Forty years of soil research funded by the European Commission: Trends and future. A systematic review of research projects

The European Green Deal with its high ambition has set the European Union (EU) on a promising path towards greater soil protection. The EU Soil Strategy 2030, the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Zero Pollution, the Nature Restoration Law and the European Climate Law, among others, include actions to protect our soils. Research and Innovation (R&I) will play a key role in developing new knowledge and tools enabling the transition to healthy soils. The main aim of this paper is to analyse past and near-future trends in EU's funding for R&I on soil-related issues. For this purpose, a review of EU-funded soil projects was conducted based on the data available in the Community Research and Development Information Service and the official portal for European data. Our analysis shows that over the past 40 years, the EU has invested significantly in developing integrated knowledge about the relationships between soil functions and ecosystem services and how human-induced pressures affect soil health. The Horizon Europe Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, which aims to establish a network of 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils and safeguard human and planetary health by 2030, provides a further incentive for soil research.

ARIAS NAVARRO Cristina;  PANAGOS Panagiotis;  JONES Arwyn;  AMARAL Maria Jose;  SCHNEEGANS Annette;  VAN LIEDEKERKE Marc;  WOJDA Piotr;  MONTANARELLA Luca; 

2023-10-19

WILEY

JRC132377

1351-0754 (online),   

https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ejss.13423,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC132377,   

10.1111/ejss.13423 (online),