Can living labs offer a sustainable approach for long-term soil health management? South tyrol as a case study

E. TASKIN, R. TIZIANI, L. FOLEY, R. NOTO, F. TREVISAN, L. BORRUSO, S. CESCO Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, Bolzano-
Bozen, ITALY

M. MAVER Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, Bolzano- Bozen, ITALY

T. MIMMO Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, Bolzano- Bozen, ITALY, Competence Centre for Plant Health, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, Bolzano-Bozen, ITALY

ABSTRACT

Living Labs (LLs) are dynamic ecosystems in which stakeholders interact to co-create innovations to reach
joint objectives within real-world environments at territorial, landscape, or regional scale. In Europe, about
2/3 of the soils are estimated to be unhealthy (EUSO, 2023). The connections established between soil
science, policy, and stakeholders in LLs could provide a pathway for a more sustainable soil management by maintaining and restoring soil health as aimed by the EU and the new Soil Monitoring Law. The present study explores the integration of LLs into soil research over the past decade through a systematic literature review and presents a local case study in South Tyrol, Italy. Results revealed that, among over 3000 works published on LLs in the last 10 years, only about 3% were inherently related to soil. While majority of them are still within EU, there is an evident expansion towards Sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and Asia in most recent years. Findings also indicate a great interest in soil related research in LLs (67%, n=41), followed by reviews (26%, n=16) and limited number of editorials (n=4) & keynote papers (n=1). Our findings highlight the potential of LLs to assess local soil health issues (e.g. above-below ground biodiversity, C stocks, pollution) ensuring feasible solutions and innovations applicable in the real-world conditions. In our South Tyrolean LL case study, we address the local need of carbon sequestration, C stock conservation and improved nutrient management by applying different cover crops in apple orchards. This case study illustrates a successful implementation of a sustainable, long-term management approach that embraces stakeholder interaction (scientists-farmers-apple consortium) at a regional scale. Through such collaborations, collective efforts can address real-world challenges with greater speed and efficiency.

Keywords: Living Lab,Cover Crops,Soil Carbon,Soil Biodiversity,Soil Health