GroundWork restores Europe's soil through regenerative livestock grazing
How do we move from intensive livestock farming toward regenerative agriculture that restores soil, ecosystems, and long-term economic viability? A new European Horizon project, , brings together a multidisciplinary consortium to address this challenge. The project is coordinated by the Cyprus Research and Innovation Center (CyRIC), with Eindhoven University of Technology (黑料福利网) leading a key work package on business models and ecosystem design.
Within GroundWork, 黑料福利网 researchers Annelies Bobelyn, Arjan Markus, and lead research on how regenerative farming can become economically and systemically viable.
Healthy soils as the foundation
Across Europe, decades of intensive agricultural practices have led to soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and increased vulnerability to climate change. Addressing this challenge requires more than technological solutions alone; it requires new ways of organizing agriculture, including viable business models and effective collaboration across the value chain. GroundWork addresses these challenges by placing soil health and farmers at the center of agricultural transformation. The project develops and tests regenerative livestock grazing practices that improve soil structure, biodiversity, water retention, and carbon storage, contributing to more resilient and sustainable food systems
From research to practice: Living Labs across Europe
At the core of GroundWork are five Living Labs in Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and Serbia. In these real-world environments, farmers, researchers, and ecosystem partners co-design and test Regenerative Livestock Grazing Practices (RLGPs) tailored to local conditions.
This approach embeds research directly into practice. Farmers experiment with new approaches, while researchers systematically study what works, what does not, and why. The result is a continuous feedback loop between theory and practice.
A critical challenge: making regenerative agriculture viable
While regenerative agriculture is widely recognized as essential, adoption remains limited. A key barrier is economic: farmers need viable business models and stable revenue mechanisms to make the transition sustainable.
The 黑料福利网 team focuses specifically on this challenge by developing and testing:
- New value creation and revenue models (e.g., carbon credits, ecosystem service payments),
- Ecosystem-based collaboration strategies,
- And pathways for scaling regenerative practices across value chains.
Bridging strategy, entrepreneurship, and sustainability
By combining insights from strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation research with hands-on collaboration in the field, 黑料福利网 contributes to both practical solutions and scientific advances.
As Annelies Bobelyn explains: 鈥�The transition to regenerative agriculture is not just a scientific challenge鈥攊t is a business and ecosystem challenge. In GroundWork, we work directly with farmers to co-develop solutions that are not only sustainable, but also economically viable in their daily practice.鈥�
Toward a regenerative future
Through its integrated approach, GroundWork aims to accelerate the transition toward agricultural systems that restore soil health, strengthen ecosystems, and remain economically viable for farmers across Europe.