The PREPSOIL Business Model Canvas (BMC) for Living Labs (LLs) & Lighthouses (LHs) in the Mission Soil is a tailor-made tool that considers the specificities of Soil LLs and LHs to support and inspire these initiatives to find a strategy for their long-term sustainability.  []

To achieve this, the PREPSOIL BMC offers practical examples based on different exercises conducted in the PREPSOIL project. These examples can be found below and can be filtered according to different soil uses (agriculture, forestry, (post-)industrial, and (peri-)urban), as well as different elements, and spheres of intervention within each of the elements.

These examples are to serve as guidance and inspiration for the design of Business Models for Soil LLs, acknowledging the uniqueness of each of them in terms of the ambition, capacities, and context in which the LL operates.

For more information on the BMC methodology please see PREPSOIL Report on LL/LH business model plans (D4.2)

For a step-by-step guide on how to use the BMC see Business Model Canvas for Soil Living Labs and Lighthouses: A guide for users

Download your working copy of the BMC here

PREPSOIL BMC

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

Agriculture and agrifood experts

Agricultural land use type
HHRR & Expertise

In case the LL counts on value chain analyses as part of the performance, number of restaurants, food shops and canteens involved, as well as number of products labelled to reward fair practices

Agricultural land use type
Economic

Average increase in quality products and farm profitability

Agricultural land use type
Economic

Satisfaction rate of farmers

Agricultural land use type
Economic

Number of farmers using the LL

Agricultural land use type
Social

Number of demo farms as part of the experiment sites of a LL

Agricultural land use type
Social

Percentage of farms that have guaranteed their generational relay for sustainability and long-term thinking

Agricultural land use type
Social

Number of farms practicing good soil practices (e.g. agroecology)

Agricultural land use type
Social

Increased and more resilient food production and other systems linked to ecosystem services

Agricultural land use type
Economic

Farm profitability remains stable or increased

Agricultural land use type
Economic

Resilient local value chains to share healthy and sustainable food

Agricultural land use type
Economic