Regenerative living labs to improve soil ecosystem functions by adapting agricultural land use with livestock integration

Objective

Soils form the basis of human health and prosperity, with 95% of food production reliant on this vital belowground ecosystem. However,60-70% of soils in the EU are degraded, primarily due to unsustainable agricultural practices and climate change, costing the EU an estimated €50 billion annually. One of the key contributors to soil degradation is intensive livestock farming. While livestock production contributes €170 billion to the EU economy and supports livelihoods, it also drives environmental challenges, including GHG emissions and water pollution. Intensive livestock farming accounts for >80% of agricultural emissions, with additional risks like ammonia emissions and nutrient runoff contributing to eutrophication and soil degradation. A shift towards sustainable, regenerative livestock farming is necessary to address these challenges. The general objective of GroundWork is to catalyse the transformation of the European livestock & agricultural sector towards improved soil health, enhanced ecosystem resilience, and regenerative food production by harnessing the potential of adaptive livestock management across diverse EU regions, within a participatory R&I approach. To achieve this objective, GroundWork will engage a wide range of livestock grazing stakeholders to co-design and implement Regenerative Livestock Grazing Practices (RLGPs) based on regional farming realities and contexts. The co-creation processes will be done through the establishment of five LLs located in 5 countries (PT, DE, BE, SE, RS). The RLGPs will be tested & demonstrated across a range of farming systems (both conventional & organic) and different pedoclimatic zones. A Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) mechanism will be put in place to increase the number of farmers involved in the GroundWork LLs.