Saving agricultural soils
- Innovation, knowledge exchange & EIP-AGRI
- Agricultural Productivity
- Climate and Climate Change
- Fostering Knowledge & Innovation
Initiatives from the EU and beyond that are promoting the sustainability of agricultural soils.
World Soil Day
The United Nations’ World Soil Day is held on 5 December. The theme for this year is ‘Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage’, to spotlight the importance of accurate soil data and information in understanding soil characteristics and supporting informed decision-making on sustainable soil. Numerous initiatives across Europe are working towards the main objectives of World Soil Day, which focus on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources.
European Mission Soil Week
As part of the EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe, the EU recently organised the European Mission Soil Week, an annual event aimed at raising awareness of the importance of soil health and driving action to protect and restore our soils. This year it took place on 12-14 November in Brussels. It was particularly focused on research and innovation on soil health and how Mission Soil contributes to generating new knowledge, harmonising soil monitoring, co-designing innovations and testing solutions on the ground, increasing societal awareness and engagement, and supporting the green transition. The event brought together 250 people at the event and another 270 online, 56 speakers, 14 exhibition stands, 4 co-creation sessions and 4 field visits.
Some of the highlights from the event are as follows:
- Mission Soil progress: 50 running projects, first 25 Living Labs
- +3 100 signatories of the Manifesto
- New Mission Soil Ambassadors
- Advancing soil monitoring across the EU in collaboration with EUSO and supporting the Soil Monitoring Law proposal
- Plea to further support interdisciplinarity: there is a need for social sciences and humanities experts, as well as artists, to drive societal change.
- Growing community of soil guardians
- Knowledge sharing of sustainable soil management practices
- New inputs for the development of the future Horizon Europe work programme
- Strengthened collaboration among projects and stakeholders
You can re-watch the event on YouTube. Stay tuned for pictures, presentations, and more, which will soon be available on the Mission Soil Platform.
Mission Soil projects
SOILL is a Horizon Europe project funded under the Mission Soil calls. SOILL is supporting the EU Soil Mission objective 100 Soil Mission Living Labs and Lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030 across different geographical and socio-economic contexts all over Europe. You can now join the SOILL community as part of their stakeholder mapping exercise to connect with individuals, organisations, projects, and initiatives who could benefit from the project.
Many other projects and initiatives are working on topics related to the sustainability of soil. PREPSOIL for example, a Horizon Europe project also funded under the Mission Soil calls, has recently launched its PREPSOIL Mobile App. This is a free digital solution that helps citizens acquire knowledge on soil. It offers access to a knowledge hub - a multi-lingual online library providing access to over 200 resources on soil, an interactive map showcasing soil Living Labs and Lighthouses, and a catalogue of videos and interviews on soil issues and best practices to improve soil health. Through the app, users can also participate in ‘soil quests’, and become active players in expanding knowledge of soil.
More information on EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe
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