Living Labs for co-creating solutions to reduce eutrophication from agriculture

Expected Outcome:

Activities under this topic respond directly to the goal of the Mission Soil to set up 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition to healthy soils by 2030 and support the objectives and targets of the Mission Soil^[1]. Activities should also contribute to the Common Agricultural Policy, and to meeting the European Green Deal ambitions and targets and more specifically those of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the EU soil strategy for 2030 and the proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, as well as the EU Water Framework Directive, the European Water Resilience Strategy, the Nitrates Directive, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals^[2].

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• enhanced capacities for participatory, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary R&I to co-create, and co-implement economically viable soil health solutions to reduce eutrophication from agriculture and improve water quality;
• improved soil health monitoring and increased availability of high quality, standardised soil data at local and regional levels;
• increased availability of practice-oriented knowledge and tools for land managers and land users, leading to better adoption of effective soil health solutions to reduce eutrophication in diverse contexts;
• policy makers are more aware of risks associated with eutrophication and local needs regarding soil health, including its drivers, and can use this knowledge to design and implement more effective policies to reduce eutrophication and enhancing soil health while considering the economic sustainability of solutions.

Scope:

Eutrophication is a critical environmental issue that primarily affects water bodies but is largely driven by nutrient dynamics in soils together with diffuse source contributions. Eutrophication leads to algal blooms, hypoxia, and biodiversity loss, which in turn disrupt the entire food chains threatening both food availability and safety, as well as other ecosystems functions and the services they provide (e.g. drinking water, recreation). Soil management practices, particularly in agricultural soils, can lead to an excessive accumulation of nutrients in soils, predominantly nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and runoff or leaching into water bodies. Thus, soil management represents an important strategy to mitigate eutrophication^[3]. Moreover, degraded soils with low water retention and limited nutrient cycling capacity, exacerbate eutrophication. Therefore, the restoration of soil health offers a critical opportunity for nutrient interception and reduction of downstream aquatic impacts.

The Mission Soil proposes the deployment of living labs as a novel approach to research and innovation in soil health^[4]. Living labs have the potential to facilitate a green transition by involving multiple actors in real-life sites within a local/regional setting to co-create soil health solutions and achieve large-scale impacts on soil health and soil governance. Projects funded under this topic should deploy a number of living labs to expand and complement the network of soil health living labs initiated in previous Mission Soil topics to gradually establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030^[5].

Soil health living labs are long-term collaborations between multiple actors to address common soil health challenges in real-life sites at local or regional level^[6] (10 to 20 sites in each living lab). Depending on the level at which each living lab operates and the specific context (e.g. land use covered, or soil health challenge addressed), applicants can exceptionally propose living labs with fewer sites. Living labs can address soil health challenges in or across different land uses (agricultural, forest and (semi-)natural). Individual sites can be farms, forest holdings, (semi)natural areas etc., where work is carried out and monitored under real-life conditions. In the case of eutrophication, the selection of sites should be conducted to ensure a comprehensive representation of the different drivers that contribute to the eutrophication process in a small river catchment, and where solutions can be co-developed and co-implemented. Sites should be located in nitrate vulnerable zones^[7] as designated by the EU countries or regional authorities in reporting period 7 (or more recent) or a clear rationale of the eutrophication challenge based on national, regional or local data should justify the location in other areas. Sites that are exemplary in their performance in terms of soil health improvement and serve as places for demonstration of solutions, training and communication are lighthouses. Lighthouse sites can be part of a living lab or be situated outside a living lab. Projects funded under this topic are expected to kick-start a participatory process or build on existing processes. If building on existing processes, the new proposed living labs should complement the existing network of Mission Soil Living Labs and deliver unique results.

While on average, projects run for around four years, the duration of the projects under this topic should accommodate longer timescales required to establish participatory processes and/or for soils processes to take place.

Actors working on common shared soil health challenge(s) within and across the living labs of the same project, will be able to compare results, exchange good practices, validate methodologies, replicate actions and solutions and benefit from cross-fertilisation, thereby accelerating the transition towards the shared objective of improving soil health and reducing eutrophication.

Proposals should:

• support the establishment of four to five living labs to work together on soil health aspects that could affect eutrophication in nearby freshwater bodies. The living labs must be located in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries and each living lab should focus on a specific small river catchment, clearly identifying up- and downstream eutrophication challenges. Proposals should explain the rationale and mechanism for cooperation within and across the living labs while explaining how the work undertaken will contribute to one or more of the Mission’s specific objectives^[8];
• establish an interdisciplinary, participatory and multi-actor approach in the living labs to co-design, co-develop, and co-implement locally adapted solutions (practices, tools, and strategies) to reduce eutrophication. Proposed solutions should be adapted to the different environmental, socio-economic and cultural contexts within the river catchment area in which the living labs are operating and take into account the current and future impact of climate change on nutrient exports during floods and droughts;
• establish for each living lab a baseline of the soil and nearby water body conditions to allow for an accurate co-assessment of the changes in the different sites over time. Monitoring improvements in soil health, ecosystem and associated services, and reductions in eutrophication level. The set of soil health indicators/descriptors presented in the proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience should be used as a basis; proposals may complement with additional indicators tailored to eutrophication as well as to the specific pedoclimatic conditions, land use, and other local/regional factors;
• assess and demonstrate the technical, social, economic, cultural and environmental viability of the proposed solutions, as well as their potential scalability and transferability to diverse contexts, including the insights of SSHA;
• identify high-performing sites that may be converted into lighthouses, either at proposal stage or later during project implementation. Engage with the SOILL^[9] to assess the growth and development of these lighthouses and to support the establishment of a labelling process that could formally recognize these exemplary sites as lighthouses;
• propose strategies (e.g., financial, organisational) to ensure the long-term sustainability of the established living labs beyond Horizon Europe funding. Strategies should include the identification of possible business models and actions involving a mix of public or private funding schemes, financial instruments, cooperation with local authorities, engagement of social economy entities, social enterprises, business communities, SMEs, as well as attracting investors and entrepreneurs.

In line with the nature of living labs, projects must adopt the multi-actor approach. The actors involved in each living lab may vary, based on its unique characteristics and may include, among others, researchers, landowners or land managers, industry representatives (e.g., SMEs), public administrators and civil society representatives (e.g., consumers, local residents, environmental NGOs, youth organisations). Care should be taken to describe the capabilities, roles and resources of the different actors involved in the living labs. An effective contribution of social sciences and humanities and the arts (SSHA) is expected to foster social innovation, knowledge transfer, socio-cultural and behavioural change, considering the legal/institutional/political framework at local, regional and national level, if relevant.

To encourage and facilitate the involvement of different types of actors in the living labs, applicants are reminded of the different types of participation possible under Horizon Europe. This includes not only beneficiaries (or their affiliated entities) but also associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors, and recipients of financial support to third parties. Financial support to third parties (FSTP) to facilitate active involvement of small actors (e.g. land managers and landowners such as farmers, SMEs or civil society) in the living labs of a project, can be provided through calls or, if duly justified, without a call for proposals. The type of activities that could be funded are for example, those related to site management or implementation or monitoring of soil health solutions including hourly rates for collection of data, sampling or participating in events, knowledge exchange, capacity building or demonstration and awareness initiatives equipment; equipment; and/or compensation for loss of production. Applicants are advised to consult the standard conditions set out in Annex B of the General Annexes including those that apply to FSTP.

Dedicated tasks and appropriate resources should be envisaged to collaborate with SOILL ^[10], the structure created to support soil health living labs and lighthouses with a wide range of actions that include dedicated capacity building, knowledge exchange, promotion, dissemination, networking opportunities and regular monitoring activities on living labs performance. The details of the collaboration will be further defined during the grant agreement preparation phase.

Proposals are expected to build on existing knowledge (e.g. data from national soil health monitoring, LUCAS) and solutions developed and tested at national scale or in the frame of other Horizon projects including those funded under the Mission Soil. Proposals should therefore include dedicated tasks and appropriate resources for collaboration with relevant projects and initiatives and engage in relevant Mission Soil clustering activities. Proposals are also encouraged to consider, where relevant, the data, expertise and services offered by European research infrastructures (ESFRI) and to cooperate with the Horizon Europe Partnerships on Agroecology and on Sustainable Food Systems and/or relevant networks active at local level, such as the EIP-AGRI operational groups to promote the involvement of key local stakeholders.

Proposals should demonstrate a route towards open access, longevity, sustainability and interoperability of knowledge and outputs through close collaboration with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and the project SoilWise. In particular, proposals should ensure that relevant data, maps and information can potentially be available publicly through the EUSO. Concrete efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of the funded project is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

[1] See the Mission implementation plan

[2] In particular SDG 3- Good health and well-being, and SDG 15 – Life on Land

[3] A Global Perspective on Integrated Strategies to Manage Soil Phosphorus Status for Eutrophication Control without Limiting Land Productivity - Withers - 2019 - Journal of Environmental Quality - Wiley Online Library

[4] Implementation Plans for the EU Missions - European Commission

[5] Catalogue 2024 - Mission Soil Living Labs and Lighthouses| Mission Soil Platform

[6] In this topic, it is recommended to define the living labs location using the NUTS2 division (Eurostat Statistical Atlas ; Regulation - 1059/2003 - EN - EUR-Lex).

[7] Nitrates Directive - Vulnerable Zones Reporting

[8] Mission Soil specific objectives: reduce land degradation relating to desertification; conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks, no net soil sealing and increase the reuse of urban soils; reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration; prevent erosion; improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops; reduce the EU global footprint on soils; increase soil literacy in society.

[9] See www.soill2030.eu/about-us

[10] About Us | Soill