1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Approach

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Approach (if relevant)

NEW LIFE Project (NEW LIFE)

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Approach (if relevant)

m.c.m Ecosistemi (m.c.m Ecosistemi)

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

When were the data compiled (in the field)?

05/09/2023

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

1.4 Reference(s) to Questionnaire(s) on SLM Technologies

2.1 Short description of the Approach

Reconstitution of soils is a patented pedotechnology that brings benefits to degraded soils. Simultaneously, it raises awareness of the potential of restoring soil fertility through recycling. The approach starts with the identification of the soil issue, and the technology is then planned, implemented and promoted through a consortium.

2.2 Detailed description of the Approach

Detailed description of the Approach:

The approach to reconstitution of soils is guided and led by m.c.m. Ecosistemi in its role as a consortium leader, together with land users, soil experts and local authorities. Reconstitution of soils is a patented pedotechnology that brings benefits to degraded, barren and desertified soils. Simultaneously, it helps raise awareness of the potential of recycling in restoration of soil as part of a “circular economy”.
The technology of soil reconstitution arose about 20 years ago from a concept, later patented by Ecosistemi, to fight soil degradation through the guiding principle of recycling environmental suitable waste. From its conception until now, reconstitution has been improved and implemented through a consortium involving Ecosistemi, soil scientists, land users, farmers, and local authorities – while being supported by various national, European and international research projects.
To explain the approach in detail, one project more than any other has been central to demonstrating and promoting the technology: the EU project “New Life” (https://www.lifeplusecosistemi.eu/). The planning, application and monitoring phases under the New Life project are the same each time that reconstitution is the tool employed to restore an area.
To take one example under the New Life project, the intervention area was about 20 hectares in the Trebbia River Park (in the city of Piacenza, Italy). In the 1980s it was a landfill site for solid urban waste. When the landfill was closed, the waste was covered by a thin layer of soil on which rehabilitation efforts were carried out though planting trees and shrubs. However, these interventions, due to the poor quality of the soil used, failed, leaving the area in a state of continued degradation.
Some years later, after evaluating the state of the area, Ecosistemi proposed reconstitution as a potential tool for land restoration. As the land was a public area and large, it was necessary to find funding to support the restoration. Ecosistemi therefore contacted the University of Piacenza and local authorities to create a consortium, and after discussions Ecosistemi searched for funding opportunities. A proposal was drawn up for a restoration project which was then presented for funding under a EU programme and approved (https://www.lifeplusecosistemi.eu/). This then provided the go-ahead for successful restoration to form a recreational area.
Based this experience, the prototype for the approach to reconstitution of soils can be summarized as:
1) Identification of degraded land - through alerts from farmers and/ or local authorities and/ or universities;
2) Creation of a consortium;
3) Searching for funding opportunities (by the consortium), but if no funding is found, Ecosistemi prepares a profit and loss account using different scenarios to evaluate whether restoration is viable;
4) Assessing the soils threats to be solved - by the consortium;
5) Ecosistemi develops plans for implementation, based on core principles and practices of soil restoration;
6) Application of the restoration technology by Ecosistemi;
7) Monitoring of results by Ecosistemi and soil experts of the consortium;
8) Dissemination of the results through scientific articles, articles in local newspapers, interviews and in schools - by the consortium.

2.3 Photos of the Approach

2.4 Videos of the Approach

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Approach has been applied

2.6 Dates of initiation and termination of the Approach

2.7 Type of Approach

• research, growth, innovation

2.8 Main aims/ objectives of the Approach

The reconstitution of soils approach, whose guiding principle is the "circular economy", copes with land degradation and desertification. The approach's aim is to support the implementation of the "reconstitution of soils" technology , creating a consortium of soil experts, local authorities and people with the aim of restoring degraded land, sealed soils, soils with low chemical and/ or physical fertility.

2.9 Conditions enabling or hindering implementation of the Technology/ Technologies applied under the Approach

3.1 Stakeholders involved in the Approach and their roles

3.2 Involvement of local land users/ local communities in the different phases of the Approach

	Involvement of local land users/ local communities	Specify who was involved and describe activities
initiation/ motivation	interactive	Iniziation of the approach started from the identification of the threat to be solved and so local users are key actors
planning	interactive	Planning is made by all the stakeholders of the approach leading by Ecosistemi
implementation	none	Implementation is carried out only by m.c.m. Ecosistemi
monitoring/ evaluation	interactive	They take part in monitoring the results about for example their perception of a restored land after the application of the approach

3.3 Flow chart (if available)

3.4 Decision-making on the selection of SLM Technology/ Technologies

Specify who decided on the selection of the Technology/ Technologies to be implemented:

• all relevant actors, as part of a participatory approach

Explain:

Ecosistemi, as it is the leader of the approach, decides about the implementation of Reconstitution of Soils Approach because only they have the whole knowledge about Reconstitution of Soils and soil threats

Specify on what basis decisions were made:

• evaluation of well-documented SLM knowledge (evidence-based decision-making)
• research findings
• personal experience and opinions (undocumented)

4.1 Capacity building/ training

Was training provided to land users/ other stakeholders?

Yes

Specify who was trained:

• field staff/ advisers

If relevant, specify gender, age, status, ethnicity, etc.

Gender is inclusive; everyone can be trained

Form of training:

• on-the-job
• demonstration areas
• public meetings

Subjects covered:

Natural soil management, organic matter conservation, reconstituted soil management, agricultural management

4.2 Advisory service

Do land users have access to an advisory service?

Yes

Specify whether advisory service is provided:

• on land users' fields
• at permanent centres

Describe/ comments:

Training on natural and reconstituted soils management, on soil degradation processes, on the production process used by company providing waste to be tested in the approach

4.3 Institution strengthening (organizational development)

Have institutions been established or strengthened through the Approach?

• yes, moderately

Specify the level(s) at which institutions have been strengthened or established:

• local
• regional

Describe institution, roles and responsibilities, members, etc.

Local and regional institutions such as municipality and trade associations, have the roles of the dissemination of the results through people and of financial support

Specify type of support:

• financial

• dissemination

Give further details:

Search for funding opportunities (regional projects): dissemination of the results through articles in local newspapers and/ or interviews

4.4 Monitoring and evaluation

Is monitoring and evaluation part of the Approach?

Yes

Comments:

Soil monitoring and evaluation are the only way to know if the technology is able to solve soil problem to cope with. After that the obtained results can be disseminated and so to eventually find a new area to start a new implementation

If yes, is this documentation intended to be used for monitoring and evaluation?

Yes

Comments:

Every implementation is the base for a new project and to increase the development of the approach

4.5 Research

Was research part of the Approach?

Yes

Specify topics:

• economics / marketing
• ecology
• technology

Give further details and indicate who did the research:

All the research is be done by m.c.m. Ecosistemi sometimes together with local institutions and/ or soil experts; the topics of the research are: chemico-physical and microbiological soils parameters, soils uses, circular economy, soil management and yield, laboratory soil analysis, suitable waste, vegetation indices, and soil fertility.

5.1 Annual budget for the SLM component of the Approach

If precise annual budget is not known, indicate range:

• 100,000-1,000,000

Comments (e.g. main sources of funding/ major donors):

this annual budget originates from New Life project (https://www.lifeplusecosistemi.eu/) and it covers the restoration of a 10 ha land, involving 8-10 people, and all the other associated aspects of the approach.

5.2 Financial/ material support provided to land users

Did land users receive financial/ material support for implementing the Technology/ Technologies?

Yes

If yes, specify type(s) of support, conditions, and provider(s):

Subsidies from funding programs based on a research project

5.3 Subsidies for specific inputs (including labour)

• labour

• equipment

If labour by land users was a substantial input, was it:

• paid in cash

5.4 Credit

Was credit provided under the Approach for SLM activities?

No

5.5 Other incentives or instruments

Were other incentives or instruments used to promote implementation of SLM Technologies?

No

6.1 Impacts of the Approach

6.2 Main motivation of land users to implement SLM

6.3 Sustainability of Approach activities

Can the land users sustain what has been implemented through the Approach (without external support)?

• yes

If yes, describe how:

The whole process, thanks to the monitoring phase (studies of the successful results), can be upscaled because every implementation of the technology becomes the starting point for a new challenge

6.4 Strengths/ advantages of the Approach

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
Strengths: - to join different skills; - promotion of the technology
Advantages: - a consortium has a greater chance of finding funding
Opportunities: - awareness raising about the connection of circular economy and soil restoration; - to create a network of soil experts to counter soil degradation

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Strengths: - join skills
Advantages: - to promote the technology in scientific community and farmers
Opportunities: - dissemination to test the approach in different land - reusing different suitable waste thanks to agro-industrial connection - to create a network of soil experts

6.5 Weaknesses/ disadvantages of the Approach and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
Weaknesses: - Italian bureaucracy regarding the use of waste	to explain to local authorities that all the waste used are environmental suitable and always monitored
Disadvantages: - long time from the submission of the project to commission evaluation	making a test plot using a pilot reconstitution plant
Risks: - financial difficult if the consortium and the project presented for funding is rejected	profit and loss account to evaluate if the restoration can be made exploring different scenarios

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
Weaknesses: - financial difficult if the consortium and the project presented for funding is rejected	profit and loss account to evaluate if different scenarios
Disadvantages: - time from the submission of the project to commission evaluation	pilot test in a smaller scale
Risks: - Italian bureaucracy regarding use of waste	to explain to local authorities that all the waste used are environmental suitable and always monitored

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

The reconstitution pedotechnique: Applications, Manfredi P., Cassinari C., Trevisan M., 10.1016/j.eti.2021.102246

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

The reconstitution: environmental restoration assessment by means of LCC and FCC, 10.6092/issn.2281-4485/8500

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Trees and shrubs monitoring using an ecological approach: the conclusion of the restoration project of Borgotrebbia landfill (Northern Italy), Manfredi P., Cassinari C., Meloni F., Stragliati L., Trevisan M., Giupponi L., 10.31031/EAES.2019.06.000635

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

A new technology to restore soil fertility: Reconstitution, Manfredi P., Cassinari C., Francaviglia R., Trevisan M., 10.12871/00021857201933

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Growth and yield response of tomato (Solarium lycopersicum L.) to soil reconstitution technology, Manfredi P., Cassinari C., Gatti M., Trevisan M., 10.12871/00021857201916

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Test on the effects of reconstituted soil on emergency speed and root growth in maize, Manfredi P., Cassinari C., Salvi R., Battaglia R., Marocco A., Trevisan M., 10.1515/contagri-2018-0035

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Osservazione di Lycogala terrestre Fr. e Stemonitis axifera (Bull.) T. Macr. su suoli ricostituiti sabbiosi, Manfredi P., Salvi R., Bersan M., Cassinari C., Marocco A., Trevisan M.

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Relationship between hydraulic properties and plant coverage of the closed-landfill soils in Piacenza (Po Valley, Italy), Cassinari C., Manfredi P., Giupponi L., Trevisan M., Piccini C., 10.5194/se-6-929-2015

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Soil temperature fluctuations in a degraded and in a reconstituted soil, Manfredi P., Cassinari C., Trevisan M., ISBN 20385625

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Confronto tra dati produttivi di mais coltivato su terre ricostituite e terre naturali, Manfredi P., Tassi D., Cassinari C.

Available from where? Costs?

Scientific Journal

7.3 Links to relevant information which is available online

Title/ description:

Ecosistemi web site

URL:

www.mcmecosistemi.com

Title/ description:

Paolo Manfredi ResearchGate

URL:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paolo-Manfredi-2

Title/ description:

Chiara Cassinari ResearchGate

URL:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chiara-Cassinari

Title/ description:

All the publications with DOI mentioned above

Title/ description:

Ecosistemi YouTube channel

URL:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOloFv-BLgvIVt9kBZuZyZg