The Mission Soil is an instrument funded by the European Union under the Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon Europe. It aims to create 100 living labs and lighthouses by 2030 to lead the EU’s transition towards healthy soils.
Living labs are places for on-the-ground experimentation. Lighthouses are sites for showcasing good practices.
This Mission will support the EU’s ambition to have all soils in good condition by 2050. According to a JRC study, currently about 60% of soils in the EU are considered to be unhealthy (see Dashboard of the EU Soil Observatory).
The Mission is also implementing an ambitious research and innovation programme, promoting harmonised soil monitoring in the EU, and increasing public awareness and engagement in soil protection and restoration. Activities under the Mission aim at finding solutions to major soil health challenges in rural and urban areas, and contribute to its specific objectives:
- Reduce desertification
- Conserve soil organic carbon stock
- Stop soil sealing and increase the reuse of urban soils
- Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
- Prevent erosion
- Improve soil structure to enhance soil biodiversity
- Reduce the EU global footprint on soils
- Improve soil literacy in society
The Mission is embedded in a dozen EU Green Deal strategies, communications or action plans, including the EU Soil Strategy 2030. The Mission is a key component of the Commission’s proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law. The Mission Soil is also integrated into 18 out of 28 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans of EU Member States with concrete actions to connect CAP funds with innovative, sustainable farming practices for soil health.
Since its launch in September 2021, five work programmes (WPs) with calls for proposals have been published within the framework of the Mission Soil. Under the first four WPs (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), 60 projects were financed, amounting to around €435.5 million. These projects are working among others on: soil monitoring, business models for soil health, regional soil needs assessment, soil decontamination, soil biodiversity, carbon farming, soil literacy in society, subsoil, soil pollution, soil desertification, soil in spatial planning, and soil-friendly practices in horticulture.
The first 25 Living Labs have started and will be followed by 20 more in 2025, involving more than 1,000 sites (farms, land plots, industrial sites) across Europe to enable a rapid adoption of sustainable soil management practices and technology by land managers.
- Read more about the Soil Mission open call until 23 September 2026 in the ‘Funding opportunities under Horizon Europe – Calls 2026’
- Read the work programme of Horizon Europe Missions for 2026 and 2027
The Mission Soil Manifesto was launched on 18 April 2023 to highlight the urgent need for action to restore and protect soil health in Europe and to support the Mission objectives. The Manifesto is a non-binding document that can be signed by individuals and by representatives of legal entities, such as local and regional authorities, private or public companies, universities and research institutions. The Manifesto has been signed by more than 650 organisations (56% companies, NGOs, associations, philanthropies) and +2,600 individual signatories.
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The Mission Soil shares updates and stories through newsletters, podcasts, videos, and social media content. Subscribe to the Mission Soil newsletter to stay updated on the latest news and events.
Since 2023, the Mission Soil has organised the European Mission Soil Week, a major annual event gathering together the European soil community. The second edition of the event (November 2024) attracted 300 participants on-site and more than 1,000 online.
In 2025, the European Mission Soil Week was jointly organised with the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU in Denmark on 5-6 November 2025, with a focus on business models and investments, and featuring high-level speakers.
Check the Mission Soil Platform: the dedicated website with information on Mission activities, events, project updates, policy developments and much more.