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Create an Apulian Agri-Network
Where farmers work together to test a co‑developed cultivation formula and biofertiliser at a scale beyond single holdings to support the adoption of nature‑based solutions (NBS).
We bring together universities, research centres, local authorities, farmer enterprises and civil society to test, measure and scale practices that make farmland more resilient to climate pressures, protect biodiversity and strengthen local economies.
The project combines hands-on field trials with data-driven policy support to ensure that science-based solutions for agriculture becomes practical sustainable practices.
Where farmers work together to test a co‑developed cultivation formula and biofertiliser at a scale beyond single holdings to support the adoption of nature‑based solutions (NBS).
Aggregate multisource soil and land data, enriched by geospatial and AI‑assisted tools, to inform territorial policies.
Through education and training: an online MOOC, targeted minilabs for schools, summer schools, and webinars.
Foster exchanges with Mission Soil and related initiatives to make results transferable across Europe.
Promote healthy soils through a wide public engagement campaign — “Siamo Tutti Sullo Stesso Suolo / We are all on the same soil” (ST3S).
We blend rigorous science with real-world experimentation thanks to our four Living Labs in the region, where different NBSs will be tested to improve soil health, smart water management and fertility. All results will be integrated into a data platform and Regional Action Plan, combining satellite imagery, farm sensors and spatial datasets so decision-makers can see where interventions make most sense.
INTERESH will produce LCA-based sustainability evaluations, open scientific outputs and practical toolkits that feed into an innovative approach to soil health. Our ambition is to support farmers to adopt sustainable NBS to improve soil organic matter, nutrient efficiency and water use, supported by monitoring procedures and sustainability assessments. We will offer guidance to policymakers through an evidence-based Regional Action Plan to detect best practices and scale up the best interventions. We aim to highlight how healthy soils can benefit the life and economy of citizens and local communities.
Apulia is a region of long agricultural traditions, from wide cereal plains to expansive tomato fields, olive groves and vineyards. While the landscape produces some of Italy's most renowned food specialities, it faces real pressures from soil degradation, water scarcity and land use change. INTERESH takes this reality as an opportunity to deliver change: by working directly with local communities, the project aims to co-design solutions that remain rooted in Apulia's agricultural and social traditions.
Our Consortium
We are a solid consortium of Italian and international
organisations that combine local knowledge, scientific excellence and
experience in communication and innovation:
Our Living Labs are the beating heart of INTERESH. They are open, collaborative environments where science, policy, industry and citizens meet to co-design solutions for healthier soils in Apulia. The purpose of the Living Labs is to provide the region with real-world testing grounds, where innovation is shaped directly by the people who use the land every day, and where scientific knowledge becomes practical guidance for farms, municipalities and institutions.
At their core, our Living Labs pursue four overarching objectives.
1.
We want to co-create and validate soil-health practices that respond to
Apulia’s unique climatic, agronomic and socioeconomic conditions. This means
involving farmers from the very beginning in defining protocols, testing
solutions, and identifying obstacles and opportunities for the territory.
2. We want to integrate science and decision-making. Every Living Lab activity will generate data which will feed directly into a regional knowledge platform and ultimately into the Regional Action Plan, ensuring that policies are built on real, observable evidence of what works and why.
3. We want to support awareness-raising at all layers of society. The Living Labs will host training days, field demonstrations, farmer-to-farmer exchanges, school activities, hackathons and policy workshops. The intention is to stimulate a cultural shift in how soil is perceived, managed and valued, so that innovation continues long after the project ends.
4. We want to create a lasting ecosystem of collaboration beyond Apuliabut linked to wider European networks. Our Living Lab are designed into a a long-term perspective, building a functional hub that keeps connecting soil science, communities and policymakers.
How will they work?
Apulia offers the perfect conditions for
large-scale testing thanks to its extensive agricultural fields, its variety
of crops and its active network of farmers and cooperatives. Inside each of
the four Living Labs, a specific Experimental Action will form the backbone
of our project:
This Living Lab focuses on applying ecological principles to restore soil health. The purpose is to understand how nature-based solutions (NBS) can improve soil structure, enhance biological activity and reduce dependency on external inputs.
In this Lab, researchers and farmers work on a range of measures such as applying high-quality organic amendments, introducing cover crops, using crop residues to enhance soil carbon, and creating ecological buffer strips that prevent erosion and enrich biodiversity. These measures are tested on aggregated plots of at least 40 hectares, allowing the project to observe impacts at a meaningful scale.
This Living Lab brings advanced technology to the field. Its purpose is to optimise water and nutrient use by installing and running precision fertigation systems adapted to Apulia’s crops and climate conditions. With support from technical experts, farms receive improved irrigation pipelines, sensors, control units and monitoring devices.
Trials examine how variable-rate fertigation can deliver the exact amount of nutrients needed, exactly when plants need them. The Lab monitors not only crop performance but also energy consumption, water savings and reduced nutrient losses to soils and groundwater.
This Living Lab tests a new biofertiliser formula developed through collaboration between researchers and local industry partners. The purpose is to evaluate whether this formula — based on locally available organic resources — can improve soil fertility in a more sustainable way than conventional inputs.
In this Lab, the biofertiliser is applied to different crop combinations and compared with existing commercial products. The Lab assesses agronomic performance, microbial responses, chemical changes in the soil and potential long-term benefits for organic carbon and nutrient cycling. Safety assessments and laboratory analyses ensure that applications comply with regulatory frameworks.
While not a physical site, this Living Lab acts as the digital and analytical backbone of INTERESH. Its purpose is to integrate all the data generated across the Living Labs — satellite imagery, soil samples, drone flights, sensors, climate datasets and policy documents — into a unified spatial intelligence system.
This system is enhanced by AI-assisted tools and geospatial modelling capabilities. It serves as the foundation for the Regional Action Plan, enabling authorities to visualise soil conditions, identify hotspots, evaluate scenarios and design interventions based on evidence.
This is INTERESH's library for all the outputs of our project: technical deliverables, operational toolkits, datasets and policy briefs. Each public document will be accessible and downloadable from here.
The ST3S campaign is our way to reach out to citizens and society. One of the key elements of INTERESH is that we want to invite broad participation, the campaign tells the story of soil health through local events, school engagements, farmer workshops and multimedia content. Our campaign calendar of activities will gather schools, farmers, webinars for administrators and public meetings.
ST3S will explain why soil matters for food, water and climate in language that everyone can understand, and will collect local stories that make soil a shared civic concern.
Follow INTERESH life through its multimedia content. Photographs, short films and infographics document field trials, installations of new equipment, training sessions, public events and meetings.
Over time this section will grow into a narrated visual story of our journey.
Scientific publications are the essence of our project. Results from the experimental actions, life-cycle assessments and data-driven modelling will be available in this section for reading and open repositories.
This section will bring together journal articles, technical notes, preprints and associated datasets so other researchers, policy analysts and practitioners can examine methods and apply them elsewhere.
Our commitment to FAIR principles ensures that the evidence gathered in Apulia feeds into a broader European conversation about soil health and resilient agriculture.