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Regenerative soil management through innovation in the Mediterranean region

A group of people at a harbour.

The GOV4ALL consortium at the kick-off meeting in Cartagena, Spain. (Photo: SAE Innova)

A map of Europe with the five living labs.

The five Living Labs of the GOV4ALL project. (Illustration: GOV4ALL)

GOV4ALL logo.

The GOV4ALL project logo.

A Mediterranean network of five living labs in France, Greece and Spain is laying the foundations for innovative soil management, local co-operation and sustainable business strategies. FiBL France represents the French living lab in the Val de Drôme together with its partners in the region. These five living labs, which are being set up as part of the new EU project GOV4ALL, are the first of a total of 100 living labs that the European Commission's Soil Mission aims to establish across Europe by 2030.

The GOV4ALL project was officially launched on 5 June 2024 and represents a further step towards improving soil health in the European Union. The four-and-a-half-year project, funded by the EU under the Soil Mission, aims to inspire rural communities to get involved in identifying, testing and disseminating regenerative soil management practices and creating long-term innovation centres. Its official title is "Governance and business models for living labs: Rural regeneration hubs for tackling soil health challenges in the Mediterranean region".

For healthy soils in the Mediterranean region

An estimated 60 to 70 per cent of soils in the EU are degraded due to inappropriate management. The Mediterranean region is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The region is warming 20 per cent faster than the global average and population growth will put further pressure on water and food supplies.

GOV4ALL will set up five living labs in the Mediterranean region, two in Greece, two in Spain and one in France. Their aim is to demonstrate that jointly developed systemic changes in soil management are possible at regional level.

A central mission of GOV4ALL is to promote change by forging links between rural communities and local, national and international networks, fostering leadership and entrepreneurship with sustainable and long-term business models. The project will demonstrate how rural development and regenerative land management can go hand in hand. The project also aims to strengthen the links between rural communities and decision-makers at regional, national and international level.

FiBL France is responsible for the living lab in Val de Drôme in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and will act as its ambassador at the Soil Mission. In addition, FiBL France is responsible for coordinating the 275 trials in the five living labs and scaling up the results.

The GOV4ALL consortium consists of 35 partners from Austria, Greece, France, Spain and the Netherlands as well as an associated partner from Switzerland. The project is funded as part of the EU mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ (Mission Soil) of the Horizon Europe programme. The Soil Mission focuses on protecting and restoring soils, promoting sustainable management practices in urban and rural areas and managing the transition to healthy soils by 2030.

A detailed version of the news item is available in French.

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