Life on Earth depends on healthy soils. Soil underpins our food systems, provides clean water and habitats for biodiversity, while contributing to climate resilience. It supports our cultural heritage and landscapes and underpins our economy and prosperity.
However, it is estimated that 60-70% of soils in the EU are unhealthy. Soil is a fragile resource that must be carefully managed and safeguarded for future generations. A centimetre of soil can take hundreds of years to form, but can be lost in a single storm or industrial incident.
At Innogestiona, with the firm commitment to protect and improve soil health, we work in different European research, innovation and collaboration projects in which soil plays a leading role, either directly or indirectly: whether it is the LIFE Scrubsnet project (which Innogestiona coordinates) or the LIFE LiveAdapt project, where we are partners, or the Horizon CO-FRESH, EU4ADVICE or INNOBREED projects, soil becomes one of the main objects of study, as a space for the development of extensive livestock farming, the production of fresh food or the development of complex habitats and ecosystems, seriously threatened by climate change and unsustainable practices.
These projects and other proposals we are working on are closely related to the “Soil Mission for Europe”, which seeks to establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition to healthy soils by 2030, enabling the co-creation of knowledge, testing solutions and demonstrating the value of these efforts in real conditions, while raising awareness among society as a whole, thus contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the European Green Pact on sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, biodiversity and zero pollution. It is also a flagship initiative of the long-term vision for rural areas.
The Soil Mission for Europe is made concrete in 8 objectives:
- reducing desertification
- conserve soil organic carbon stocks
- to stop soil sealing and increase the reuse of urban soils
- reduce soil contamination and improve soil restoration
- prevent erosion
- improving soil structure to enhance soil biodiversity
- reducing the EU’s overall soil footprint
- improve soil literacy in society
If you wish to know more about this Mission and the different funding opportunities offered by the European Commission, you can access this EU official link.
Header photo de Loren King en Unsplash
