TRAILS4SOIL will co-create 5 Living Labs (LLs) across 9 European countries, encompassing 100 experimentation sites including 11 lighthouses. This initiative aims to address the urgent need for sustainable soil management in Europe by fostering stakeholder collaboration and overcoming barriers to the widespread implementation of better soil management farming systems. The project will develop pathways for implementing economic, policy, technical, and social measures to drive the transition towards a resilient and sustainable agri-food system grounded on healthy soils. Through innovative and participatory research in diverse agroecosystems, TRAILS4SOIL will demonstrate the potential of Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture Practices (ReCAP) to achieve the objectives of the EU Soil Mission. By actively engaging local communities in a multi-actor approach process TRAILS4SOIL will provide tailored scientific knowledge and technical guidelines, that will inspire and empower farmers and other stakeholders to promote sustainable land management improving soil health. The interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary expertise of the consortium, which includes 22 partners among universities, research centres and farmer associations, will ensure the achievement of the proposed objective. TRAILS4SOIL will advance the understanding of soil health by integrating cutting-edge technologies to facilitate the widespread adoption of sustainable soil management solutions.

The general objective of NOVASOIL project is highlight the benefits for the society and the environment from the investment in soil health. The main expected outcome of the project is a toolbox for the analysis of suitability of different business cases that promote soil health. This toolbox will be based on a set of good examples from Europe and other countries and the needs and demands from the society. The toolbox will include a categorisation of the models and business cases taking into account: a) sustainable soil management under different land uses and climatic conditions; b) products based on practices promoting soil health; c) consumption and certification practices conductive: d) the reuse of land and e) sustainable soil management in the context of the EU Taxonomy Regulation. For that, NOVASOIL is composed by a multidisciplinary team with a large experience on European and national projects focus on soil health and business models. As well as, NOVASOIL will built a Community of Practice around project objectives in order to co-develop soil health business models and the tool-box for incentives taking into account their needs and demands. NOVASOIL is organised in 5 WPs plus coordination following the expected objectives and impacts of the call. The first step is to develop a conceptual framework of soil health and business. This framework will nurture other WPs in order to develop in the same way all the expected objectives. The soil health business models will analyse current successful experiences in Europe and outside Europe in order to categorise them taking into account their variability. In addition, NOVASOIL includes 13 Case Studies with business models that promote soil quality and products based on sustainable crop and soil management. On the other hand, an analysis of current policies related will be carried out in order to provide suggestions and improvement that facilitate the implementation of these soil health business.

The beneficial links between biodiversity and agriculture have not yet been adequately communicated to farmers and foresters, thereby creating reluctance in the uptake of biodiversity-friendly farming (BFF) practices, including in Natura 2000 sites. FarmBioNet will address this knowledge gap in European farming and forestry. The FarmBioNet consortium combines the expertise of natural and social scientists, farmer organisations, SMEs, NGOs, businesses, and Ministries in 13 countries (11 member states). FarmBioNet will promote Europe-wide knowledge exchange and integration of research findings and practices related to farmland biodiversity, especially inside Natura 2000 sites, including those relevant to climate change mitigation/adaptation and soil health. It will evaluate and refine measures, and develop and use cross-sectoral approaches, to collect and distribute, at national and European level, easily accessible, practice-oriented, and context specific knowledge on BFF practices. Central to FarmBioNet is the establishment of Farming and Biodiversity National Networks (NNs), consisting of farmer/forester individuals and organisations, researchers, NGOs, advisors, and other relevant AKIS actors. FarmBioNet will use these NNs to gather and disseminate knowledge and information. NNs will use BFF case-study areas to promote exchange of traditional and evidence-based actions that benefit farm biodiversity, through a co-creation and cross-fertilisation process. Cost-benefit analyses, showing how biodiversity can benefit sustainable food production, and development of practical decision-making tools will promote biodiversity with farmers and foresters, and local, regional and national policy makers. FarmBioNet aims to position Europe as a global leader for biodiversity-friendly farmland management practices, harnessing knowledge to protect biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides, which are vital to sustainable land management and bring wider societal benefits.

The objective of CONSOLE is to boost innovation in the lasting delivery of agri-environmental-climate public goods (AECPGs) by EU agriculture and forestry. To achieve this objective, CONSOLE builds a Community of Practice (CoP) to cocreate an empirically validated contractual framework, design and test effective and efficient contract models and support their implementation by multiple actors. The CONSOLE multi-actor and multidisciplinary team brings together 24 partners in 13 countries, covering representative typologies of actors involved in AECPGs contracts design and implementation (farmer organisations, regional administrations, consultancy companies, research institutions and water and forest management bodies). The CONSOLE framework will allow improved design and facilitate implementation of innovative contract solutions for the provision of AECPGs under various conditions across the EU. The CONSOLE framework includes: a) a catalogue showcasing successful experiences and good practices in AECPGs contracting and cooperation models; b) improved AECPGs contracts solutions and their assessment for different levels of governance; c) a comprehensive guide to the process for the design of AECPGs contracts; d) documentation, training and supporting materials. CONSOLE includes a comprehensive analysis of at least 52 case studies of existing experiences encompassing land tenure arrangements, result-based approaches, collective implementation and value chain-based remuneration, supported by surveys and modelling. Building upon these experiences, improved contract solutions will be developed in collaboration with the CoP. The CONSOLE framework will be tested in real decision-making contexts and will develop into a supporting tool for actors in the field, enabling the delivery and sustainability of AECPGs. Insights will improve policy design towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular through environmental policies and the post-2020 CAP.