Connecting People and Soils: A Mission-Oriented Ecosystem For Soil Health Living Labs

SOILL-Startup's AIR Institute presented 'Connecting People and Soils: A mission-oriented ecosystem for soil health living labs', a poster which highlights how healthy soils are the cornerstone of ecological resilience, sustainable agriculture, and rural vitality at EUROSOIL 2025. 

ABSTRACT: Healthy soils are the cornerstone of ecological resilience, sustainable agriculture, and rural vitality. Yet, despite their foundational role, soils remain undervalued in mainstream environmental strategies. The SOILL-Startup project addresses this gap by operationalizing the EU Soil Mission’s ambition to establish 100 Soil Health Living Labs (SHLLs) across Europe. Anchored in a participatory, inclusive governance model, SOILL-Startup links diverse actors—including farmers, researchers, and local actors—through a harmonized support structure that facilitates collaboration, training, and community-driven innovation. At its core, SOILL-Startup activates regional knowledge through Living Labs, while enabling cross-border knowledge exchange and community building. A digital Hub and collaborative platform connect stakeholders, promote mutual learning, and drive the uptake of nature-positive soil solutions. These digital tools, integrated with monitoring, matchmaking, and capacity-building systems, lay the foundation for a soil-centric innovation ecosystem. Rather than viewing soil as a passive resource, SOILL-Startup recognizes soils as socio-ecological connectors—units where community action, scientific guidance, and regenerative practices converge. Through dedicated work on engagement, training, evaluation, and knowledge sharing, the project charts a replicable pathway toward regional soil health transitions, contributing directly to the Soil Mission's targets for 2030. By connecting people and soils, SOILL-Startup supports a systemic transformation—where co-creation, equity, and landscape-level regeneration are not peripheral, but essential drivers of sustainable development.

Keywords: Living Labs, Community Engagement, Agroecological Transition, Gender-inclusive innovation, Sustainable agriculture 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The author gratefully acknowledge the support of the European Commission through the Horizon Europe Programme under the project “Startup of the SOILL support structure for SOIL Living Labs” (SOILL-Startup), Grant Agreement No. 101145592. This project is implemented as part of the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe', which aims to accelerate the transition toward healthy soils by 2030. 

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