Practical Guidance for Sustainable Strategies

The PREPSOIL Business Model Canvas (BMC) for Soil Living Labs (LLs) and Lighthouses (LHs) is a tailor-made tool created to support these initiatives in designing strategies for long-term stability. Built with the specific needs of Soil LLs and LHs in mind, the canvas offers a structured yet flexible framework to guide decision-making and communicate value to stakeholders.   []

Real-World Insights, Rooted in Practice

As part of the PREPSOIL process, practical insights were gathered across a range of activities supporting LL and LH business model development. These examples reflect the lived experience of LLs and have been mapped to the various elements of the BMC.

To help users navigate this knowledge, the insights have been classified based on their relevance:

  • Common to all LLs – insights that apply regardless of the LL’s theme or land use context
  • Common to Soil LLs – applicable to any LL focused on soil-related challenges
  • Land use-specific – tailored for LLs working in agriculture, forestry, (post-)industrial, or (peri-)urban settings

Explore the Filterable Catalogue

In this page, you'll find a filterable catalogue of insights linked to specific BMC elements and spheres of intervention. You can browse by:

  • Land Use Focus – agriculture, forestry, (post-)industrial, or (peri-)urban
  • Element – e.g., Key Stakeholders, Value Proposition, Revenue Streams
  • Sphere of Intervention – thematic focus within each element

For example, an agricultural LL looking for real-world insights of private sector engagement can select “Agriculture” under the Focus filter, and “Private Sector” under the 4. Key Stakeholders element.

These insights are intended to guide and inspire LLs and LHs as they build their own business models—recognizing that each lab’s ambition, capacity, and local context is unique.

Projects funded under the EU Mission Soil initiative should also ensure that their business models reflect the objectives outlined in the Mission Soil Implementation Plan, as well as the land use type they aim to address. This focus is essential for shaping effective and sustainable strategies.

Additional Resources

PREPSOIL Report on LL/LH Business Model Plans (D4.2)

A deeper dive into the methodology and development process behind the BMC.

Business Model Canvas for Soil Living Labs and Lighthouses: A Guide for Users

Detailed instructions and guiding questions for completing each section of the canvas.

 

Agricultural LLs accelerate the development of new solutions to tackle soil health problems by bringing together innovative farmers and citizens, researchers and companies. Solutions can for instance be new climate smart sustainable soil management practices to mitigate and/or adapt to climate change, or adaptations of existing practices needed to deal with local constraints. Further, a structured collaboration with potential investors as well as regulators and authorities fosters a faster development and upscaling of solutions and removal of barriers of their implementation

Agricultural land use type
Public Value

LLs accelerate the development of innovative solutions to soil health challenges by uniting farmers, citizens, researchers, and companies. This collaboration fosters fair and sustainable, regionally-produced food, while enhancing soil health and crucial ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation, flood prevention, and erosion control. By promoting agroecology and beneficial soil health practices, Living Labs boost soil biodiversity and fertility, reducing soil degradation in arable lands, grasslands, and forests. This approach not only creates sustainable livelihoods for farmers, especially younger generations, but also drives sustainable forest soil management, ensuring a resilient and healthy ecosystem for future generations

Agricultural land use type
Public Value