GroundWork’s five Living Labs turn the project’s vision into action. They are collaborative hubs where regenerative livestock practices move from concept to implementation, allowing innovation to be tested, monitored, and scaled in real farming landscapes.
The Living Lab area sits in the northern foothills of the Alps a rolling landscape dominated by grassland used as pastures and meadows. Agriculture remains a key economic activity, with grassland farming and milk production dominating the sector. Despite the small-scale, diverse landscapes, traditional agriculture has become increasingly industrialised, and pastoral farming has declined significantly. In Bavaria, pasture use dropped to only 17% in 2019. At the same time, the Alpine region is experiencing temperature increases above the global average, placing grassland ecosystems under growing pressure from climate change.
The region faces a combination of economic, social, political, and ecological pressures. Economically, dairy farming is declining, and meat consumption is falling, compounded by broader crises. Social and political challenges include structural changes in rural areas, land consumption, conflicts of interest between agriculture and other stakeholders, and complex regulations. Ecologically, grasslands are under pressure from climate change, soil erosion, floods, droughts, and loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Producers need alternatives to conventional high-input systems and new business models that reward soil regeneration and resilience.
The region faces a combination of economic, social, political, and ecological pressures. Economically, dairy farming is declining, and meat consumption is falling, compounded by broader crises. Social and political challenges include structural changes in rural areas, land consumption, conflicts of interest between agriculture and other stakeholders, and complex regulations. Ecologically, grasslands are under pressure from climate change, soil erosion, floods, droughts, and loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Producers need alternatives to conventional high-input systems and new business models that reward soil regeneration and resilience.
The German Living Lab focuses on the region’s grassland and dairy systems, where grazing has declined and industrialized practices dominate. It brings together dairy farms to test regenerative grazing, soil-friendly forage systems, and low-till management, combining scientific knowledge with practical experience. Techniques are co-designed with farmers to enhance soil health, ecosystem resilience, and farm profitability, providing locally relevant alternatives to conventional high-input systems while addressing the economic, social, and ecological challenges of the region.
Core partners from science, environment and civil society:
University Augsburg (science) and HOCHSCHULE WEIHENSTEPHAN-TRIESDORF (environment partner), LANDREGEN E.V. (NGO) and Bereich Zentrale Aufgaben der Bayerischen Verwaltung für Ländliche Entwicklung (authority).
Third-party contributors:
Scientific Advisory Board of the Bavarian Academy for Rural Areas (ARL) (academia), the Bavarian Academy for Nature Conservation & Landscape Management (environment), HeimatUnternehmen Allgäu (NGO), European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (farmers) and Initiative Bodenständig (policy).
