From Soil to Systems: keeping Living Labs going beyond projects
October 26, 2026
How can Living Labs keep supporting soil health and sustainable agriculture after individual projects end? This question was at the centre of “From Soil to Systems: Living Labs and Artificial Intelligence for a Sustainable Future of Agriculture”, held in Brussels on 13 October 2026.
Living Labs need long-term commitment
Living Labs help turn scientific knowledge into practice, bringing farmers, researchers, businesses and policymakers together to co-create and test solutions on real farms. Because farmers trust farmers, they are essential for building confidence in new practices. But farmers cannot be expected to carry the costs and risks of experimentation alone: their participation needs to be supported, and the risks of innovation shared.
Investing in soil for the long term
Conventional venture capital models may not suit the intergenerational nature of soil regeneration. Investment approaches are needed that recognise the value of restoring natural capital and its benefits for soil health, water quality and biodiversity. Public funding, patient private investment and multi-year commitments from companies can all help reward these benefits and keep Living Labs active beyond single funding cycles.
Gonçalo Amorim represented LILAS4SOILS on the panel on securing the long-term impact of Living Labs beyond the EU Soil Mission, with Cindy Schoumacher (European Commission), Korinna Varga (ÖMKi, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) and Joana Falcão Salles (University of Groningen), moderated by Magdalena Frąc (Polish Academy of Sciences).
In the “Living Labs in Action” session, Luís Martins presented LILAS4SOILS and our IBERSOILL Living Lab, alongside Shamina Imran Pathan (LEGUMINOSE) and Józef Chojnicki (Warsaw University of Life Sciences, LivingSoiLL).
Why it matters
Connecting science, practice and policy is essential, but so is sustaining the networks that make this collaboration possible. Letting them fade would be a strategic mistake for Europe’s sustainable future. Healthy soils need long-term commitment, and so do the people and partnerships working to regenerate them.
Follow LILAS4SOILS on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, "@lilas4soils" and visit our Living Lab microsites to keep up with news from the field.
Funded by the European Union (Grant no. 101157414). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor any other granting authority can be held responsible for them.
