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In the microscopic world, soil is teeming with life. But it is only since the advent of high-volume genetic sequencing that researchers could begin to catalogue these diverse organisms. The EU-funded DIVOBIS project looks at the variety of viruses found in soil and how they impact the cycling of elements carried out by microorganisms. It will also look at the release of greenhouse gases which viruses spur by killing their microbial hosts. Using isotope analysis and genetic material from soil samples, the project will directly measure the role viruses play. This could also lead to improved understanding of how soil viruses and microbes influence climate change.

The SOILCRATES consortium includes 21 partners from across the quadruple helix that fully acknowledge the importance of healthy soils and wish to work together on the tasks defined by the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’. The ambition of SOILCRATES is to create four sustainable and dynamic Living Labs (LLs), to monitor soil health and biodiversity beyond the state-of-the-art, to enhance soil structure and health, and to increase soil literacy in society. During the project lifetime, four LLs based in the Netherlands, France, Ireland, and Spain, will be improving and monitoring the soil structure, soil life, and crop-growing conditions of mineral soils. In these LLs, stakeholders will work with the experimental sites (ESs) land managers to foster innovations and practices suited for the local context. Through co-creation and co-learning, the LLs will increase their knowledge of soils and the underlying soil processes. 

In an era where traditional agriculture is making a global resurgence, a critical challenge looms: how to bridge the gap between heritage and sustainability. As societies seek to reconnect with ancestral farming practices, they face the task of harmonising ancient wisdom with modern environmental demands. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the AGRI-DRY project aims to transform European and African doctoral training in traditional agriculture. This transformation involves rigorous interdisciplinary research techniques and a dual emphasis on research and practical application. By bridging the gap between academia and policymaking institutions, AGRI-DRY promises to empower a new generation of researchers and advocates.

Wetlands have enormous potential for carbon sequestration and adaptation, but gaps in knowledge limit their efficient use and options in the context of land use, land-use change and forestry. The EU-funded project ALFAwetlands aims to help expand the geospatial knowledge base for these ecosystems. Its co-creation approach envisions enabling the support of more inclusive and community-based approaches to restoring wetlands. Experimental data and living labs will be leveraged to integrate interdisciplinary and multi-actor research on associated ecological, environmental, social and economic issues. ALFAwetlands will assess the overall societal and well-being impacts of wetland restoration at local, national and EU levels.

SUS-SOIL is a 4-year project adopting multidisciplinary approach that will develop a set of 15 Subsoil-Living Labs (LLs) to inventory, analyse and benchmark different agroecology subsoil management (ASM) and land uses and their impacts on the subsoil spatial variations and dynamics to best combine ASM practices in rural and urban areas within a global regional context. SUS-SOIL results will be the start point to increase the awareness of land managers and public authorities to understand the subsoil threats and risks, support EU agroecological transformation tackling subsoils and increasing ecosystem services delivery, promote water security and climate change mitigation of rural and urban ecosystems.