GROUND2LIVE – A European living lab for improved soil cover in vegetable production

From September 29 to October 1, 2025, the official launch of the European research project GROUND2LIVE took place with a three-day kick-off meeting at the Flemish Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) in Belgium.

All project partners from across Europe came together to discuss the objectives, tasks and cooperation in the project. Over the next three years, GROUND2LIVE will develop and test innovative strategies for soil cover in vegetable production in order to strengthen the resilience of vegetable farms to climate change, reduce erosion and nutrient losses and improve soil health.

The project is funded as part of the European Agroecology Partnership and brings together research institutions, advisory organizations and farms from seven European countries. The focus is on so-called real laboratories in which farmers, advisors and scientists jointly develop and test practical agroecological solutions, such as the cultivation of catch crops or the establishment of undersown crops.

The kick-off meeting offered the partners the opportunity to coordinate their research activities, exchange experiences and intensify their collaboration. As part of the event, the consortium visited the trial fields of the project partners ILVO and INAGRO in Belgium as well as one of the participating pilot farms to learn about practical examples of undersowing in vegetable crops.

GROUND2LIVE runs from May 2025 to April 2028 and contributes to the transition to more sustainable and climate-resilient vegetable production systems in Europe.