Why developing a Living lab?
The development of multiple Agroecological Living labs is gaining momentum in different countries as a method to integrate real-world contexts into the innovation process for sustainable agriculture. These Labs foster co-creation and knowledge sharing between users and various stakeholders. Through collaborative decision-making processes, Living Labs help to foster dissemination and adoption of agroecological practices including facilitating collective decisions, leveraging the expertise of various stakeholders, ensuring that transition is driven by local needs and ultimately strengthening the food system’s resilience.
What’s LL4AE?
Our Living lab for agroecological innovation (LL4AE) in Wallonia was initiated in 2017 from interaction with farmers and stakeholders questioning the possibilities to implement more agroecological practices by developing low-till organic system. Since then, other agroecological thematics have been explored with multiple actors to enhance climate resilience, reduce emissions, reduce inputs use such as plant protection products, promote nutrient recycling and address animal welfare.
How does it work?
This initiative employs a transdisciplinary participatory research approach, co-creating agroecological solutions through multi-actors’ workshops, on farm-experimentation and demonstrations.
Living labs involved various participants such as farmers, agronomic advisors, value chain and territories representatives, consumers, policy-makers and researchers. While LL4AE is based on a farmer-centric approach, the other participants can be involved at different level of participation (information, consultation, involvement, collaboration, empowerment) according to the needs.
We are studying barriers and levers (agronomic, economic, social, …) met by different actors along the supply chain to produce and to valorise innovative agroecological practices.
Currently, over forty on farm experimental trials throughout Wallonia are monitoring all along the year to collect field data such as soil properties and biodiversity, crop yield and quality, weed pressures, … Results are discussed collectively and taken into account in the different co-decision processes.
Useful information
Team
