🚀 From Local Fields to European Action: Carbon Farming Is Taking Root Over the past few months, LILAS4SOILS has continued to turn collaboration into action across Europe. Farmers, researchers, advisors, technological providers and policymakers have come together to co-create practical solutions for healthier soils and more resilient farming systems proving that meaningful change starts from the ground up. This edition showcases some of the milestones that are shaping our journey: successful co-creation workshops across our five Living Labs, a strong presence at the European Carbon Farming Summit which contributed to our project recommendations, the selection of 15 technology providers to test innovative solutions in LILAS4SOILS LLs, an important visit from the European Commission and JRC to our Italian Living Lab, and a spotlight on one of the inspiring women helping drive soil innovation in Europe. The message is clear: carbon farming can only succeed when it is built in close collaboration with farmers for farmers, and supported by collaboration across science, policy and practice. Thank you for being part of this growing community! The LILAS4SOILS Team |
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🤝 Co-Creating the Future of Carbon Farming Across Europe Across all five LILAS4SOILS Living Labs, co-creation workshops have brought together farmers, researchers, advisors, policymakers, and value chain actors to discuss the realities of implementing Carbon Farming practices on the ground. Over the reporting period, five workshops engaged 349 participants and 152 stakeholders from across the agri-food sector, including farmers, industry representatives, researchers, public authorities, NGOs, and technology developers. From Portugal and Spain to Greece, Italy, France, and Israel, participants exchanged experiences, identified barriers, and explored practical solutions tailored to their local contexts. Despite regional differences, several common priorities emerged: |
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🌾 Making sustainable practices economically viable for farmers |
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| 🌍 Building stronger collaboration across the agri-food value chain |
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📊 Simplifying monitoring and reporting frameworks |
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| 👥 Strengthening technical support and advisory services |
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These workshops are at the heart of the Living Lab approach, ensuring that innovation is shaped by those who will ultimately put it into practice. |
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The outcomes of this collaborative work will be presented at the Soils for Europe Conference this September. Meet us there! |
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📣 LILAS4SOILS at the 3rd European Carbon Farming Summit |
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At the 3rd European Carbon Farming Summit in Padua, LILAS4SOILS brought the voice of farmers to the center of the conversation. Our session, "Enabling Carbon Farming at Farm Level", united Living Lab farmers, technology providers and value chain actors to discuss what is truly needed for widespread adoption. One key message stood out: Farmers don't adopt "carbon farming", they adopt practices that improve soil health, resilience and productivity, with carbon benefits following naturally. The discussion highlighted three priorities for scaling impact: |
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Strengthening advisory services and farmer-to-farmer learning |
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| Simplifying and harmonizing MRV systems |
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| Creating stable markets that deliver fair value to farmers |
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🏛️ European Commission & JRC Visit the SHARE Innovation Lab Collaboration between policy, research and practice came to life during a visit on the 12th of May by representatives of the European Commission and the Joint Research Centre to the SHARE Innovation Lab in Italy. The visit provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the ecological transition and to showcase the Living Lab model in action. Today, SHARE connects: |
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| 45 technical consulting firms |
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| 16 universities and research centers |
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16 universities and research centers |
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| More than 500 actively engaged participants |
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Together, they demonstrate how local collaboration can accelerate Europe's transition towards sustainable carbon farming. |
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📊 Advancing Soil Carbon Monitoring with Innovative MRV Technologies LILAS4SOILS has selected 15 innovative Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) technology providers to help advance soil carbon monitoring across its Living Labs. From field sensors and spectroscopy tools to satellite-based monitoring and AI-powered models, these solutions will be tested under real farming conditions and compared with conventional soil sampling results. This activity aims to support the development of more accurate, scalable, and cost-effective approaches to measuring soil organic carbon and strengthening Carbon Farming across Europe. |
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LILAS4SOILS People Spotlight |
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👩🔬 Women in Soil Science: Meet Carmen Asensio As part of the #WomenInSoilScience initiative under the EU Mission Soil, Senior Researcher and Living Lab Manager of IBERSOILL featured M. Carmen Asensio Sánchez-Manzanera. |
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With more than two decades of experience in agricultural innovation and soil research, Carmen highlights the importance of connecting science with farmers' realities and increasing women's visibility in agriculture. "Increasing the visibility and participation of women in agriculture is essential for the resilience and sustainability of rural territories." |
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🚀 LILAS4SOILS in Action: Meet Us This Summer! The LILAS4SOILS team will be joining leading researchers, practitioners, and policymakers at two major European events focused on the future of sustainable agriculture and soil health.
1. Red Remedia 🗓️ 3-4 June 2026 | Zaragoza, Spain A valuable opportunity to connect and exchange knowledge on climate change mitigation in agricultural, livestock, and forestry systems. The programme includes four thematic sessions-Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and Socio-Economics-with oral and poster presentations. |
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2. Mission Soil Investment Forum 🗓️ 30 June 2026 | Brussels, Belgium Join LILAS4SOILS and leading investors, policymakers, researchers, and financial institutions to discuss new opportunities for investing in soil health, develop innovative financing approaches, and foster partnerships that can accelerate the transition to healthy soils across Europe. |
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| 3. European Society of Agronomy Congress 🗓️ 24–28 August 2026 | Tartu, Estonia Join us at one of Europe's leading agronomy events, where experts from across the continent will gather to discuss the latest advances in agricultural research and innovation. |
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4. Soils for Europe: Healthy Soils for a Sustainable Future 🗓️ 7-11 September 2026 | Coimbra, Portugal LILAS4SOILS will be presenting two scientific contributions: 🌱 Carbon Farming Living Labs: Co-creating Sustainability in Mediterranean Farms 🌱 Evaluation of Carbon Fractions as Early Indicators of Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics These presentations will showcase how LILAS4SOILS Living Labs are helping accelerate the adoption of Carbon Farming practices and advancing our understanding of soil carbon dynamics. |
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Will you be attending? Come and meet the LILAS4SOILS team! We'd love to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss the future of healthy soils in Europe! |
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Explore Our Living Labs 🔗 Every Living Lab has its own dedicated microsite where you can discover local initiatives, activities, farmers testimonies and success stories from across the LILAS4SOILS community, take a moment to explore them: |
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Stay tuned and engaged for more stakeholders' testimonies and more insights and follow us for real-time updates or get in touch with us! 🔗 Visit our website: www.lilas4soils.eu
📩 Contact us: info@lilas4soils.eu
📣 Follow our social: |
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Warm regards, The LILAS4SOILS Team |
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© Copyright, 2026, info@lilas4soils.eu |
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