Project Overview
LivingSoiLL emerged from the need to safeguard healthy soils for future generations and combat soil degradation.
Healthy soil is at the core of the European Green Deal and one of the main targets of the Mission Soil. A new paradigm in soil management focusing on monitoring, restoration, and protection is thus essential.
The project aims to tackle these challenges by establishing five Living Labs (LLs) across Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, and Poland. These labs will focus on permanent crops such as vineyards, olive groves, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and apple orchards. LivingSoiLL encompass at least 50 experimental sites and 10 lighthouses, engaging over 2000 local actors.
Approach
LL will improve soil health and ecosystem services by co-creating, co-implementing, and co-testing (digital) solutions.
Their key objectives include:
Living Labs Activities
In each LL, existing or innovative solutions for managing the soils of five permanent crops (vineyards, olive groves, chestnut, hazelnut, and apple orchards) will be co-created and tested to address specific soil challenges. The results obtained in each LL will be analysed, discussed, and exchanged by all partners, in a participatory process.
The focus will be on preventing erosion, improving soil structure to enhance soil biodiversity and restoration, reducing soil pollution, and improving soil literacy in society
Target Groups to be involved
The five LLs will function as participatory innovation ecosystems, integrating businesses, universities, public administrations, and citizens in a multi-actor approach. The project aims to actively involve over 2000 local actors, including farmers and communities, to encourage the adoption of sustainable farming practices and promote soil. Another goal of LivingSoiLL is to produce policy recommendations on best soil management practices for permanent crops.
LivingSoiLL Specific Objectives
Contribute to the involvement of several actors/stakeholders in a collaborative multi- actor network to co-design, co-develop and co-implement solutions for restoring soil health.
Reduce the gap between knowledge and practice through the implementation of 5 LLs to seek practical innovative solutions to the identified problems.
Identify and research LLs soil health problems while co-create a common action plan.
To test and validate a combination of integrated solutions for updating and improving Soil Management strategies in permanent crops
To test and validate a combination of integrated solutions for Ensure sustainability of the LL through the creation of economic business models.
Improve knowledge and increase literacy on soil and sustainable management practices among farmers and the overall community.
Engage and cooperate with other projects and initiatives, contributing to raising awareness of Mission Soil.
Propose policy recommendations on best management practices to be implemented on soil use for permanent crops to reduce erosion while promoting other soil health indicators.
Expected Outcomes
