How will living labs help keep soils fertile and resilient?
UL BF
Date of publication:
How can soils remain fertile, resilient to climate change and capable of long-term food production? Answers to these questions are being sought in the European project TRAILS4SOIL in living labs, where farmers, researchers, advisors, industry representatives, policymakers and non-governmental organisations jointly develop, test and evaluate regenerative and conservation agricultural practices.
One of the project's five living labs has been established in Slovenia. Its distinctive feature is the integration of crop production and livestock farming, through which the partners are seeking solutions for healthier soils, more efficient nutrient cycling and greater resilience of farms to climate change.
“A living lab is not a one-off event but a multi-year collaborative process in which farmers and researchers jointly develop solutions for healthier and more resilient soils,” emphasises the moderator of the Slovenian living lab, Assist. Prof. Dr Rok Mihelič.
Solutions emerge on farms
A distinctive feature of living labs is the “bottom-up” approach. Solutions are developed not only in research institutions but above all on farms, where participants jointly test practices under real production conditions. This allows the solutions developed to better meet farmers' needs and diverse local conditions.
Eleven farms with different production systems are currently taking part in the Slovenian living lab – from arable and mixed farms to dairy and organic farms. This diversity makes it possible to test solutions under different pedoclimatic conditions and to compare their effects.
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Testing practices for healthier soils
Trials of regenerative and conservation practices are under way on the participating farms, including permanent soil cover, diverse crop rotations, reduced tillage and closer integration of crop production and livestock farming.
Throughout the project, researchers will monitor the impact of these practices on soil health, organic matter content, water retention, erosion, yields and the resilience of farming systems. The results will be collected using harmonised methodologies, enabling comparison between different European regions and the transfer of successful practices into wider use.
Why are healthy soils important?
Soils provide food production, enable nutrient cycling, retain water and support biodiversity. However, erosion, loss of organic matter and deterioration of soil structure are reducing their capacity to perform these functions.
Among the major causes of degradation are intensive mechanical tillage, simplified crop rotations and insufficient soil cover. The consequences are lower fertility, poorer water retention and reduced resilience of farming systems to climate change. This is precisely why improving soil health is one of the key priorities of the EU Soil Mission.
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The European project TRAILS4SOIL
The TRAILS4SOIL (Transformative Living Labs for Soil Health: Advancing Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture Across Europe) project is carried out under the Horizon Europe programme – EU Soil Mission.
The project brings together partners from nine European countries, who are establishing five living labs involving around 100 trial farms, including 11 lighthouse farms. The individual labs address different agroecological challenges – from regenerative organic farming and climate change adaptation to conservation agriculture and the protection of chernozem soils.
The project runs from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030, with a total value of approximately €11.8 million. At the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana it is led by Assist. Prof. Dr Rok Mihelič; the Slovenian partners are the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana and the Slovenian Association for Conservation Agriculture.
More about the project is available on the website.
