Pilot Areas & Living Labs

🇭🇺 Hungary

Hungary — Regenerative Grazing Living Lab

The Hungarian pilot focuses on regenerative rotational grazing systems and their effects on soil health, biodiversity, water retention and ecosystem resilience.

The Living Lab is built around real grazing systems where researchers and farmers collaboratively test monitoring methods and regenerative management approaches under practical farming conditions.

The pilot integrates biodiversity surveys, soil biological monitoring, remote sensing and socio-economic assessment to evaluate the long-term sustainability of regenerative grazing systems.

🇪🇸 Spain

Spain — Dehesa Agro-silvopastoral Living Lab

The Spanish pilot investigates traditional Dehesa agro-silvopastoral systems and their role in biodiversity conservation, sustainable grazing and climate adaptation.

The Living Lab evaluates how traditional Mediterranean grazing systems can contribute to resilient and economically viable agricultural landscapes under increasing climate pressure.

Research activities include vegetation monitoring, ecosystem assessment, stakeholder collaboration and agroecological implementation strategies.

🇵🇹 Portugal

Portugal — Regenerative Pasture Living Lab

The Portuguese Living Lab brings together livestock farmers from Odemira, Baixo Alentejo and the wider Alentejo to test three linked innovations in Montado agrosilvopastoral landscapes: regenerative grazing (also called holistic planned grazing), virtual fencing, and autochthonous cattle breeds adapted to local conditions. The breed in the pilot site is the Garvonesa, a rustic, endangered breed that does well on the region's semi-arid, nutrient-poor pastures.

The Living Lab is farmer-centred and builds on trust that already exists: the Pastagens Regenerativas learning community and the Farrusca Cooperative of Garvonesa breeders. Together with cE3c (Ciências ULisboa), farmers define the problem, host and run the pilot field, and judge the results. Working with researchers, advisors, local organisations and public authorities, the Living Lab co-designs a grazing management approach and monitors its agronomic, ecological and economic outcomes. It then turns the findings into practice and policy recommendations that other Montado farms can adopt.