Fostering Carbon Farming Practices through LIving LAbS in the Mediterranean and Southern EU for the healthy future of European SOILS

Project Information

LILAS4SOILS

Grant agreement ID: 101157414

DOI

10.3030/101157414

EC signature date 14 August 2024

Start date 1 September 2024

End date 31 August 2029

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 11 619 420,75

EU contribution

€ 11 619 420,75

Coordinated by

EIT FOOD CLC SOUTH S.L.
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LILAS4SOILS (Fostering Carbon Farming Practices through LIving LAbS in the Mediterranean and Southern EU for the healthy future of European SOILS)

Reporting period: 2024-09-01 to 2026-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Agriculture soils are being heavily affected by climate change and are highly vulnerable to degradation and desertification, particularly in the southern regions of the European Union. The Mediterranean region is essential for the whole EU agriculture and food systems, but it is also warming 20% faster than the global average. If climate change is not mitigated, yields of crops like wheat, maize and sugar beet could decrease in southern EU by up to 50 % by 2050.
Although agriculture has been identified as a significant contributor to GHG emissions (13% of EU total emissions), it is also one of the sectors with the biggest potential to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Evidence shows that Carbon farming practices (CFPs) are among the most significant contributor to achieve healthy soils and zero-net emissions in the EU agriculture giving rise to a mitigation potential of 3-12% of EU emissions.
LILAS4SOILS aims to foster Carbon Farming in the Mediterranean and Southern EU region by putting in place 5 Living Labs (LLs) in 6 countries to foster collaboration among farmers, agri-food businesses, researchers and local authorities to co-create and implement CFPs in 100 demo-sites across a range of farming systems and different pedoclimatic zones. CFPs span across peatland management, agroforestry, livestock and manure management, nutrient management, and maintaining soil organic carbon.
Carbon farming encompasses the agricultural practices that sequester and store carbon in soils and the business models that make such practices viable for farmers. However, for carbon farming to scale, reliable and transparent methods for measuring, reporting and verifying (MRV) soil carbon changes are needed. LILAS4SOILS developed and harmonised a soil monitoring protocol to assess changes in SOC over time. The project will also select and test 15 innovative MRV technologies and use modelling for the simulation, estimation and prediction of carbon sequestration potential and dynamics.
24 expert partners constitute LILAS4SOILS Consortium. By the end of the project more than 125 agriculture stakeholders will have participated in CFPs co-creation activities, more than 375 stakeholders will be part of the Living Labs ecosystems and more than 65 regulatory bodies will be reached via policy workshops.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first 18 months of the project (current reporting period), LILAS4SOILS made strong progress in setting up and operationalising its network of five Living Labs across six Mediterranean countries, establishing the Project’s governance, stakeholder engagement, and co-creation foundations (WP1). The consortium completed the open call and contracting process for farmers, expanded the demo-site pool to 100 farms (WP1), and initiated co-creation workshops (WP2), soil sampling (WP4), CFP monitoring (WP3), communication actions (WP7), and sustainability planning (WP6).
A major achievement was the successful launch and activation of five LLs and the completion of the farmer pool, with 53 farmers selected through the Open Call and 32 pre-selected farmers contracted, enabling the project to reach a full portfolio of 100 farms. During the launch events and the first round of co-creation workshops, LLs engaged more than 900 people and over 400 stakeholders, helping identify barriers, needs, and practical opportunities for implementing CFPs in different regional contexts.
The project also delivered important methodological foundations. WP1 produced the harmonised LL governance and engagement framework, WP4 completed the soil sampling protocol and launched the MRV open call, WP7 established the communication and dissemination system, and WP8 put in place the coordination, financial, quality, risk, and data management structures needed for implementation. In parallel, WP3 worked with farmers to define transition plans and refine the list of CFPs, while WP6 began ecosystem mapping and sustainability and business model discussions for long-term exploitation.
In terms of achievement of the objectives, the project has already made substantial progress toward its six Specific Objectives. SO1 was achieved through the successful set-up and launch of all five Living Labs and the completion of the farmer pool. SO2 progressed well through the first co-creation workshops and the structured identification of barriers and opportunities for Carbon Farming. SO3 advanced through the completion of the 100-farm network, the refinement of CFPs, and the agreement of farm Transition Plans. SO4 also progressed significantly through the delivery of the soil sampling protocol, the first sampling campaign, and the launch of the MRV Open Call, while SO5 and SO6 were initiated through training-needs assessment, networking, communication and dissemination activities, stakeholder ecosystem mapping, and the first sustainability and business model exercises for the LL. In terms of Expected Outcomes (EOs) and impacts, the Project is still relevant and progressing to plan.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

LILAS4SOILS will contribute to the development of robust, efficient and reliable MRV technologies and to the methodologies for the quantification of the permanence of carbon in the soil. Results will be shared at a later stage in the project.