On the 7th of July a meeting was held in Arborea with the Italian Partners and Associated Partner of the MedRESOURCE initiative to strengthen the link between field experimentation, capacity building and the innovation pathway of the Sardinian user-centered Living Lab.
The operational meeting saw the participation of ENAS, CRENoS representatives and the Cooperative’s Director, Dr. Marco Peterle, to discuss the next steps of the Arborea Living Lab and the role of the local production system in the development of project activities.
The meeting represented an important step in the implementation of the activities coordinated by the ENAS team, with particular attention to the field experimentation planned in Arborea. The discussion focused on the identification of the experimental fields where the products obtained from the pilot plant will be tested, together with the related monitoring activities on water, soil and agricultural production.
This work is central to the Living Lab serving as an open platform for environmental innovation because it connects technological testing with the concrete conditions of use in an agricultural area of high environmental relevance. Arborea is located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, where any innovation linked to nutrient recovery must be assessed in relation to water protection, soil quality, agronomic performance and the sustainability of farming practices.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to broaden the discussion beyond the field trials. In light of the issues connected with the Living Lab, the CRENoS team discussed with the Cooperative the main areas of interest to be developed within the local capacity-building activities and the international study visits planned by MedRESOURCE.
The discussion addressed the evolving framework on fertilisers, soil improvers, water protection. Energy was also discussed as an increasingly strategic issue for farms and territorial value chains. In agricultural systems such as Arborea, water, nutrients, energy and production costs are closely connected. This makes it necessary to consider the circular economy not as a single technical solution, but as part of a broader transition involving resource efficiency, environmental protection and the economic resilience of farms.
The exchange made it possible to reflect on the knowledge, skills and forms of cooperation that can support the innovation pathway of the Arborea system. Particular attention was given to the needs of the local production sector and to the possible involvement of additional stakeholders able to contribute to the consolidation of the Living Lab, including institutions, technical bodies, agricultural operators, experts, schools and organisations working on agriculture, water resources and energy.
The Cooperative expressed particular interest in the opportunities for exchange with the partner countries involved in MedRESOURCE. The international study visits can offer the Arborea system concrete opportunities to engage with other Mediterranean territories working on related challenges: wastewater and sludge management, nutrient recovery, water scarcity, agricultural sustainability and the search for circular solutions adapted to local contexts.
This Mediterranean dimension is particularly relevant because innovation does not emerge only from the application of a technology. It also depends on the capacity to compare experiences, understand different regulatory and environmental conditions, identify transferable solutions and build relationships between actors facing similar pressures from different starting points. For Arborea, the exchange with the project partners can support both technical learning and institutional reflection on how to accompany the transition towards more sustainable resource management.
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