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Agricultural production which typically places a higher emphasis on environmental and wildlife protection and, with regard to livestock production, on measures that are supposedly animal welfare friendly. Organic production aims at more holistic production management systems for crops and livestock, emphasizing on-farm management practices over off-farm inputs. This involves avoiding, or largely reducing, the use of synthetic chemicals such as inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, medicinal products, replacing them, wherever possible, with cultural, biological and mechanical methods. Organic producers explicitly aim to develop an allegedly healthier, fertile soil by growing and rotating a mixture of crops and using clover to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. The production of genetically-modified (GM) crops and their use in animal feed is banned. In the context of European Union (EU) statistics, farming is considered to be organic if it complies with Regulation 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products. The detailed rules for the implementation of this Regulation are laid down in Regulation 889/2008. 

The ability of an ecosystem to maintain diversity, integrity and ecological processes following disturbance (i.e. by returning to its initial state after stress). 

As well as the “open ecosystem” of the Living Labs, the GOV4ALL Project will establish physical service hubs in the target areas, which will contribute to the creation of innovative Rural Regeneration Hubs. These Hubs will guide the implementation of soil management solutions but also encourage long-lasting business models and entrepreneurship in the regions, which will benefit both the soil and the environment and local inhabitants. 

A scientific discipline dealing with living components of soils, which are represented mainly by bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods and earthworms as well as by mammals. 

A measure of the ability of soil to provide plants with sufficient amount of nutrients and water, and a suitable medium for root development to assure proper plant growth and maturity.

The capacity of a specific kind of soil to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and support human health and habitation. 

Holistic approach to understanding complex systems. Emphasises the interconnectedness and interdependence of components within a system and seeks to identify patterns, relationships, and feedback loops that govern system behaviour. 

Considers how individual elements interact with each other and with their broader environment, leading to emergent behaviours and unexpected outcomes. 

Example: Systems thinking can be illustrated through a forest ecosystem. When considering the decline of a certain tree species, we must look at the interconnected components rather than the tree in isolation. Fewer trees lead to less habitat for pollinators, disrupting pollination and reducing fruit production. Consequently, fewer animals visit the area to forage, affecting the entire food chain and ecosystem balance. This demonstrates how one event impacts multiple elements within the system. 

How the system needs to change and how an organisation’s actions are presumed to lead to or unlock key parts of that transformation. Describes how and why a particular intervention or strategy leads to a specific set of outcomes or long-term goals. Helps to clarify the underlying assumptions, causal pathways, and the expected results of an initiative. 

In a Theory of Change, resources (inputs) are utilised to execute specific actions (activities). These actions produce immediate, tangible results (planned outputs). These outputs lead to short-term and medium-term changes (desired outcomes), which ultimately contribute to significant long-term benefits (desired impacts). The assumed relationship outlines the progression from inputs to impacts, ensuring each step effectively builds on the previous one to achieve the overall goals. 

Example: In an environmental conservation program, funding, conservation experts, and community volunteers are utilised. These inputs support reforestation projects and community clean-up events. The immediate outputs are trees planted and areas cleaned up. These activities lead to improved local ecosystems and greater community engagement, which eventually enhance biodiversity and create sustainable natural habitats. Theory U 

Theory U is a change management system with a five-step process that where (1) we first connect to the common intent that brings us together – the why. We then move (2) into a profound attempt to understand the world that lies outside of our organisational or individual periphery. Then, (3) the process of presencing is a critical step, in which we pause and ask what is needed to be let go of, or to be let in, to achieve true transformative change. Next, we start (4) to build on the collective understanding and applying any new principles identified in the presencing stage into collective action. We start to prototype and co-create possible solutions to the challenge. Finally, (5) through this co-creation process, we start to collectively embody the new system that wants to emerge, and the system begins to evolve. In this sense it is very much parallel and mirroring the 5 elements. (COMMONLAND)