The term "lighthouse farm" has been increasingly used in the past few years, and our Global Network of Lighthouse Farms isn't the only initiative bringing exemplary farms together. For this reason, we convened six of such lighthouse farm initiatives in 2025 for a Lighthouse Farm Summit, hosted by our Global Network of Lighthouse Farms at Wageningen University & Research, with the ambition to collate best practice and give guidance to other initiatives.
This resulted in the following document, which collates the lessons learned from six lighthouse farm initiatives (LFIs) from around the world. The participants in this engagement included researchers, farmers, project managers, and students from various lighthouse farm initiatives around the globe.
This document collates the lessons learned from six lighthouse farm initiatives (LFIs) around the world: the culmination of a summit of LFI, hosted by Wageningen University & Research’s Global Network of Lighthouse Farms, from June 30 – July 1, 2025.
Lighthouse farm initiatives (LFIs) have been emerging all over the world, particularly in Europe where the EU Soil Mission Board has called for lighthouses to be formed in the research and innovation infrastructure of the Horizon Europe programme. LFIs refers to projects (research or innovation) that aim to identify and work with lighthouse farm(s). Lighthouse farms are exemplary farms that push the boundary of the known solution space for the futures of farming and food. In research, they provide a transdisciplinary medium which leads to more inclusivity and applicable outcomes. They help to spread knowledge and inspiration to their peers and other stakeholders, which helps accelerate the transition towards more sustainable land-use systems.
This divergence of definitions without a unifying approach has resulted in different interpretations on the nature and purpose of lighthouse farms. This ambiguity carries the following risks: 1) confusion between initiatives; 2) unnecessary competition for resources; and 3) “watering down” of the concept, with a risk of the lighthouse concept losing its transformation potential over time.
Additionally, many funding bodies are calling for both lighthouses and Living Labs, without clear differentiation between them. This document will clarify the lighthouse farm concept and help frame it within the broader transdisciplinary R&I landscape. It is important to note that while some actors are applying the lighthouse concept to multiple land-uses (such as forestry, urban areas), the primary focus and examples found in this report are from the agri-food sector.
This declaration brings a unifying approach for emerging lighthouse farm initiatives. It brings clarity on the multiple possible definitions, insights on different methodologies for identifying lighthouses, and useful tips on how to work with lighthouse farmers.
When developing a LFI, the first question to ask is how to define a lighthouse farm. Rather than imposing a strict definition, we agreed on a broader, principle-based approach that can be adapted across contexts. With that said, any adaptation of the lighthouse farm concept must preserve several core elements.
First, lighthouse farms are existing, real, commercial farms, rather than educational or purely experimental sites. Commercial farms are embedded within socio-economic, cultural, and ecological realities of a specific context, which allows for a direct understanding of the real constraints and enablers that farmers face, not only at the biophysical level, but also at the cultural, socioeconomic, and policy levels. For this reason, lighthouse farms may not be experimental stations. Experimental farms or research stations often operate under controlled conditions, isolated from the daily uncertainties of real farming life, and usually focus on testing discrete variables. By contrast, lighthouse farms integrate multiple forms of knowledge—scientific, practical, and local—while operating under the real-world pressures of markets, policies, climate, and community expectations. This makes them living, systemic examples rather than laboratories.
Second, lighthouse farms demonstrate innovations—whether agronomic, market-related, or in broader socio-economic arrangements—that challenge prevailing practices, systems, and assumptions.
Third, Lighthouse Farms function as transformative models, pointing toward desired futures that are food secure, nutritious, sustainable, resilient, and just. Building on these three core elements as a foundation, LFIs may further develop their own specific definition of a lighthouse farm. Below, we offer a step-by-step framework to guide the process of defining a lighthouse farm, taking into account that LFIs may have diverse objectives, involve different types of actors, and be embedded within varying socioecological contexts. This approach acknowledges pluralism while remaining systemic.
Step 1: Define the purpose and scope
The first step in applying the concept of lighthouse farms is to clarify the purpose of the Lighthouse Farm Initiative (LFI). Different LFIs may pursue different purposes, such as supporting an agroecological transition, strengthening food security and nutrition for vulnerable communities, or advancing climate change mitigation and adaptation. Depending on this purpose, lighthouse farms may be defined in such a way that they remain relevant to the initiative’s specific objectives and context. The scope of the LFI can also vary; some are locally focused on a particular region, while others are be broad, looking at farms around the world. Having clarity on the purpose and scope will have implications for how LFIs select farms and the criteria applied for selecting them.
Step 2: Define the intended audience
Different LFIs may be developed with different types of audiences in mind, such as practitioners, decision-makers, and academics. For example, if the purpose is to facilitate the adoption of agroecological practices through peer-to-peer learning, then the audience is probably farmers and advisors (e.g., Terres Vivantes). Alternatively, if the purpose is to trigger system change, then the intended audience may be multiple types of actors in the food system, such as academics, decision-makers, and industry (e.g., Global Network of Lighthouse Farms).The choices made in Steps 1 and 2 will have significant implications on how a LFI defines the characteristics of its Lighthouse Farms, and the criteria and methods applied for selecting them.
Step 3: Determine the characteristics of the farming system and the farmers
Building on the three core elements of a lighthouse farm mentioned earlier, LFIs have flexibility in defining the precise farming system and farmer characteristics that are relevant for their purpose and audience. A diversity of approaches to sustainability can be recognized and prioritized by different lighthouse farm initiatives, such as agroecology, climate-smart, regenerative, organic, and circular approaches to farming. To pick two extremes as an illustration of how varied these definitions may be, we can imagine how an agroecological lighthouse farm initiative in Cuba will look for farms with very different characteristics and production models than a climate-smart lighthouse farm initiative in Denmark. The former may prioritize characteristics associated with food sovereignty and family farming, whereas the latter may utilize GHG emission indicators to define the lighthouse farm. Regardless of which approach is chosen, it is important to have clarity about these characteristics before starting the selection process.
Step 4: Determine the required resources, skills, and infrastructure
A lighthouse farm is more than a ‘label’: being a lighthouse farmer involves an active role in transdisciplinary collaborations, for which resources will be required. The exact skills and infrastructure needed depend on the audience and the objectives of the LFI. For example, if the audience is a scientific community, the lighthouse farmers selected by the LFI should be open to scientific collaboration and working with students/researchers. If the audience is other farmers, then the farmers should have skills associated with open communication and demonstration (i.e., clear opportunities for knowledge exchange).
There are multiple methods for identifying lighthouse farms, with more being explored. We illustrate our pluralistic framework by presenting how three different LFIs approached the lighthouse farm concept and the methods they used to identify lighthouse farms.
Purpose
To bring together a diversity of farming systems from around the world that have radically redefined at least one dimension of sustainability. They serve as inspiration on the future of farming and food and help elucidate ingredients of successful farming systems that are ready for the challenges of tomorrow.
Audience
All actors in the food system, including: policymakers, industry, knowledge institutes, financial institutions, NGOs, extension agents.
Method
Our global approach brings together exemplars of disruptively innovative farming systems. For the identification of these farms, we rely on experts knowledgeable in local contexts and sectors. We invite farms to join our network based on local expert recommendations, field visits by the team, and successful execution of small research projects. Farming systems in our network should add to the diversity of farming systems and approaches, and be operational. Further, we use the following criteria to ensure that the farm(s) meet the logistical requirements to be part of our network:
Purpose
The objective is to speed up the agroecological transition of Belgian farms. This is achieved through two programmes: (i) An intensive coaching of farmers who can become lighthouse farmers. This aims at developing a strong basis of agroecological farms but can only reach about 1% of the farming population. (ii) The implementation of a lighthouse farm network is complementary to the first programme. It has the potential to engage about 50–70% of the entire farming population. It is an efficient pathway for expanding the benefits of agroecological practices and scaling up agroecological models.
Audience
Less advanced farmers of the same region, and possibly farmers’ advisers. The network is a source of inspiration for a broader public: students, researchers, decision-makers, NGOs, industries, and other actors in the farming and agri-food sectors.
Method
The intensive coaching programme for farmers includes training, individual support (farm visits and telephone calls), and group coaching. Group coaching involves visits to farms that are particularly inspiring due to their innovative techniques and systemic approach, as part of winter workshops during which small groups of farmers present their farms and the challenges they face, which are then resolved by their peers and agronomists.(ii) Lighthouse farms are identified by the agroecological indicator system OASIS. They must reach a minimum score and serve as a source of inspiration for their system as a whole. These farmers should be respected by their peers, innovative, and able to communicate effectively. Farmers can host around 60 farmers each per year to share their experiences, successes, and failures. They are assisted by agronomists with the practical organisation of each visit and are remunerated for their time. Each farm is described on a website, allowing other farmers to make their choice. A rotation of lighthouse farms is organised so that each farmer can visit several farms in their region over the years.
Purpose
The purpose is to identify and explore innovative and inspiring examples in agrifood systems in Quebec, Canada, that showcase viable local solutions supporting food sovereignty. The aim is also for these examples to help shape new narratives and alternative visions for the future of food for the people living and farming in the region. To date, the initiative focuses primarily on generating scientific knowledge to inform advocacy and decision-making.
Audience
Research institutions and practitioners, particularly those engaged in program design, decision-making and advocacy efforts.
Method
This initiative seeks to curate a sample of representative farms that advance food sovereignty and contribute to sustainable, resilient, and equitable futures. To identify these farms, we developed a matrix capturing the diversity of agricultural land uses in the region by crops and livestock. This matrix was cross-referenced with the principles of food sovereignty to ensure broad representation of farming systems across the region, while highlighting examples that embodied at least two principles of food sovereignty. The matrix was populated through triangulation of local expert knowledge. Following this, we conducted farm visits, during which farmers were interviewed using a common survey instrument to document their operations, philosophies, and the opportunities and challenges they have encountered.
Before identifying lighthouse farms, an LFI must consider how best to work together with the farmers and how to support them in their role in the initiative. The following tips can guide this process of working with both lighthouse farms and farmers in general:
Building trust: The importance of taking time to get to know the farm and the farmer(s) cannot be overestimated. Ask questions to understand their work, visit the farm in person, ensure that values and objectives are shared, and confirm that the purpose of the initiative aligns with the farmers’ personal goals and values. Lighthouse farmers should not be considered a tool or case study from which information is extracted; rather, they should be seen as partners who mutually benefit from the relationship. Developing clear expectations and communication channels is critical to success.
Giving back to the farmers: Farm advice and data ensure that the collaboration is equally helpful for the farmers. Likewise, convenors should ensure that knowledge from the network, as well as the latest scientific insights, is well documented and accessible to farmers, including networking events with other farmers and stakeholders. For example, in the Terres Vivantes network, although lighthouse farms are advanced in their transition, they benefit from exchanges on a WhatsApp group, receive a newsletter, can consult an agronomist for free on any topics of interest, and receive the assessment of their farm by OASIS with comments for further improvements.
Providing remuneration: Many grant schemes in the European R&I landscape do not allow farmers to receive remuneration as partners in projects, making their involvement more challenging. This needs to be structurally addressed to allow farmers to receive fair financial compensation for sharing their time, knowledge, and resources. In some cases, lighthouse farmers report that the results of projects, or the training and knowledge gained during the project, are sufficient (e.g., soil samples, runoff maps). However, there are also very high rates of farmer fatigue in research projects that do not deliver useful data or knowledge back to the farmer. Additional training may be needed to give farmers the tools to advocate for themselves during project negotiations, especially for research endeavors.
Consider farm life: Activities and time commitments from farmers should be flexibly planned around the farming calendar (e.g., lighthouse events should not be scheduled during peak harvest times).
Long-term facilitation and support: From the beginning of the LFI, network resilience should be built so that farmers can continue working together and exchanging knowledge beyond the project’s duration and budget. To facilitate meaningful exchange, there should be clear communication channels (e.g., WhatsApp, Signal, Teams) as well as organized in-person events such as peer-to-peer on-farm knowledge exchanges.
The Lighthouse Farm initiatives participating in the Summit agree to an annual conference of lighthouse initiatives from around the world. These exchanges will provide a platform for sharing and harvesting learnings from practice to integrate them more effectively into Horizon Europe and other funding calls.