The European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) is the EU’s main platform for coordinating soil knowledge and reference data, supporting policy development, soil monitoring, and research. The SoilWISE project is building an open-access, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) soil data and knowledge repository. A core goal of SoilWISE is to align with and feed into the EUSO: the prototype repository developed by SoilWISE is explicitly designed to support the evolution of the Observatory. Through data flows connecting existing soil data sources (e.g., national repositories, ESDAC) with the SoilWISE platform, it ensures that relevant datasets produced in the project can be integrated into EUSO. After the end of the project, the intention is for the SoilWISE repository to be maintained, further developed, and potentially adopted by the EUSO.
“BonaRes” is short for “Soil as a sustainable resource for the bioeconomy”. In this funding initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) the focus is on the sustainable use of soils as a limited resource. The ultimate goal of BonaRes is to extend the scientific understanding of soil ecosystems and to improve the productivity of soils and other soil functions while developing new strategies for a sustainable use and management of soils. The BonaRes Portal provides information about the BonaRes projects, access to data, knowledge and models, as well as to decision support options for a sustainable soil management.
The SoilWISE project is closely linked to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, particularly the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC). SoilWISE contributes standardized soil datasets and metadata that are compatible with JRC infrastructures, supporting harmonized soil monitoring, reporting, and research across Europe. This collaboration ensures that SoilWISE outputs can be integrated into the European Soil Observatory, enhancing accessibility, interoperability, and utility of soil data for policy development, research, and sustainable land management initiatives.
European Joint Programme Soil was implemented and co-funded by the European Commission and by 24 European countries, with a long-term objective to align soil related research at a national and at a European scale. For this, a wide range of activities were performed, considered to be knowledge development, knowledge sharing and transfer, knowledge harmonisation, organisation and storage and knowledge application.
The African Union Soil Observatory (AUSO) is a continental initiative under the African Union aimed at improving soil information, monitoring, and management across Africa. It serves as a coordinated platform for collecting, harmonising, and analysing soil data to support sustainable land use, agricultural productivity, food security, and climate resilience. By strengthening soil data systems, technical capacity, and collaboration among member states, AUSO helps policymakers, researchers, and farmers make evidence-based decisions that protect soil health and promote long-term environmental and economic sustainability across the continent.
The project will support European cities by promoting innovations that aim to valorise bio-waste and optimising their recycling into soil improvers through innovative and economically viable value chains. The project will implement 3 Living Labs in the cities of Amsterdam (NL), Hamburg (DE), Egaleo (EL). Here, partners will develop and validate solutions that other cities across Europe could replicate in order to valorise their bio-waste streams and produce soil-improvers.
SUS-SOIL is a 4-year Horizon Europe funded project that adopts a multidisciplinary approach, focused on the development of 15 Subsoil-Living Labs (LLs) to inventory, analyse and benchmark different agroecology subsoil management (ASM) and land uses, studying their impacts on the subsoil spatial variations and dynamics to best combine ASM practices in rural and urban areas within a global regional context.
Seacure project aims at demonstrating, scaling up and replicating effective innovations for the systemic prevention and reduction of nutrient pollution in the Mediterranean Sea basin, in line with the innovation ecosystem framework provided by the ongoing Mediterranean Lighthouse projects and in close cooperation with related activities implemented by regional soil health living labs in the area.
MARVIC supports the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) by developing harmonized, cost-effective Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems for agriculture. The project focuses on accurately assessing soil carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions, while aligning with EU regulations, balancing cost and accuracy, and addressing non-permanence risks. By integrating farm data, sampling strategies, models, and sensing technologies into scalable operational processing chains, MARVIC aims to deliver reliable tools that strengthen trust in European carbon farming and support EU climate goals.
CAFAMORE is an ambitious Horizon Europe project within the Mission Soil, launched in July 2025 to accelerate the adoption of Carbon Farming practices across the EU and support the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation. Its mission is to make Carbon Farming credible, cost-effective, and scalable by delivering the digital infrastructure, tools, and knowledge needed to ensure reliable Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) of carbon removals and emission reductions.
SOIL O-LIVE addresses soil degradation and biodiversity loss in Mediterranean olive groves through a large-scale, multidisciplinary assessment of soil health in key olive-producing regions. The project studies the impacts of pollution and land degradation on soil functionality and identifies strategies to restore and maintain healthy soils. By linking soil health to olive oil quality and safety, and promoting soil amendments and ecological restoration practices, SOIL O-LIVE aims to improve the resilience, sustainability, and long-term productivity of European olive groves.
ISLANDR supports the EU Mission A Soil Deal for Europe by developing tools and methods for improved management of polluted soils. The project focuses on identifying contaminated sites, conducting evidence-based risk assessments, promoting sustainable, risk-based land management, integrating soil valuation into financial decisions, and aligning land contamination with spatial planning. Through seven diverse Test Areas across Europe, ISLANDR generates policy-relevant insights for EU soil strategies and laws, with a strong emphasis on low-input remediation and cost-effective soil restoration, including sites affected by the green transition.
PREPSOIL supports the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” by promoting soil literacy and stewardship among land managers, industries, and society. The project uses knowledge-sharing, co-learning, and regional assessments to translate insights into action through Living Labs and lighthouse farms. By engaging stakeholders, soil ambassadors, and providing a centralized educational platform, PREPSOIL fosters harmonized soil monitoring and sustainable land management, helping accelerate the transition to healthy soils across Europe.
Soil Health Benchmarks project develops a harmonised framework to help farmers, land managers, and policymakers assess and improve soil health across Europe. Using field measurements, laboratory analyses, earth observation, and existing datasets, it establishes benchmarks for key soil properties—such as organic matter, nutrient balance, and soil structure—tested across 29 European case studies in agriculture, forestry, and urban areas. These benchmarks support evidence-based decision-making, track changes over time, and complement the SoilWise project by providing clear reference values that make soil data easier to interpret and act upon.
SOILL-Startup is an EU-funded initiative under the SOILL Framework Agreement, supporting the mission to achieve healthy soils across Europe by 2030. Led by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), the project fosters a network of 100 Soil Health Living Labs and Lighthouses, providing them with capacity building, knowledge exchange, promotion, and monitoring. Acting as a one-stop hub, SOILL-Startup facilitates collaboration among labs, stakeholders, and related projects, helping scale innovative soil management practices while contributing to the EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe, the Green Deal, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The MONALISA project (MONitoring and Assessing prevention and restoration soLutIons to combat deSertificAtion), an Innovation Action Horizon project aimed at preventing and reversing Land Degradation and Desertification (LDD) across Mediterranean drylands, has started with the Kick-off Meeting hosted by Università degli Studi di Sassari (UNISS) in Sassari, Italy. The Granting Authority for this project is the European Research Executive Agency (REA), under the European Commission.
The aim of Soils4Africa is to provide an open-access soil information system with a set of key indicators and underpinning data, accompanied with a methodology for repeated soil monitoring across the African continent. The soil information system will become part of the knowledge and information system of FNSSA and will be hosted by an African institute.
ARAGORN is an EU-funded Horizon Europe project developing sustainable tools and solutions to identify, monitor, and restore contaminated soils across Europe. By combining scientific research, nature-based approaches, and stakeholder collaboration, it aims to improve soil health, biodiversity, and the safe reuse of polluted land.
CURIOSOIL focuses on enhancing soil education, addressing the critical need for a better understanding of soil amid increasing human pressures on this essential resource. The project, co-funded by the European Union and led by the University of Aveiro (Portugal), aims to deepen public comprehension of soil dynamics, establishing a connection between individuals and soil using hands-on experiences.
LOESS is a European programme for the recuperation of soil health. It focuses on increasing soil literacy, via developing educational offers and continuous training programmes as well as skills development activities addressing multiple actors, stakeholders and target groups connected to soil education. The Horizon Europe project LOESS: ‘Literacy boost through an Operational Educational Ecosystem of Societal actors on Soil health’ officially started in June 2023, under the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’.
ECHO is a 4-year Research and Innovation Action (June 2023–May 2027) co-funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Coordinated by the Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, the project engages citizens across Europe and Scotland to protect and restore soils by building knowledge, promoting stewardship, and collecting soil data. With 16 partners, ECHO plans to gather information from up to 16,500 sites across different climate and biogeographic regions. The project will make this citizen science data publicly available through ECHOREPO, a long-term, open-access repository linked to the EU Soil Observatory, supporting researchers, policymakers, farmers, and the general public in informed decision-making. By empowering citizens to actively contribute to soil science, ECHO fosters knowledge generation, behavioural change, and direct participation in soil-related decision-making.