INNOVATIVE CO-CREATION SOIL HEALTH LIVING LABs

iCOSHELLs – Co-Creation for Healthy Soils in Europe

The Importance of Soil and EU Challenges
Soil is fundamental to all life on Earth, yet alarmingly, 60–70% of EU soils are considered unhealthy due to pollution, urbanization, and intensive agriculture, further exacerbated by climate change. This degradation leads to economic, societal, and environmental challenges, including reduced productivity, biodiversity loss, and deteriorating soil structure.

RISE’s Leading Role in iCOSHELLs
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden serves as the project’s Lead Coordinator and also spearheads the development of a Swedish Living Lab in Southern Sweden. This lab addresses soil health challenges linked to intensive agricultural land use, focusing on sustainable solutions for improved soil health.

A Contribution to EU’s “A Soil Deal for Europe”
iCOSHELLs is part of the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”, aiming to achieve healthy soils across Europe by 2030. The project contributes to three key objectives:

• Reducing soil pollution and promoting restoration.
• Enhancing soil structure and biodiversity.
• Raising societal awareness and knowledge about soil health and its significance.

Innovative Living Labs Addressing Regional Challenges
The project encompasses six Living Labs across diverse European regions, tackling unique climatic and geographical challenges:

• Southern Sweden: Solutions for soil health in agricultural systems.
• Southeastern Spain (Murcia and Almería): Developing sustainable agriculture ecosystems.
• The Basque Country (Spain/France): Improving soil structure in wetlands, semi-urban areas, and forest environments.
• Western Macedonia (Greece): Restoring contaminated mining soils.
• Northern Italy: Solutions for soil health in rural, urban, and semi-urban areas.
• Plovdiv Region (Bulgaria): Addressing issues of reduced organic matter, poor soil structure, and biodiversity loss.

A Systematic Approach
iCOSHELLs employs a structured strategy to:

• Build stakeholder capacity and bridge the gap between science and practical application.
• Deepen understanding of soil indicators and enhance soil health through scalable methods.
• Replicate effective soil restoration solutions across different regions.

The Future of Living Labs
The project challenges traditional models by anchoring Living Labs in co-creation, broad stakeholder engagement, and practical application. The vision is to develop standardized, globally recognized labs that serve as benchmarks for future Living Labs.

Sustainable Outcomes for the Future
iCOSHELLs promotes collaboration and knowledge-sharing by serving as a comprehensive soil health database and supporting policy development to ensure a sustainable future for agriculture and the environment.