From March 24 to 27, 2025, partners of the Organic Yields UP (OYUP) project came together in Pisa, Italy, for the project’s annual General Assembly Meeting, a three-day gathering, hosted at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and the Il Cerreto organic farm to reflect on the project’s progress and shape its next steps.
Recognising the consistent yield difference between organic and conventional farming, the project emphasises the importance of gathering and assessing existing knowledge, fostering stakeholder collaboration, and establishing a European-wide testing network for the improvement of organic yields. OYUP aims to increase yields in organic farming across diverse conditions and crops, in alignment with EU sustainability goals, therefore positioning organic farming as a pivotal sector of European agriculture for a sustainable and resilient future.
The meeting served as a dynamic platform for exchanging insights, aligning strategies, and fostering collaboration across the project’s extensive network. Sessions ranged from data analysis and planning to practical workshops and knowledge-sharing around innovative farming practices. The spotlight was on how to bridge the gap between research and on-farm application—ensuring that project findings are usable by organic farmers and their support/stakeholder networks.
The three-day programme unfolded in a clear arc, moving from reflection to action. The first day focused on reviewing and discussing the experimental organic arable yield data provided by the partners in the data collection phase across the project and introducing the concept of lighthouse farms—regional examples of organic farming practices that successfully enhance or stabilise yields. These sessions laid the groundwork for a shift toward practice-oriented collaboration. In the afternoon, ÖMKi facilitated an interactive Living Lab workshop that invited partners to reflect on stakeholder engagement, co-creation, and knowledge exchange in their national contexts. The second day was dedicated to group work, in which partners developed practical strategies for organising lighthouse farm visits and co-creation-based peer learning opportunities. Participants also discussed possibilities for transnational collaboration and regional “cross-visits.” The final day concluded with a session on project communication and dissemination, focused on how to make OYUP’s findings more accessible to the broader organic sector and relevant policy audiences.
The Living Lab workshop in Pisa was the second step in a structured training sequence developed by ÖMKi to support the OYUP consortium in applying Living Lab principles across their on-site research networks operated by project partners. While the first training, held online in September 2024, focused on building a shared understanding of the Living Lab concept—introducing its structure, approach and key methodological elements—this second session moved into a more practical space. Designed as an interactive and hands-on session, the in-person workshop invited partners to reflect on their network dynamics, explore co-creation challenges, and experiment with tools for stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange. The session used a conversation mapping approach to generate collaborative insights around governance, sustainability, and participation. One of the more widely shared challenges discussed was the difficulty of involving decision-makers and policy actors in network activities. Their institutional distance, shifting agendas, and limited time often make long-term engagement particularly difficult, despite their crucial role in enabling systemic change. At the same time, the session confirmed that value creation, trust, and continuity are essential for engagement at all levels—and that networks thrive when they are shaped not just around technical solutions but around human relationships and shared purpose.
Throughout the workshop, partners explored key questions about stakeholder roles, network sustainability, knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and improvements needed to ensure long-term collaboration. The visual, collaborative structure of the session allowed each group to build on the ideas of the previous one, surfacing recurring themes, challenges, and solutions across the project’s national contexts. Several insights stood out across the discussions. It became clear that value creation is fundamental to sustained stakeholder engagement. Farmers, advisors, and other stakeholders of the value chain are far more likely to stay involved when they perceive direct benefits, such as access to new knowledge, tools, or networks. Trust and long-term relationships were also emphasised as essential, often built through informal interaction over time. Meanwhile, participants noted that even small decisions—such as how and when events are scheduled or how their purpose is communicated—can significantly influence the inclusivity and effectiveness of stakeholder involvement.
The session also reinforced the value of field-based learning environments. Lighthouse farms, introduced earlier in the day, were widely seen as promising platforms for peer-to-peer exchange, co-learning, and applied experimentation. The workshop discussions emphasised that these visits should go beyond passive demonstration. Instead, they should foster co-creation at every step—from the selection of host farms to the facilitation of farmer-to-farmer dialogue during visits.
Over the following days, the ideas and themes raised in the Living Lab session continued to shape the overall conversation. Partners presented early examples of their selected lighthouse farms and began preparing for the regional workshops and cross-country exchanges planned for the months ahead. These activities will build on the project’s strong emphasis on co-creation, practical relevance, and collaborative learning.
The programme also included a short field visit to Il Cerreto, the organic farm that hosted part of the meeting. During the visit, partners had the opportunity to learn more about the farm’s operations directly from the manager, who explained the scale and diversity of their cropping systems. Il Cerreto, traditionally focused on arable and horticultural production, is currently in the process of transitioning to biodynamic practices and has recently integrated livestock into its system. Despite the farm’s success, maintaining and improving soil health remains a significant challenge. The issue of how to replenish and revitalise degraded soils is currently a major concern for the team. Beyond its agricultural activities, Il Cerreto also operates a restaurant that serves meals made from its own organic produce, and offers guest accommodations as part of its growing agrotourism initiative. The farm has its own processing and packaging facilities and produces over 30 different products—including five types of pasta, conserved vegetables such as chickpeas, cauliflower, and aubergines, as well as olive oil, cheeses, tomato sauce, purée, and sundried tomatoes—many of which are sold and shipped directly from the farm.
The meeting in Pisa marked a turning point in the project—signalling a transition from preparation to implementation and from concept development to on-the-ground action. The collaborative atmosphere, grounded in trust and exchange, reaffirmed the project’s commitment to participatory approaches and stakeholder-driven innovation in organic farming.
ÖMKi will continue to support this work by fostering Living Lab thinking within the project and helping to build bridges between researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers.
For more information about OYUP and ÖMKi’s role in the project, visit our project launch article.
