Living Labs

Living Labs are a participatory tool increasingly applied in Europe for the involvement of users in technology development.

DESIRA Living Labs are 20 networks of stakeholders established across Europe and selected to represent a variety of agricultural, rural and forestry domains. They are constituted around a focal question (e.g. How to reduce the risk of forest fires?) and will co-develop ideas, scenarios, digital storytelling outputs, and socio-technical solutions related to digitalisation. Interaction in the networks will be based on both face-to-face and online activities.

1. Oosterwold (NL)
Local markets
2. Central Ostrobothnia (FI)
Circular economy
3. Rhineland-Palatinate (DE)
Communication and gender
4. Rural Poland (PL)
Participation
5. Latvia (LV)
Digital marketing

6. Lake Constance (DE)
Organic fruit production
7. Austria (AT)
Wood traceability
8. North Great Plain (HU)
SMEs in rural areas
9. Switzerland (CH)
Organic farming
10. Northern Greece (GR)
Smart rural communities

11. Trikala (GR)
Water management
12. Adriatic Region (HR)
Tourism
13. Apennine Region (IT)
Firewood traceability
14. Tuscany (IT)
Land management
15. Andalucia (ES)
Forest fires
16. Aragon (ES)
Rural attractiveness

17. New Aquitaine (FR)
Digital wine sector
18. Burgundy-Franche-Comté (FR)
Agroecological transition
19. Scotland (GB)
SMEs in rural areas
20. West Flanders (BE)
Livestock production
21. Cloughjordan (IE)
Local livelihoods

1. Oosterwold, The Netherlands

The Living Lab will look at how to organise short food supply initiatives that can contribute to a more sustainable local food system, alongside strengthening the ties between Oosterwold and Almere in The Netherlands.

2. Central Ostrobothnia, Finland

The Living Lab will study the impact of digitalisation in the bioeconomy sector, by focusing on the sustainable transition from an agricultural-based rural society to a smarter-based rural environment.

3. Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

The Living Lab will address how to increase communication possibilities across application domains in villages and how to facilitate access for women, by involving mayors of municipalities, local communities and SMEs.

4. Rural Poland

In rural Poland, the Living Lab will look at how to enhance participation in rural planning and how can digitalisation improve the involvement of local communities in spatial planning processes in the Lodz region.

5. Latvia

The Living Lab will look to facilitate the change in how beef cattle farmers use digital technologies to communicate with consumers in terms of presenting beef cattle farmers’ practices, product and farming impacts to them.

6. Lake Constance, Germany

The Living Lab will look at how to improve the overall sustainability of the organic fruit production value chain by involving local and national organic agriculture associations, regional governmental agencies and other relevant stakeholders.

7. Austria

The Living Lab will look at how to provide digital tools to support the wood traceability over the entire process lifecycle, in compliance with the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR).

8. North Great Plain, Hungary

In the North Great Plain region (Hungary), the Living Lab will explore how to improve the performance of SMEs located in rural areas, by involving farmers, SMEs, advisors and researchers.

9. Switzerland

The Swiss Living Lab will address issues related to the control of weeds in organic farming, by involving farmers, advisors and researchers.

10. Northern Greece

The Living Lab will look at how to make improvements in the use of tools to achieve the transition to smart rural community.

11. Trikala, Greece

The Living Lab will address the improvement of the efficiency of water management in rural areas, by involving water utilities, regional administration and the city of Trikala.

12. Adriatic Region, Croatia

In the Croatian Adriatic Region, the Living Lab will explore how to connect sustainable small farmers to tourists and consumers.

13. Apennine Region, Italy

The Living Lab will look at what digital tools can support the wood traceability over the entire process lifecycle (in compliance with the EU Timber Regulation).

14. Tuscany, Italy

The Living Lab will look at how to improve the communication between local authorities, farmers and citizens in relation to rivers/water course maintenance, to prevent hydro-geological risk.

15. Andalucia, Spain

Andalucia’s Living Lab will look at how digitalisation can help to reduce the risk of forest fires, by involving public administrations, local civil protection agency, fires fighters and technological enterprises working on fire prevention and suppression.

16. Aragon, Spain

The Living Lab will look at how technology can help to increase the attractiveness of the territory, while preserving the natural resources and environment of the rural regions of Maestrazgo and Gúdar-Javalambre.

17. New Aquitaine, France

The Living Lab aims to contribute and support the digital transition within the wine sector in the New Aquitaine region, aligning the different actors of the wine value chain.

18. Burgundy-Franche-Comté, France

The main goal of teh Living Lab is to contribute to and support the digital agriculture and agroecological transition in the region in order to move towards a more sustainable agriculture.

19. Scotland, United Kingdom

The Living Lab will look at how to improve the performance of SMEs located in rural areas, by assessing how digitalisation might impact crofts over the coming years – either positively or negatively.

20. West Flanders, Belgium

In West Flanders, the Living Lab will look into the impact of digital technologies on intensive livestock production, by involving actors of the intensive livestock production chain and policy-makers.

21. Cloughjordan, Ireland

The Living Lab will look at how digital tools enable collaboration between colleagues and partners, educators and students, and producers and consumers, in the context of a community enterprise centre in Cloughjordan Ecovillage in rural Ireland, and how these changes contribute to local livelihoods, rural regeneration, local supply chains, and reducing carbon emissions.