How research helps the EU make its soils healthy

Have you heard of the EU’s initiative to restore our soils??

The EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” is the EU’s dedicated scientific advice and funding instrument supporting the EU’s objective of achieving healthy soils by 2050. Under Horizon Europe, the European Commission funds research and innovation in order to protect and restore soils in Europe and beyond.?

With an estimated investment of around 1 billion euros between 2021-2027, the Mission Soil aims to establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.?

The Mission has already funded 29 projects addressing a range of topics. For example, the first 25 living labs starting this year focus on carbon farming, soil biodiversity and ecosystems, soil contamination, etc.?

9 topics with 13 projects expected to be funded totalling €134.5 million have just been launched. The new calls for proposals will be presented on the 25th of April during the Info days of the EU Missions.?

Behind this initiative are decades of soil research and monitoring, some of which have directly influenced the EU investment in soil health.

Here is an overview.

A common framework for soil research: the role of the Joint Research Centre (JRC)??

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is one of the leading actors in soil research, hosting two important initiatives, the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) and the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO), along with facilitating knowledge-making and supporting the coordination of soil research.?

European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC):?

Established in 2012, ESDAC is the European Hub for soil-related data and information, hosting an increasing number of open-access resources available for scientists, soil managers, policy makers and citizens.??

Data in ESDAC come from a variety of sources including direct observations from tens of thousands of soil samples across Europe that have been collected under the Land Use/Cover Area frame Survey (LUCAS), the largest harmonised and regularly updated assessment of soils for the entire EU, coordinated by the JRC.??

Today, ESDAC hosts 120 datasets, 6000 maps and 7 atlases, as well as 600 scientific publications,? highlighting the need for current soil data. The analysis of JRC researchers on the samples collected resulted in the creation of indicators used to assess soil health and soil degradation processes EU-wide and beyond, resulting in the Soil Health Dashboard, an interactive, open-access tool enabling real-time visualization of soil condition across Europe.??

The EU Soil Observatory (EUSO)?

The EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) was created in 2020, stemming from the extensive research carried out in the past decade.?

EUSO coordinates knowledge on soil at EU-level, supporting and monitoring related policies with scientific evidence. Its focus lays on soil monitoring systems and support to research and innovation.?

EUSO also strives to foster stakeholder engagement and societal awareness, organising annual gatherings were actors from academia, institutions and civil society can come together and find solutions for soil preservation, such as the EUSO Stakeholder Forum.??

The EUSO plays an important role within the Mission Soil. It steers its research agenda, ensuring alignment between EUSO and the development of research on soils in the EU and contributing to the Mission Soil’s annual work programme. The JRC is one of the main actors responsible for the soil monitoring elements within the Mission Soil.?

EUSO is actively involved in shaping EU policies with scientific expertise such as the proposed Soil Monitoring Law and the Nature Restoration Law. It also contributes to initiatives like the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Zero Pollution Action Plan, aiming to promote sustainable soil management practices and address soil pollution.?

All of this has concrete implications on the present and future soil health in the EU, in the form of Mission Soil.?

Bringing together soils stakeholders: Living Labs and Lighthouses?

The Mission Soil will establish 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses by 2030 to promote sustainable land and soil management in urban and rural areas.?

Living Labs are places for hands-on, on-the-ground experimentation. ? They will bring together cross-disciplinary partners operating in soil management, such as land managers, scientists, businesses and local authorities to co-design, monitor and evaluate solutions for improving soil health.??

The living lab approach allows testing in real-life settings and has close cooperation with civil society at its core.??

Lighthouses?are?places like a farm or a park, where good?practices for soil management are showcased and shared. They can foster peer-to-peer learning and inspire other practitioners to move towards sustainable land management.?

Living Labs and Lighthouses are a concrete answer to societal challenges and practical concerns faced by operators in the field, enabling to bridge the gap between research and practice.

Arwyn Jones PANOS PANAGOS Alberto Orgiazzi Calogero Schillaci Diana Vieira Cristina Arias-Navarro Nils Broothaerts Andrea Carbotti