Collaboration and innovation for soil health
Nestled between three busy roads in northeast Bristol, Grow Wilder is a unique, small haven for people and wildlife.
Run by the Avon Wildlife Trust, Grow Wilder’s six acres of regenerative food growing, ponds, woodlands and wildflowers welcomes in the community and inspires groups to connect with each other, engage with nature, and take action for wilder spaces around the UK.
This inspiring setting made Grow Wilder the perfect location to launch our new module for the NBSOIL Academy. NBSOIL (short for Nature-Based Solutions for Soil Management) is an EU-funded research and innovation project to promote Nature-based Solutions and skill up soil advisors. The project is creating a free-to-access ‘NBSOIL Academy’ for people across Europe interested to learn more about improving soil health in different contexts, sustainable management practices, and methods to bring this work to life.
Grow Wilder, Bristol, where we hosted our launch event
Launching a new module on Living Labs
Soil Association has developed a module focusing on co-creation with a special focus on Living Labs, a framework that can support the development of innovative projects and practices. The module draws inspiration from our Innovative Farmers programme. This module introduces methods to work collectively to innovate, experiment and develop projects (from initial idea to completion). It also has an in-depth section on one of the most talked about models in Europe nowadays, the ‘Living Lab’ model. To bring ideas and tools to life, the module shares real-life case studies from our own farmer-led research and our partners in Europe.
In late October, 14 soil health practitioners, project leaders and enthusiasts gathered at Grow Wilder to delve into the module content and discuss Living Labs as a framework for innovations around soil health. From PhD students of farmer-led research to individuals setting up community orchards, the attendees came from a range of backgrounds but found lots of shared connections.
We all enjoyed a nourishing lunch from Two Trees Catering over new connections
Co-creation for soil health
Our Knowledge Exchange Manager Ana Allamand, who is involved with the NBSOIL project at the Soil Association, facilitated the day and navigated us through the framework of Living Labs. While concepts and frameworks for co-creation can sometimes feel abstract, Ana’s insights helped to illustrate how theory can be put into practice. We heard that some are not accustomed to consciously considering the tools and methods they use. A significant portion of the day was itself a testament to co-creation, as participants were encouraged to contribute their own knowledge and experiences from their backgrounds and projects. By the end of the day, we had gained so much knowledge from the many projects in the room, and even had a chance to deep-dive into one project specifically through a ‘network mapping activity’.
After sharing lunch, we visited one participant’s project ‘Street Goat’, which encourages community members to care for livestock in urban spaces.
The day ended with a positive buzz, as people were keen to stay engaged and shared their ideas for collaboration. For example, one participant used a soil sampling software that perfectly met another’s needs at their unique peri-urban site. The event embodied the ethos of Living Labs: creating a space that facilitated collaboration and supported ideas to be developed for improving soil health.
Find out more
The new module on Living Labs has now launched. If you’d like to explore it, along with other modules on the foundations of soil health created by experts across Europe, sign up for the NBSOIL Academy today.