Living Labs for Future Healthy Soils: A Review

Alessio Lasina, Elisa Bianchetto, Laura Gennaro, Fernando Monroy (), Sergio Pellegrini and Manuela Plutino
Additional contact information
Alessio Lasina: CREA—Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Viale Santa Margherita 80, 52100 Arezzo, Italy
Elisa Bianchetto: CREA—Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Research Centre Agriculture and Environment, Via di Lanciola 12/A, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Laura Gennaro: CREA—Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, Via Ardeatina 546, 00178 Roma, Italy
Fernando Monroy: CREA—Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Research Centre for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Corso Degli Inglesi 508, 18038 Sanremo, Italy
Sergio Pellegrini: CREA—Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Research Centre Agriculture and Environment, Via di Lanciola 12/A, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Manuela Plutino: CREA—Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Viale Santa Margherita 80, 52100 Arezzo, Italy

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: Soil is fundamental to life on Earth through the provision of many ecosystem services. The current model of economic development exerts significant pressure on this resource, leading to degradation processes that are accelerated by the effects of climate change. This situation hinders the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and some parts of the world have started a process to reverse this trend, among them the European Union, which has chosen the living labs approach as a strategic solution. The growing interest in this subject within the EU has led to the establishment of a new framework to design and test sustainable policies to improve soil health and management at the continental scale. This review presents State-of-the-Art information on the use of the living labs approach to improve soil health. It also introduces the SOILL Support Structure for Soil Health Living Labs (SHLLs) and Lighthouses and the significant role of the SOILL-Startup project to help establish a network of 100 such structures across the EU. Following the PRISMA methodology, the review describes the main features of SHLLs (definition, types of stakeholders, field and scale of application), as well as their current geographical distribution. The work provides information that can be used by the scientific community, policy makers, and soil stakeholders who prioritise soil health, regardless of the context in which they operate.

Keywords: soil; soil health; soil health living lab; soil health living laboratory; lighthouse; innovation; SDGs; SOILL-Startup (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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