Governance and business models for living labs: rural regeneration hubs for tackling soil health challenges in the Mediterranean region

In the EU, 60-70% of soils are degraded as a direct result of unsustainable management. However, tackling this multifaceted challenge is not an easy task, mainly because farmers' decisions are influenced by a wide range of factors, making it difficult to define regenerative soil management practices that are simultaneously effective, economical, have demonstrable yield benefits and are easy to implement. In this context, the goal is to foster a collective awareness, at the the level of five Mediterranean regions, that soils and humans must be understood as social-ecological systems and that no organisation/solution alone is capable of sustainably transforming the system. The desired change can only emerge when the innovation process is supported by an exploration phase enabling actors to identify their personal (from individuals to organisations) drivers, ultimately aligning purposes and behaviours toward impactful collective actions. To demonstrate this, the project will apply co-creation tools to multi-actor governance structures, emphasising the building up of a shared awareness of soil threats over the identification of specific technologies. The main objectives of the proposed plan are: 1) to explore regional needs and drivers, and to validate governance models for operating multi-actor co-creation processes; 2) to establish a network of five agro-innovation hubs sustained by underlying business models; 3) to define harmonised regional baselines for 7 out of the 8 indicators found in the Soil Mission Implementation plan; 4) to kick-start the multi-actor co-design and validation of solutions for soil health that are practical and scalable; 5) to facilitate the diffusion of innovation through a plethora of communication and dissemination actions. GOV4ALL concentrates on 3 Mediterranean pedo-climatic zones, where the hubs will serve as sustainable innovation centres, aiding the Soil Mission's objectives and inspiring soil regeneration regionally and beyond.