The Aegean Living Lab process unites actors on the Greek island of Lesvos in the Aegean Sea. The island is home to a typical Aegan climate and topography and much of the rural farmland is dominated by olive production. However, due to the hilly landscape, shallow soils, climate change and the abandonment of farming, the region is highly susceptible to soil degradation, mainly loss of organic matter, erosion and desertification. On the other hand, because of the Syrian conflict, in 2015 Lesvos became a hotspot for migration fluxes. This has brought media attention to the island, sparking political and economic support that is creating the right conditions for socio-economic transformation. 

The Aegean Living Lab builds upon an existing scheme established in the area within the framework of Mara-Mediterra project (PRIMA), which addresses desertification. This, along with other similar projects, lays solid base of potential collaborators and demonstration farms, and most importantly, it became clear that a lighthouse for regenerative olive production was present on the island, which is already influencing local farmers. 

 The Aegean lab will see the convergence of the strong political support and the experience of the national Soil and Water Resources Institute, in support of this bottom-up movement for agricultural regeneration that is emerging on the island.