Learning at the Lighthouse Farm Academy Soil Health Workshop in Austria

Last week, we had the chance to take part in the Lighthouse Farm Academy soil health workshop in Austria, hosted at Grand Farm, the pioneering organic farm of Alfred Grand and a fellow member of the Global Network of Lighthouse Farms.

It was a great opportunity to connect with people who share the same drive to change farming for the better, to learn from leading experts, and to bring home insights that help us strengthen the way we farm in our fields.

We spent over five days in the field, learning by touch and sight, as well as in the classroom, debating case studies and designing practical frameworks in group sessions, digging into one of farming’s most important questions: what does healthy soil really mean, and how do we measure, monitor, and improve it in practice?

We dug into soil health indicators, learning to see the soil beyond its chemistry, but as a living system with biodiversity at its heart. We talked about how to set baselines and define goals for soil health, not in the abstract, but in ways that make sense for each farm, each field, and by that, each context.

Together we explored soil health functions, grouped into five bundles:

• nutrient cycling,
• productivity,
• climate regulation,
• water regulation, and
• habitat provision (closely linked to biodiversity).



When soil functions as a living ecosystem, productivity follows naturally.

This workshop also reminded us that collaboration is essential. Scientists and policymakers can provide knowledge and frameworks, but real, lasting improvement only happens when farmers themselves define how to manage their soils. If solutions are imposed from the outside, they rarely last. But if they are co-created, rooted in the farmer’s reality, they can stick and grow.



For us, these insights reinforce what we already believe: soil health is the foundation of everything. And looking ahead, this was also a moment of preparation. We’re proud to be part of this global network, and even more excited to host a Farm Lab at our own farm in Serbia.

When the time comes, we’ll open our fields to others to learn, question, and test ideas with us. We want to share not only the practices that work, but also the challenges we face and the lessons we’ve learned along the way, because building a more sustainable food system is a global challenge that needs many perspectives, practical solutions, and above all, the willingness to learn from each other.

We’d love to share what we learn with you.

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