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, co- implementing, and co-testing (digital) solutions. 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.
SOILSCAPE harnesses the power of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs), artists, and civil society organizations (CSOs) to promote soil preservation across Europe and beyond. Working with experts from the worlds of soil sciences, arts, decision-making, and humanities, this project seeks to cultivate soil literacy and celebrate soils through creative approaches, engaging citizens & professionals on this journey.
SOILSCAPE’s objectives include understanding human-soil relations, building a network of more than 120 relevant actors in 8 countries, onboarding at least 320 individuals from the society, providing financial and technical support to CSOs, CCIs, schools, artists, and institutions, distributing 80 soil literacy certifications to inspiring initiatives, and reaching international scales through UNESCO and Coalition of Action for 4 Soil Health.
To achieve these objectives, SOILSCAPE uses a multilingual and multi-actor approach, focusing on cultivating artistic soil intelligence, promoting context-based soil literacy, enhancing awareness through innovative communication strategies and a soil literacy portal, organizing 2 editions of national soil festivals across Europe, and extending its actions to 30 regions by 2028.
The MONALISA project (MONitoring and Assessing prevention and restoration soLutIons to combat deSertificAtion – Project No.101157867) is a Horizon Europe Innovation Action focused on tackling land degradation and desertification (LDD) in Mediterranean drylands coordinated by University of Sassari (MONALISA introduction video). The project aims to provide a methodological framework to assess and monitor LDD risk while enhancing soil productivity across diverse land uses, including agriculture and agroforestry.
MONALISA integrates scientific knowledge, local practices, advanced digital systems, artificial intelligence and remote sensing technologies. The solution groups being assessed, replicated, and scaled within MONALISA include both nature-based and high-tech approaches: innovative grazing systems; organic fertilizers, amendments and microbial-based solutions; conservation agriculture practices; water-related solutions such as water harvesting and treated wastewater reuse in agriculture; and natural ecosystem and agro-ecological restoration practices.
The project is implemented through six case studies in Italy (Berchidda-Monti and Alta Murgia), Spain (Los Pedroches), Greece (Asterousia), Tunisia (Médenine) and Palestine (Beit Dajan), each reflecting different levels of aridity.
GOV4ALL (Governance and business models for living labs: Rural regeneration hubs for tackling soil health challenges in the Mediterranean region) is a four-and-a-half-year long Soil Mission project funded by the EU. It focuses on inspiring rural communities to participate in the identification, testing and dissemination of regenerative soil management practices.
Coordinated by the Spanish company SAE Innova, the project has established five Mediterranean living labs to foster the co-design, testing and validation of sustainable soil management practices. These living labs will lead to the creation of rural regeneration hubs designed to provide services and business strategies tailored to the local context and stakeholder needs. Two living labs have been set up in Spain, another two in Greece and one in France.
GOV4ALL will connect farmers, scientists, NGOs, policymakers and the general public towards developing a vision for the future of agriculture in which farming systems can generate incomes for the rural communities while protecting natural resources, with a focus on regenerating the soil.
