The LivingSoiLL “Healthy Soil to Permanent Crops Living Labs”, is a Horizon Europe project that is funded by the European Commission within the framework of the EU MISSION ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’. The Soil Mission aims to lead the transition to healthy soil via sustainable soil management.

The project aims to establish 5 Living Labs (LLs) in: Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, and Poland.

They will focus on permanent crops (vineyards, olive groves, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and apple orchards), comprising at least 50 demonstration sites and 10 lighthouses, and with the active participation of more than 2000 local actors.

These LLs will improve soil health and ecosystem services through co-creating, coimplementing, and co-testing (digital) solutions. The key objectives include:

• reducing erosion,
• improving soil structure,
• minimizing the impacts of the intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides,
• increasing water storage,
• enhancing soil biodiversity,
• boosting the overall soil resilience.

The project will promote active precipitation in more than 2000 local actors in combating soil degradation through the co-creation and co-development of solutions for permanent crops.

GOV4ALL (Governance and business models for living labs: Rural regeneration hubs for tackling soil health challenges in the Mediterranean region) inspires stakeholder networks to co-create regenerative soil health solutions that lay the ground for sustainable landscape restoration, healthier ecosystems, stronger societies, and enduring financial prospects in the Mediterranean region. Funded by the EU and coordinated by Spanish company SAE Innova, this Soil Mission project brings actors of change together in 5 territories in France, Greece, and Spain.

The iCOSHELLs project supports the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe,’ aiming to restore healthy soils by 2030. Specifically, iCOSHELLs focuses on three key objectives: reducing soil pollution and promoting restoration, improving soil structure and biodiversity, and increasing soil literacy among society.

To achieve these goals, iCOSHELLs leverages six Living Labs located in the Basque Country, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. These labs bring together diverse local stakeholders to co-design and test practical strategies for soil health improvement.

The project employs a systematic approach that strengthens stakeholder capacities, bridges scientific research with practical solutions, enhances understanding of soil indicators, and replicates effective recovery methods. Its ultimate purpose is to develop and validate scalable solutions that can be applied across Europe.

LILAS4SOILS fosters Carbon Farming Practices (CFPs) through Living Labs in the Mediterranean & Southern EU for the healthy future of European soils

Over 5 years, the project will put in place 5 Living Labs (LLs) in 6 countries to strengthen the collaboration among farmers, agri-food businesses, researchers, and local authorities to co-create and implement CFPs in 100 demo sites. CFPs will span across peatland management, agroforestry, livestock and manure management, nutrient management, and soil organic carbon preservation. CFPs impact on soil carbon sequestration and environmental co-benefits will be assessed through the adoption of rigorous sampling protocols and Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) technologies. LILAS4SOILS will look not only at the environmental sustainability of CFPs but also at the business models that could sustain the long-term application of these practices. The project involves 24 expert partners including universities and research organizations, public authorities, representatives of the industry, farmer organizations, and more than 35 individual farmers, ensuring a multi-actor approach. Through Open Calls, LILAS4SOILS will encourage the participation of 50 additional farmers and support the testing of 15 MRV technologies that overcome the limitations of the conventional approaches. More than 125 stakeholders will be involved in knowledge exchange workshops, including policy, cross-fertilization, and replication workshops in other regions in the EU.