Aquaponics is an approach of coupling two technologies: recirculation aquaculture (fish-farms) and hydroponics (soil-less cultivation of crops). While it is perceived as a way to contribute to more sustainable food systems, the technology is still in its infancy, with several challenges. This paper describes current conditions of development and identifies aspects that can promote or hinder future pathways. We focus our analysis on the EU, using Germany as an institutional case study, while also considering worldwide developments. We propose a framework to analyze aquaponics as an emerging technological innovation system at the interface between existing fish and plant production systems. The approach is explorative based on a literature review and interviews with experts. The main findings are that stakeholders have different views regarding the future development pathways, knowledge to manage complex systems in the long term is needed and it is still unclear how to design institutional conditions to deliver sustainable outcomes.

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The concepts, 'sustainable development' and 'sustainable agriculture', have been shaped by both political discourses of the United Nations and scientific discourses. Using critical discourse and content analysis, we trace the meaning of 'sustainable agriculture' in both international political and in scientific discourses to examine and identify key elements of the representation of sustainable agriculture. We found that the meanings of the concept of sustainable agriculture vary markedly: International political actors primarily produce discourses on sustainable development in agriculture and on sustainable agricultural intensification. Scientists tend to emphasise issues of environmental management. Based on our findings, we highlight the differences in the meaning of sustainable agriculture between the political and scientific discourses and attempt to explain them. In addition, discursive gaps are shown that have the potential to hinder the systematic operationalization of 'sustainable agriculture', such as the integration of a social dimension of sustainable agriculture.

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Migration and mobility are major characteristics of societies worldwide. The reasons for and pathways of migrations vary, as do perceptions of migration. Political debates are often organised normatively: the debate on the sustainable development goals presents migration foremost as a development issue resulting from global inequalities. The problems faced by particular migrants, and what a more sustainable approach to migration would look like are, therefore, often lost in political debates. We aim to address those gaps: the article conceptualizes, based on established academic debates, how sustainability in migration can be addressed systematically, which aspects are important for a more sustainable migration process and which trade-offs and injustices exist from several perspectives. We create a conceptual framework of sustainability in migration processes, building on the concepts of inter- and intragenerational justice, commonly accepted as the core of the sustainability concept. We apply this conceptual framework to empirical findings on labour migration and multilocality in Kyrgyzstan. The case enables consideration of the nested system effects of scale and translocality. This research is novel because it bridges the divided literature on migration, justice and sustainability, integrates theoretical and empirical insights and provokes a debate on which kind of migration we want to achieve.

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