The Solvi’Terra Living Lab (Des sols vivants en Val de Drôme) brings together actors in the Drôme River valley southwestern France. It spans an area of 600 km2, with 22,000 ha of agricultural land. This area already forms part of the Biovallée initiative, a bioregion that for the last 30 years has united local stakeholders in efforts to pursue an ecological transition.  

The Val de Drôme region is home to a mix of agricultural systems such as field crops, aromatic plants, viticulture, livestock and woody crops. Intensive soil exploitation has contributed to the loss of organic matter, soil erosion and groundwater contamination in the region.  

Although there is a strong commitment towards an agroecological transition in the region (around 30% of farms in the area are organic), a projected increase in evapotranspiration combined with reduced rainfall and increased droughts pose challenges to the future sustainability in the sector.  

Challenges related to water resources and climate change will be addressed in the development of solutions and innovations to improve water retention capacity in agricultural soils using practices such as cover crop, green manure, agroforestry, and topographic elements will also be integrated. 

Project partners will lay out a network of test farms, advisors, agricultural research centres and rural development agencies to support such a plan and increase the likelihood of such a community-driven process resulting in better soil and water management in line with the EU’s Soil Mission.