Create your own Living Lab to meet complex challenges in the agricultural sector

Living Labs (LL) are a promising tool for the agricultural sector. They were used in the context of the ROADMAP (Rethinking the use of antimicrobials in livestock production systems) project to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through reduced antimicrobial use (AMU). This is a complex issue, and it requires many stakeholders to be involved. Living Labs are user-centered, open innovation ecosystems based on a systematic user co-creation approach integrating research and innovation processes in real-life communities and settings (ENoLL). The goal of a Living Lab is to structure user participation in real-life settings.
“When the goal is to co-create and develop innovative solutions to complex problems or challenges in a given setting and solutions necessarily have to involve multiple stakeholders, LL will be a relevant option to consider.” The approach is different from an approach where innovations or novel ideas are only tested at the end of a development phase, read more on the ROADMAP page!

The ROADMAP project held 4 online training courses from January to April 2023. On their webpage, you can access educational content focused on different topics related to Antimicrobial Use (AMU) and its reduction, as well as other matters concerning the goals and key points of the ROADMAP project:

• Stable schools as a participatory method to work towards reduced AMU at the farm level

• Living lab methodologies and examples from working in agriculture

• On-farm multi-acto coaching

• Promoting preventive approaches to animal health

Access the courses here!