Healthy soils are essential for food production but are under threat: over 60% of soils in Europe are unhealthy, thus not able to deliver vital ecosystem services, including climate change mitigation and adaptation. With the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, the European Commission is pioneering a novel instrument and has shown leadership in putting soil protection and the promotion of soil health on the European and even global agenda in order to reverse the dangerous trend of soil degradation through research and innovation.

With today’s event ‘A Soil Deal for Europe and Beyond’, TP Organics calls for strong support for the Soil Mission. The 80 registrations show the high interest of the stakeholders in research and innovation for soil health. The event with high-level panellists from various backgrounds various (both high-level policymakers and actors on the ground) and geographical regions, including Africa, is complementing the EU AgriResearch Conference on 31 May and 1 June 2023. It is part of a series of events organised by TP Organics in Brussels to highlight the importance of the Soil Mission in the context of current environmental and climate challenges and in view of the ongoing evaluation of all EU Missions.

Starting from the soil and soil health being one of the core principles of organic agriculture, organic is a frontrunner when it comes to sustainable land management practices. Eduardo Cuoco, Head of Secretariat, Director of IFOAM Organics Europe, initiator of the event and one of the first signatories of the Mission Soil Manifesto launched by the European Regions Research and Innovation Network ERRIN, points to the solutions to make our soils healthy again: “Supporting organic food and farming directly as well as through research and innovation, advice and knowledge exchange, can make an important contribution to restore our soils. The organic sector welcomes the mission as an important instrument to promote major Green Deal objectives. Its activities on soil education, training and advise are key to equip farmers, advisors, and other actors with the necessary skills to manage land in more sustainable ways and to develop soil-friendly value chains.”