Dossier
Soil Health
Healthy soils are vital. For our food production, for water retention, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, underground and above-ground biodiversity. Unfortunately, the quality and health of our soils is deteriorating rapidly. Time for a change: the European Commission has presented a new Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience, to legally protect the soil. In this dossier, Wageningen experts will show you the importance of soil and what is needed to manage our soils sustainably.
Soil health and why it needs Europe-wide protection
Seventeen soil experts of Wageningen University & Research have collaboratively written a policy discussion note on the importance of soil health and a European Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive.
Read more about the proposed Directive
How does WUR work on soil health?
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EU Horizon Research Project: Soil Health Benchmarks
BENCHMARKS proposes co-development within 24 European Living Labs of a multi-scale and multi-user focused monitoring framework that is transparent,... -
Soil quality and ecosystem services (SIREN)
Based on CAP, Green Deal and SDGs, the EU is considering in the Mission on Soil Health the goal of having at least 75% of all soils healthy and able... -
SPRINT
Farming systems in Europe rely strongly on the use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) to secure profitability, yields, and safety in food production.... -
Embodied Ecologies
Among the existential threats that require lifestyle and policy changes for humans to live within the boundaries of planetary sustainability, one...
More projects on soil health
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Visual soil assessment for improved farm and ecosystem management
PhD project Maricke van Leeuwen -
Influence of weather extremes on soil quality
The KNMI has reported that the Netherlands are increasingly confronted with more extreme weather conditions. It is not yet sufficiently clear how and... -
Management Bodem en Landgebruik
The Key Register Subsurface (BRO) is a central database with public data on the Dutch subsurface. The BRO builds on existing registrations of... -
Knowledge dissemination Soil and Land use
The soil and water system is becoming increasingly important for the major tasks that we have in the Netherlands. Thanks to the Soil Information... -
Soil quality and ecosystem services (SIREN)
Based on CAP, Green Deal and SDGs, the EU is considering in the Mission on Soil Health the goal of having at least 75% of all soils healthy and able...
Meet the experts
Rachel Creamer
Soil health policy should be clear about the challenges and objectives and needs to recognise the vital role of farmers and other land managers in management of soil health.
Edwin Alblas
It is high time policymakers provided firm legal protection for healthy soils, which are fundamental to life and essential for the protection of people and the environment.
Liesje Mommer
The majority of soils across Europe are in poor condition as a result of unsustainable human activities. This has serious consequences for the health of people, the environment we live in, and the ecosystems of our planet.
Jeanne Nel
Science-based frameworks and engagement processes already exist to allow local actors to develop context-sensitive strategies for managing and monitoring soil health.
Esmer Jongedijk
It is clear that soil health and human health are connected through several interconnected pathways: soil, water, vegetable and animal foods, and air. To protect this system, a "one-health" approach is essential.
Janjo de Haan
A lot of societal issues are being imposed on farmers via policy regulations, without providing financial compensation and future perspectives. Soil health policy should therefore be made through a joint search together with farmers.
News on soil health
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Petition calls for the proposed EU Soil Health Law to be supported, but also tightened
- The response of WUR soil scientists’ to the proposed EU Soil Health Law has been met with broad support among scientists of WUR and beyond.... -
Home-grown: WUR-experts on the new EU soil legislation
- The soil will likely be legally protected under EU law in the future. WUR researchers wrote a policy discussion document to provide the European... -
The sprint towards a sustainable future
- More than 2,000 pesticides are used for agricultural production in Europe, yet knowledge about the effects of pesticide residue mixtures on ecosystems... -
Lighthouse farms: a future for farming and food
- What will the world of farming and food look like in 2050? It is becoming harder to predict. But one thing is clear: we need to prepare for a new... -
Illuminating soil biodiversity interactions with links to nutrient cycling and therefore global change
- Soil biodiversity is driving major nutrient cycling pathways, particularly that of carbon. In fact, bacteria and fungi underlie most carbon released...
Publications
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Barriers and opportunities of soil knowledge to address soil challenges : Stakeholders’ perspectives across Europe
Journal of Environmental Management (2023), Volume: 325, Issue: Part B - ISSN 0301-4797 -
Soil biodiversity needs policy without borders
Science (New York, N.Y.) (2023), Volume: 379, Issue: 6627 - ISSN 0036-8075 - p. 32-34. -
At the Farm of the Future, soil structure and soil health are top priorities
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An Open Soil Health Assessment Framework Facilitating Sustainable Soil Management
Environmental Science and Technology (2022), Volume: 56, Issue: 23 - ISSN 0013-936X - p. 17375-17384. -
European farmers describe solutions for improving soil health
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Effects of micro and nanoplastics on soil fauna gut microbiome : An emerging ecological risk for soil health
Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health (2022), Volume: 30 - ISSN 2468-5844 -
Towards Circular Agriculture – Exploring Insect Waste Streams as a Crop and Soil Health Promoter
Journal of Insects as Food and Feed (2021), Volume: 7, Issue: 3 - ISSN 2352-4588 - p. 357-368. -
Combining local knowledge and soil science for integrated soil health assessments in conservation agriculture systems
Journal of Environmental Management (2021), Volume: 286 - ISSN 0301-4797 -
Soil indicators for agricultural fields in The Netherlands (BLN version 1.1)
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A strategy to determine the fate of active chemical compounds in soil; applied to antimicrobially active substances
Chemosphere (2021), Volume: 279 - ISSN 0045-6535