Changes at "Local Interdisciplinary Consortium for Generative Ecosystems (LICGE)"
Body (English)
- +<xml><dl class="decidim_awesome-custom_fields" data-generator="decidim_awesome" data-version="0.13.1">
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813481157-0">Challenge owner(s)</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813481157-0" name="textarea"><div>This challenge emerged from the collaboration between Przemek Adolf, working on regenerative agriculture and erosion control in the Kłodzko region of Lower Silesia (Poland), and Marius Mornea , whose initiative focused on the use of cover crops to improve soil resilience and ecosystem health in the Cluj region of Romania.
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- +During the SoilTribes Bootcamp in Porto, these two initiatives evolved into a shared proposal: the Local Interdisciplinary Consortium for Generative Ecosystems (LICGE). The concept proposes the creation of a transdisciplinary collaboration infrastructure linking farmers, researchers, civil society organisations, and public institutions to regenerate soils and ecosystems through participatory research and field experimentation.
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- +This proposal entry has been compiled and published by the Bootcamp facilitation and mentoring team, based on the group’s work and documentation produced during the sessions. The group was facilitated by Eva Frade, with Olivier Schulbaum acting as the main facilitator of the Bootcamp process. Mentoring support was provided by Katarzyna Gizińska (ERDN).</div></dd>
- +<dt name="select-1759900711748-0">Group Number / Co-creation Cluster</dt>
- +<dd id="select-1759900711748-0" name="select"><div>Group 5: Climate & Soil Resilience in Practice</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813667172-0">Briefly summarize (Max 3 sentences)</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813667172-0" name="textarea"><div>During the SoilTribes Bootcamp in Porto, two complementary initiatives on regenerative agriculture evolved into a shared framework called the Local Interdisciplinary Consortium for Generative Ecosystems (LICGE). The proposal focuses on building a collaboration infrastructure connecting farmers, researchers, institutions, and communities to co-design regenerative farming strategies. The initiative begins with a pilot in Poland and a replication pathway in Romania, aiming to develop participatory Living Labs for soil regeneration and erosion prevention.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813664722-0">What is the challenge about?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813664722-0" name="textarea"><div>LICGE addresses a fundamental disconnect between agricultural research, environmental policy, and the everyday realities faced by farmers. While soil degradation, erosion, and biodiversity loss are widely studied, farmers often lack accessible frameworks that translate scientific knowledge into practical strategies adapted to local conditions.
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- +The challenge proposes building a farmer–researcher collaboration infrastructure capable of bridging this gap. Through the creation of a transdisciplinary consortium, farmers, agronomists, scientists, civil society organisations, and local authorities can jointly analyse soil challenges and design regenerative solutions adapted to specific territories.
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- +A central focus of the initiative is the development of Living Lab processes where farmers actively participate in experimentation and knowledge production. These processes will combine field observations, participatory interviews, scientific analysis, and local knowledge to develop regionally adapted regenerative farming plans.
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- +The consortium also explores the role of cover crop systems, particularly winter crop mixes, as practical entry points into regenerative agriculture. These practices can improve soil structure, reduce erosion, enhance biodiversity, and create new economic opportunities for farmers.
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- +Beyond technical experimentation, LICGE also aims to contribute to policy discussions around agriculture and soil health, highlighting gaps between current regulatory frameworks and the realities faced by farmers managing degraded ecosystems.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813658739-0">Where does it take place?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813658739-0" name="textarea"><div>The initiative begins with a pilot Living Lab in the Kłodzko region of Lower Silesia in Poland, where soil erosion, steep terrain, and conventional agricultural practices create high ecological vulnerability.
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- +A second site in Cluj, Romania, will explore how the approach can be adapted and replicated in another bioregional context. The intention is not to create a single centralised project but rather to develop a model that can be adapted across different European regions facing similar challenges.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813653638-0">Who is involved or affected?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813653638-0" name="textarea"><div>The consortium brings together a wide network of actors connected to soil stewardship. Farmers play a central role as co-designers of regenerative practices rather than passive recipients of technical advice. Researchers and agronomists contribute scientific knowledge and monitoring methods, while local governments, rural organisations, and civil society actors support coordination and community engagement.
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- +The project also recognises nature itself as a stakeholder. Soil, seeds, and ecosystems are considered beneficiaries of the initiative, shaping the ethical framework of the consortium and reinforcing the idea that regenerative agriculture must serve both communities and living ecosystems.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813645373-0">Evolution and Maturity</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813645373-0" name="textarea"><div>At the start of the Bootcamp, the group worked with two independent proposals. One focused on regenerative agriculture as a response to soil erosion in Poland, while the other explored the potential of cover crops as tools for soil resilience and biodiversity in Romania.
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- +Through a series of Bootcamp sessions, these initiatives were gradually integrated into a shared concept. Participants realised that both projects addressed the same systemic challenges: soil degradation, fragmented knowledge systems, and limited collaboration between scientific institutions and farming communities.
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- +The key breakthrough was the decision to create a transdisciplinary consortium capable of hosting multiple activities and initiatives related to soil regeneration. This structure allows the Living Lab approach developed in Poland to serve as a foundation for additional experiments, including the cover crops initiative in Romania.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813639089-0">What feedback or contributions from others did you integrate into your challenge?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813639089-0" name="textarea"><div>The group’s work was characterised by a strong diversity of perspectives, including farmers, researchers, facilitators, and experts from European projects. This diversity helped the team analyse soil challenges from multiple angles, ranging from ecological processes to policy constraints and social dynamics.
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- +During the Bootcamp exercises, the participants collectively mapped the main obstacles affecting regenerative agriculture. These included poorly designed agricultural subsidies, legal frameworks disconnected from farming realities, technological fragmentation, and growing cultural disconnection between society and ecosystems.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813613723-0">How has the group reimagined governance of their challenge?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813613723-0" name="textarea"><div>The governance model emerging from the Bootcamp emphasises distributed collaboration. Instead of concentrating authority within a single organisation, LICGE proposes a network of partners capable of co-producing knowledge and coordinating regenerative actions.
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- +<dt name="textarea-1773295711702-0">Have new stakeholders joined the process? Any shift in roles (from inform → consult → co-decide → steward…)</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1773295711702-0" name="textarea"><div></div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813686288-0">Please add short notes for each exercise (max 3 lines each):</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813686288-0" name="textarea"><div></div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813694140-0">Sense-Making (turbulences / reframing):</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813694140-0" name="textarea"><div>The group identified several systemic pressures affecting soil regeneration. Environmental challenges include soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and increasing climate instability. Technological challenges involve fragmented data systems and overly complex digital tools that rarely serve farmers’ needs. Political challenges include agricultural policies that fail to reflect ecological realities, as well as power asymmetries in the seed and food sectors. Social challenges involve declining trust, cultural disconnection from land stewardship, and limited recognition of local knowledge systems.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813705439-0">Bold Visions (impact pathways):</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813705439-0" name="textarea"><div>The group’s vision is to create a transdisciplinary Living Lab infrastructure where farmers, scientists, and communities co-design regenerative farming strategies. In this model, knowledge flows in both directions: farmers provide place-based observations and experience, while researchers contribute analytical frameworks and monitoring tools.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813699172-0">Circles of Governance</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813699172-0" name="textarea"><div>The consortium could include farmers’ networks, universities, local governments, research institutions, seed initiatives, civil society organisations, and European environmental networks. Actors such as artists, educators, and local media were also identified as important partners capable of shaping public understanding of soil and food systems. By positioning farmers, researchers, and communities within the same collaborative framework, the consortium aims to create a space where ecological knowledge, scientific data, and practical experience can inform each other.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813516857-0">Prototyping (tools/strategies tested):</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813516857-0" name="textarea"><div>The first practical experiment proposed by the group focuses on developing local cover crop seed mixes adapted to specific soil and climate conditions. These mixes will be tested through participatory research processes involving farmers, agronomists, and scientists.
- +This work is intended to demonstrate how regenerative practices can emerge from collaboration between field experience and scientific research.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1773295666374-0">How do you plan to engage with the wider SoilTribes community (including Bootcamp participants and CoP members) through the platform?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1773295666374-0" name="textarea"><div>The SoilTribes platform shall support the development of the consortium by hosting discussions, documentation, and collaboration between participants. The platform can help coordinate exchanges between the Polish and Romanian initiatives, enabling the sharing of lessons learned and supporting the gradual expansion of the network.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759813748290-0">What concrete outputs are emerging from the challenge?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759813748290-0" name="textarea"><div>The Bootcamp process resulted in a clear strategic roadmap for the development of LICGE. The group identified key stakeholders, defined a governance structure for the consortium, and outlined the first practical experiments related to cover crop development and soil regeneration.
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- +In addition to conceptual outputs, the Bootcamp generated documentation, collaborative canvases, and early prototypes of engagement processes that will guide the next stages of implementation</div></dd>
- +<dt name="select-1759900386714-0">Select or describe the formats that best represent your outcomes, inspired by Soil Literacy Methods:</dt>
- +<dd id="select-1759900386714-0" name="select"><div alt="option-1">🪴 Awareness & Communication Tools: podcasts, videos, campaigns, infographics</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759905170955-0">What are the next steps for implementation?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759905170955-0" name="textarea"><div>In preparation for the next phase of the project, the team is focusing on building the relationships necessary for launching the Living Lab process. This includes connecting farmer networks, research institutions, regional organisations, and public authorities interested in regenerative agriculture.
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- +Over the coming months the consortium plans to organise collaborative workshops, field visits, and research sessions where farmers and scientists can jointly analyse soil conditions and identify regenerative strategies. Particular attention will be given to understanding the needs and motivations of farmers, ensuring that proposed practices are both scientifically sound and practically viable.
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- +The aim of this preparatory phase is to develop a strategic engagement map for the Living Lab process, clarifying which actors should be involved, what knowledge is needed, and how regenerative practices can be tested and scaled in the region.</div></dd>
- +<dt name="textarea-1759905183751-0">What resources, alliances, or support would help it scale or take root?</dt>
- +<dd id="textarea-1759905183751-0" name="textarea"><div>The success of the initiative will depend on building strong alliances between farmer networks, research institutions, and local organisations capable of supporting field experimentation. Collaboration with universities, agricultural advisers, and European environmental networks will be essential for developing monitoring systems and validating regenerative practices.
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- +Additional support will also be needed to secure long-term funding and ensure that the consortium can expand beyond its initial pilot regions. By combining scientific expertise with community-based experimentation, LICGE has the potential to become a replicable model for regenerative agriculture initiatives across Europe.</div></dd>
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Title (English)
- +Local Interdisciplinary Consortium for Generative Ecosystems (LICGE)