and forestry. It's important to consider the various methods of farming to ensure sustainable and efficient practices at scale.

The overarching working hypothesis is that agroecosystems are shaped by the interdependence of various actors, both present and absent and, therefore, are dynamic and complex social systems. To manage these systems successfully, it is essential to acknowledge the significance of the various actors involved and their ability to make independent decisions that can impact the entire system. Overall, this work highlights opportunities to build climate resilience into various agroecosystems, which are pathways within adaptation and mitigation strategies that will open the way toward a sustainable future.