The Mission Soil gathers soil scientists from different parts of the EU

The European Mission Soil Week 2024 was held in November in Brussels, organized by the European Commission Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and the Joint Research Centre, in the context of the EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe (Mission Soil) under EU's Horizon Europe funding program 2021–2027. The first European Mission Soil Week was held last year in Madrid. The events indicated the strong appreciation of soil research and its contribution to EU policies. Living soil, clean waters and a favorable climate (biosphere) are essential for sustainable development and planetary health which are at the the centre of dialogue. It is time to address alternatives for sustainable soil management, also underlying the forest-based bioeconomy. 

The role of soils emphasized in EU policy 

The role of soils in EU research and innovation funding has been strengthened during this decade because more than half of Europe's soils are in poor health, challenging our well-being. Soil management which enhances essential soil functions and prevents harmful effects on soil health requires solid impact assessment as a basis for designing regulatory measures, as underlined by  a directive initiative already 20 years ago.

The science-policy interface was strengthened with the EJP SOIL projects (2020–2024), which focused scientific perspectives on the climate resilience of agricultural lands. The Mission Soil (2021–2027) expanded the research on forest and urban lands as well as degraded areas. The main goal of the Mission Soil is to establish 100 living labs (LLs) and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030. Through LLs, land managers and local communities are embedded into a science-practice-policy interface.

The Mission Soil Week 2024 showed the power of the Mission, as the event brought together soil scientists, land managers, land planners, as well as decision makers for a total of 250 on-site and around 300 on-line participants. The first 25 Living Labs of the Mission Soil received attention. New ones are being established all over Europe to fill in the recognized knowledge gaps concerning different soil types and management practices. One of the identified research needs was different options of forest soil management for strengthening sustainable local bioeconomies. 

The Mission Soil strengthens the supply for ecosystem services 

Healthy soils supply valuable ecosystem services, such as nutrient and water cycling, carbon sequestration, food and other biomass production. Healthy soil is a habitat for diverse species, which increases the soil’s capacity to tolerate the challenges brought by climate change, i.e. excessive rains and floods, prolonged droughts, as well as disease and pest outbreaks. 

All in all, the well-being of nature and people depends on healthy soils and the ecosystem services they provide. At its best, cooperation between humans and nature strengthens ecosystem services, which the EU's soil mission describes as follows:

1.       producing nutritious and safe food

2.       cycling nutrients

3.       storing and cycling carbon, supporting climate mitigation and adaptation

4.       hosting biodiversity

5.       purifying and regulating water, protection from droughts and floods

6.       supporting human activities, landscapes and cultural heritage

Currently, European soils are not able to support enough ecosystem services and are weak in adapting to the prevailing climate change. Therefore, solutions for more sustainable land use and land management are piloted from fields to forests and in urban and industrial environments. All sectors have challenges and room for improvement to adapt our well-being within the limits of nature’s carrying capacity. 

A common challenge for future  

The future challenge applies to all land managers and consumers – we all live from ecosystem services supplied by soils. That’s why the dialogue must go through the whole society, including different stakeholders and beneficiaries. By cooperating and increasing understanding, the European soils provide essential services for our well-being and to mitigate risks for our health and economy. The eight Mission specific objectives are to

1. reduce desertification
2. conserve organic carbon stocks in the soils
3. stop soil sealing and increase re-use of urban soils
4. reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
5. prevent soil erosion
6. improve soil structure to enhance soil biodiversity
7. reduce the EU global footprint on soils
8. improve soil literacy in society

Links to other EU Missions of the Horizon Europe funding programme, such as Adaptation to Climate Change and Restore our Ocean and Waters are clear and their aims are connected. Water management to strengthen sustainable hydrological cycles in the biosphere, from the soil to the waters and further through the air to the soil, is essential to recognize, as weather risks are increasing and challenge well-being both in cities and in rural areas.

Research needs identified for forest management

 "Healthy forest soils produce healthy biomass for safe bio-products", was said in the breakout session during the Mission Soil Week, focusing on the pivotal role of soil health in fostering sustainable forest-based bioeconomy. The target is in innovative soil management practices that enhance ecosystem services, support biomass production and promote climate change mitigation and adaptation.

In a brainstorming session of more than 30 experts, new approaches for forest soils care and regeneration methods were discussed. The session identified key gaps and research needs, offering recommendations on how future efforts, including the EU Mission Soil, can advance sustainable forest soil management.  

The innovation session was preceded by three presentations: Aleksi Lehtonen, Research professor, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) focused on greenhouse gases, Ieva Līcīte, Researcher, Latvian State Forest Research Institute "Silava" presented strip harvest as a new solution for forest regeneration, and Andrea Martos from IDENER R&D, presented the pHYBI project, focused on phytoremediation and role of healthy soils for safe forest-based bioproducts.

A wider range of regeneration methods and soil management practices were seen as a means for sustainable development. The two black and white alternatives, either continuous cover or final felling with intensive tillage are not enough to describe successful forest management alternatives adapted to different local conditions. There is a spectrum of good approaches between these two. The research needs long-term experiments with different treatments with controls. In addition, indicators and metrics for forest soil quality was highlighted. In decision-making, modelling of soil functions are key to show the impact of different forest management practices.  Valuing the ecosystem services and compensation for land managers based on them was seen as an essential element to strengthen the health, growth and further carbon sequestration of forests.

The general session of the Mission Soil Week reported a wish for a forest soil projects, from the North to South and East to West, to test different forest regeneration methods to enrich ecosystem services in different pedo-climatical conditions. I hope we get to see the wish comes true.

The Mission Soil gathers soil scientists from different parts of the EU

At least three EU Member States should take part in the project funded by the Mission, including several research sites within each State. This is essential to identify and test innovations at different pedo-climatical conditions. The Mission Soil's projects are coordinated by research institutes, but it is necessary to combine science and practice into knowledge that stakeholders recognize and adopt. Information sharing and dialogue should therefore be lively.

Beneficiaries in Finland are already coordinating three significant Mission Soil projects: DeliSoil focuses on food industry byproducts to be used as soil improvers for especially in agricultural soils to restore their functionality and growth potential, ISLANDR is aiming strategies for soil remediation at contaminated sites, and HoliSoils is working together for forest soils aiming to harmonize available soil monitoring information to support decision making towards climate and sustainability goals. In addition, MARVIC, which started as an EJP SOIL project, studies greenhouse gas balances at field sites, to develop MRV for carbon removals in European agriculture. The northernmost test site is Ruukki. It is important that the projects cover conditions across Europe.

Author Liisa Pietola works as an expert member of the EU's Mission Soil Board and as a senior advisor at Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. During the 2024 European Mission Soil Week, she moderated the session “Soil health for a sustainable forest-based bioeconomy”. Secretary of the Finnish Earth Sciences Society 1999–2003.

” PS. A poem shared during The European Mission Soil  Week, whose message I hope will reach as many people as possible”