Preparing for the ‘Soil Deal for Europe’ Mission

Lack of knowledge and awareness of the importance of long-term soil health is a major driver of soil degradation affecting its capacity to provide ecosystem services. The ‘Soil Deal for Europe’ Mission proposes a novel approach to R&I for impact, based on Open Science and strong stakeholder and citizen engagement. PREPSOIL will adopt a proactive approach to co-create with stakeholders, leveraging on both offline and online facilities, with the ultimate purpose of generating long-lasting interaction spaces. Furthermore, PREPSOIL will provide the first assessments and efforts towards an improved knowledge base and awareness level on soil health for multiple stakeholders. PREPSOIL’s web portal is envisaged as the European “one-stop-shop” for all information, resources and digital engagement tools for the Mission stakeholders. It will offer an open-source workspace, including collaboration instruments, ready to be expanded to meet requirements from the Mission.

This interaction and engagement strategy supports stocktaking and dialogue to understand how regional ‘soil needs’ assessment, supported by harmonised monitoring mechanisms, can lead to action in Living Labs (LLs) and Light Houses (LHs) for soil health. An ambitious 'soil needs' appraisal campaign will be carried out. In combination with other actions, it will provide direction and capacities for the future national soil health monitoring mechanisms, as well as mapping and preparing the implementation of regional LLs through model business plan guidance.